Baseball is undergoing an unplanned experiment in 2021.
Take players away from competitive game action for 20 months. Find out what happens when they return to the field.
Early in the minor league season, the answer appears to be plenty of poor play. Too many walks. Too many strikeouts. Too many defensive miscues.
Across the country, the return of minor league baseball has been eagerly anticipated. Communities that were left without baseball for the entire 2020 season packed the stands— as much as was allowed with coronavirus restrictions—to watch players return to action.
In the first few weeks of the 2021 season, what they saw is a reminder that baseball is a sport that requires repetitions to master. Lots of them.
Just as a golfer can’t ready his or herself for a major tournament entirely by hitting drives on a practice range, some patience is going to be required for minor league players to get back into the swing of things.
Scouts watching games at all levels of the minors were quickly taken aback by the low quality of play, especially when it came to defense, quality of at-bats and pitcher’s command and control.
Unprompted, a number of them reached out over the first week of the season just to note how subpar the standard of play had been, whether they were watching Class A, Double-A or Triple-A.
“It’s god-awful,” one pro scout said. “Tons of strikeouts, bad at-bats, bad defense. Sloppy play in general and lots of plodding games. It’s hard to watch.”
ãã®èšäºã¯ Baseball America ã® June 2021 çã«æ²èŒãããŠããŸãã
7 æ¥éã® Magzter GOLD ç¡æãã©ã€ã¢ã«ãéå§ããŠãäœåãã®å³éžããããã¬ãã¢ã ã¹ããŒãªãŒã8,500 以äžã®éèªãæ°èã«ã¢ã¯ã»ã¹ããŠãã ããã
ãã§ã«è³Œèªè ã§ã ?  ãµã€ã³ã€ã³
ãã®èšäºã¯ Baseball America ã® June 2021 çã«æ²èŒãããŠããŸãã
7 æ¥éã® Magzter GOLD ç¡æãã©ã€ã¢ã«ãéå§ããŠãäœåãã®å³éžããããã¬ãã¢ã ã¹ããŒãªãŒã8,500 以äžã®éèªãæ°èã«ã¢ã¯ã»ã¹ããŠãã ããã
ãã§ã«è³Œèªè ã§ã? ãµã€ã³ã€ã³
HOW THE MAJORS HAVE CHANGED FOR YOUNG PLAYERS
When negotiating the 2022 Collective Bargaining Agreement, the MLB Players Association prioritized the earning power of young major league players, especially young stars.
ORGANIZATION REPORTS
Blaze Alexander entered spring training as a long shot to make the team, but there he was on March 28, starting and batting seventh in the D-backsâ Opening Day lineup.
BLAST FROM THE PAST
Louisville Slugger makes Prime bat 30% harder by dipping into 1902 company patent
UNFINISHED BUSINESS
After narrowly missing the NCAA Tournament last year, UC Irvine is determined to finish strong
MORE HARM THAN GOOD?
Dramatically scaling back young pitchersâ workloads has failed to keep them healthier
GEM COLLECTOR
In just four years, Diamond Baseball Holdings has become the most powerful owner ever in Minor League Baseball. What is the plan for their 33 teamsâand counting?
LIFE AFTER AFFILIATED BALL
For many minor league teams that lost their MLB affiliations, it has been business as usualâ with some unexpected benefits
EARNING POWER
A dramatic upgrade to playing conditions for minor leaguersincluding pay, housing and nutrition has made pro baseball economically viable for all players
NOBODY'S PERFECT
No. 1 prospect Jackson Holliday has one flaw in an otherwise airtight profile
ORGANIZATION REPORTS
At nearly every level of his professional career, outfielder Colton Cowser has taken time to acclimate. His major league debut last season was no different.