MINORS: ONGOING DEVELOPMENT

Minor league players experience instructional league vibe while working at alternate training sites

- JOSH NORRIS

During the five-plus months since the coronavirus pandemic took hold in the United States and across the globe, not many people can say that the circumstances have helped them live out a dream.

For Phillies catching prospect Logan O’Hoppe, though, there was a little bit of a silver lining. O’Hoppe, whom the Phillies chose out of a Long Island, N.Y., high school with their 23rd-round pick in 2018, grew up rooting for the Yankees and had been to Yankee Stadium on many occasions, both as a fan and as a player for scouting events.

The pandemic forced teams into a revamped version of spring training—informally dubbed “summer camp”—that took place in each team’s home park. The brief reboot consisted mostly of workouts and intrasquad games, but also featured a few exhibition games at the end.

One of those games pitted the Phillies against the Yankees in the Bronx, and O’Hoppe got into the game, meaning he got to hear his name called over the public address system at his old childhood haunt for the first time as a professional.

“My whole job, wherever I’m at, is a dream come true,” O’Hoppe said, “and that happened to be one of the better parts.”

In a virus-free 2020 season, O’Hoppe likely would have begun the year at low-class A Lakewood with a chance to make it to high-Class A Clearwater in the second half. Instead, he finds himself working out and playing in five-inning intrasquads as part of the group of players and prospects at the Phillies’ alternate training site in Allentown, Pa.