The Padres and Dodgers? Working collectively?
Sure, and the Angels, Athletics and Giants are on the identical, group, too. They’re working with state and native governments to make it protected for followers to attend video games as quickly as potential.
The Padres proceed to hope to permit followers into video games at Petco Park, probably as quickly as opening day April 1 towards the Arizona Diamondbacks, as long as COVID-19 instances proceed to drop within the state.
“It’s one of many instances we are able to all be part of arms and work on one thing collectively off the sector,” Padres Chief Government Officer Erik Greupner mentioned Monday. “I believe we’ve all seen case counts coming down fairly dramatically throughout the California and the U.S. And that’s constructive. We’ve all the time needed to position a precedence, and now we have, on the protection of our staff and followers, our gamers throughout final season. I believe we really feel assured that when the time is correct, and we expect it’s coming comparatively quickly, that we are able to reopen Petco Park and it will likely be one of many most secure locations for anyone to be in San Diego.”
The variety of instances per day in California has dropped from a excessive of 53,711 on Dec. 15 to 4,665 on Sunday. Gov. Gavin Newsom lifted stay-at-home orders in late January, permitting eating places in lots of counties to reopen for out of doors eating. It stays to be seen if circumstances enhance sufficient to permit followers to once more attend sporting occasions within the state.
The Padres, nevertheless, proceed to plan out precisely the best way to reopen their gates.
“We’ve spent an incredible period of time and assets making ready for that and actually considering by means of all of the totally different iterations and ensuring that security is all the time the highest precedence,” Greupner mentioned. “Can we assure it by opening day? It’s not mine to ensure, however that might be our hope. We’re working towards that. If not by opening day, we hope it might be coming fairly quickly after opening day.”
Day One
Fernando Tatis Jr. took grounders at shortstop, and Jake Cronenworth and Ha-Seong Kim did so at second base throughout infield drills on the Padres’ first day holding a full-squad exercise.
Lacking from the corners had been third baseman Manny Machado and first baseman Eric Hosmer. The 2 veterans, together with middle fielder Trent Grisham, haven’t been cleared to take part as a result of they haven’t accomplished the consumption course of.
Gamers and employees needed to be examined for COVID and quarantine whereas awaiting outcomes. That has usually taken between 36 and 48 hours to show round. Moreover, with 75 gamers plus employees and necessities for social distancing, physicals and testing needed to be scheduled in intervals. It was anticipated some gamers can be delayed getting cleared.
Moreover, Grisham was late to reach in Arizona after being caught when his residence state of Texas was hit by final week’s extreme winter storm.
Grisham, Hosmer and Machado are all in Arizona and are anticipated in camp within the subsequent day or two.
‘A household determination’
Greater than three years earlier than signing his 14-year, $340 million contract, Tatis signed a deal with Big League Advance (BLA) that might advance him a lump of cash for a % of his future earnings within the majors. That deal would value Tatis as a lot as $34 million over the subsequent 14 years if he signed for the utmost advance of $500,000 (for 10 %).
BLA didn’t disclose how a lot Tatis was superior after assembly with the shortstop prospect and his father over dinner within the Dominican Republic in October 2018, and Tatis declined to enter any element throughout Monday’s digital press convention.
“It was a household determination,” Tatis mentioned, “and I’m simply going to name it that approach.”
In keeping with these aware of how Tatis spent a lot of the BLA cash, the advance enabled him to raised practice whereas at residence within the Dominican and to offer higher meals and a nicer house than what he would have been in a position to afford on a minor league wage.
On the time of the cope with BLA, Tatis had simply hit .281/.390/.520 with 21 homers and 29 steals in 117 video games at low Single-A Fort Wayne to earn an end-of-season promotion to Double-A San Antonio. He debuted in Baseball America’s top-100 at No. 9 the next January. Two years earlier, he signed with the White Sox for $700,000 because the 16-year-old son of former main leaguer Fernando Tatis. The elder Tatis earned greater than $17 million in an 11-year profession, according to baseball-reference.com.
Requested if he would advocate BLA to different prospects in at related levels within the minor league careers, Tatis mentioned, “I really feel like that’s a really personal determination from the participant’s standpoint and from their household. That was an element for me. … It was a call for me and my household.”
New look
Maybe as noticeable because the masks coaches, employees and even gamers wore many of the afternoon Monday was the absence of 1 longtime coach.
Glenn Hoffman retired this offseason after 45 years in skilled baseball as a participant and coach, the final 15 because the Padres’ third base coach.
A lot of what’s going to be missed is the personal moments the seemingly always-upbeat Hoffman shared with gamers. He was primarily the designated encourager on the employees.
“Glenn Hoffman’s persona is irreplaceable,” affiliate supervisor Skip Schumacher mentioned not too long ago. “He was fun-loving, all the time conserving it gentle. He introduced the enjoyable issue.”
Throughout spring coaching drills, what needs to be changed is among the sport’s notoriously adept fungo hitters. Hoffman had used the identical fungo bat for some three many years, and he was recognized for being exact and tireless hitting grounders to infielders.
On Monday, it was Schumaker and participant improvement coordinator Keith Werman hitting fungoes together with infield coach Bobby Dickerson, who’s taking on teaching third base.
Mentioned supervisor Jayce Tingler: “Not having Hoffy right here, his persona and all of the expertise, to fill these footwear, it definitely can’t be one particular person.”
