Minor League Baseball in jeopardy?         

Chance Thyhsen  - In Motion Staff Writer 

     Minor League Baseball has been the talk of the town for the past couple of months, from the tragedy in a Collective Bargaining Agreement, or CBA, that would be resulting in the league losing a lot of minor league teams, and now COVID-19 putting a halt on the entire season.  

     The Minor Leagues are an important aspect of Major League Baseball, providing opportunities to former minor league players such as Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo and Christian Yelich. All these players have made waves in MLB, and Bryant is now a major star playing with the Chicago Cubs. Kris Bryant started his minor league stretch when he played locally with the original Daytona Cubs before the team transitioned to their current name, the Daytona Tortugas, an affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds.   

     The MLB originally decided against the newly proposed CBA, which would cut 42 teams out of the MiLB. One of these teams is the Daytona Tortugas. Until the CBA is approved by both sides, the fate of the Tortugas is unknown. 

     While professional baseball is shut down during the COVID -19 pandemic, MiLB players are have been wondering how they will get by without a paycheck. 

     “We were at practice one day and rumors started floating around that we might get shut down,” said Garrett Cave, pitcher for the San Jose Giants, an affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. “By the end of practice that day, it was announced that we were all to go home, stay away from the facility, and that they would let us know when to come back. We didn’t really have answers to our questions because even our leaders didn’t have answers. This is the first time we’ve gone through something like this.”  

     “So, we’re just kind of taking it day by day, because in spring training if you live off base, you get a housing per diem, and a meal per diem every week. So, it helps, but it’s not collecting a paycheck. Your first paycheck isn’t collected until your first actual game starts with your affiliate or with the big-league club,” Cave continued. “Luckily, The Giants and most organizations really did a great job taking care of players in that aspect. We still received our per diem, and they decided on an amount that for right now would take care of us until the end of April. So, getting the salary that we deserved wasn’t hard at all.”  

     While Minor League players have always hoped to make the show in the big Leagues, they must wait another year possibly before they get their chance. 

     “You can probably guess how excited I am to get back on the field. It’s an absolute nail biter having to stay at home, work out, do nothing, and do it all over again. It’s tough man. You want to compete, you want to see your teammates, you want to pitch. This is the first time in six years that I’ve had a spring off, whether it’s playing collegiate or professionally. I’ve always played baseball this time of year. So, to just put that on pause for the first time in six years, it’s a little different. It’s a little weird. And you know I think everyone is just chomping at the bit to get back out there because when you’re a competitor, you absolutely just strive for those moments, you’re waiting for the next time you can go up against someone. You know when you don’t have that and it’s taken away from you, it’s excruciating. But life goes on, and I’ve gotten to spend a lot of time with my family, which is something I’m really thankful and grateful for,” said Cave. 

Hopefully there will be a return to all sports including the MiLB soon.