The temperatures might be below zero and there is about 8″ of snow on the ground here in Minnesota but the boys of summer will be reporting to spring training camps all across Florida and Arizona on February 17, just about a week away. But once again in 2021 things will not be like they always have been when it comes time for the pitchers and catchers to report, we are still battling COVID-19 and we have less than 10% of the United States vaccinated.
A few days ago MLB proposed that spring training and the regular season be delayed a month and that a 154 games schedule be played versus a 162 game schedule and that players would get their full pay but the MLBPA shot that down. So this morning MLB in agreement with the MLBPA came out with the following health and safety protocols for 2021 season.
Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic did a wonderful job explaining the in/outs of the agreement in simple English but not everyone has access to The Athletic. So I have acquired a copy of the article and am posting it here for historical purposes and so that baseball fans can understand what MLB players are going to have to go through to put on a MLB season in 2021.
People all over the world are struggling and in many cases dying due to COVID-19. The article by Rosenthal explains the hoops that pro baseball players will have to jump through and the rules that they will have to abide by in order to play ball in 2021.
Just like in 2020 everyone will need to stay flexible and some rules may change as time goes along but hopefully we baseball fans will have a full 162 season to enjoy. Will we be able to enjoy it in person at the ballpark? That is a huge unknown, it all depends if we as a country can get COVID-19 under better control. MLB did announce plans for limited access to ST exhibition games but that could change too, we will have to wait an see what happens.
Just yesterday Eno Sarris and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic published a piece entitled “MLB making changes to the baseball, deadening it — but by how much?” here are the first two paragraphs of that article –
Fewer home runs might be hit this year in baseball, sacrifices on the path to efficiency and standardization. Multiple sources confirm the ball’s construction will change slightly, and five more teams are adding humidors for ball storage — all parts of MLB’s attempt to reduce the wild recent year-to-year swings in home run rates league-wide.
The Athletic obtained an internal memo Major League Baseball sent Friday to general managers, assistant general managers, and equipment managers outlining minor changes that might combine to reduce offense slightly in the 2021 season. The combined effects might seem imperceptible to fans and perhaps even those on the field, but past history suggests very small changes to the ball’s construction can be a big deal.
Yes sir! Baseball might be back in 2021 but it maybe a whole lot different than what we have seen in the past. I guess we will just have to wait and see how it plays out.
Play Ball!