The Continuing Ballad of the COVID 19
For some players, being COVID free in 2020 was more valuable than possessing Major League talent
Opportunities in baseball, as in life, do not wait for the perfect time. A sign in (at least) one team’s weight room read: “Opportunity is when luck meets preparation.” You’ve probably seen those words in an inspirational poster promoted in SkyMall magazine, too. (Ah, remember those germ-filled pages from the halcyon days of contagions?) In a baseball season played during a pandemic, one player’s break was sometimes contingent upon the irresponsible behavior of a teammate.
During my time in the baseball operations departments of the Padres and Diamondbacks, I had multiple occasions to present a Major League Uniform Player’s Contract — that’s the long, official term for the contract — to a rookie about to make his debut.
Some guys signed their first UPC and went on to sign a few more for around league minimum. The better players went on to sign contracts for larger salaries achieved through the arbitration structure. The best ultimately reached their free agent paydays and inked the deals that grab headlines. We see those guys regularly on TV. But many received that first big league contract and never signed another.
Last season was the 150th anniversary of the very first year of baseball as we mostly know it; the Philadelphia Athletics rode a 21-7 record to the 1871 National Association title. One hundred fifteen players were in the record books after that year.
The 2020 season, which featured 28-man rosters and a 60-game season, breathed life into 212 ballplayers who realized the dream of stepping onto a big league field for the first time.
It’s worth noting that, last year, in a season of only 60 games, MLB welcomed more first-time big leaguers than it had in all but 14 other seasons. Ten of those seasons are from this century.
Historically, the spikes in MLB debuts come from expansion, as was the case in 1962, 1969, and 1993. There was also a significant dip during the strike season of 1994 and a huge uptick with the return of baseball in 1995.
Last week, I introduced the pandemic rookie prototype in Jose Marmolejos. He was the first of my COVID 19. It’s no surprise that eight of the players on my list appeared for either the Cardinals or the Marlins. The Cardinals went 14 days between games last season after a COVID outbreak and ended up with 53 games scheduled over 44 days. Of course they were going to need to dig deep to find players.
The Marlins had a similar issue and went eight days between games. They made trades, waiver claims, and relied upon players from their alternate training site to field a team.
Miraculously, both the Cardinals and the Marlins made the playoffs.
Here are nine players — including two each from St. Louis and Miami — to take us over the halfway point of this group of 19 rookies:
Eddy Alvarez | INF | Miami Marlins
Alvarez was the sixth oldest rookie to debut last season. The 30-year-old utility infielder hit .189 over 12 games with three walks and 16 strikeouts in 41 plate appearances. Alvarez was outrighted off the Marlins 40-man roster in September, and he recently received a non-roster invitation to Miami’s big league Spring Training camp. He’s also a 2014 Olympic silver medalist in ice skating.
Will Craig | 1B | Pittsburgh Pirates
With the 22nd overall selection of the 2016 Draft, the Pirates selected Will Craig out of Wake Forest. A prospect known for his bat, his offensive numbers in the minors were unremarkable. His time with the big league club consisted of three very short stints that spawned four hitless at-bats. Craig was removed from the roster in late November.
Nabil Crismatt | RHP | St. Louis Cardinals
Crismatt, originally signed by the Mets out of Colombia, is the first of four Cardinals on my COVID 19 list. He has bounced around organizations since reaching minor league free agency. He spent 2019 in the Mariners minor league system before joining the Cardinals in 2020. That time was short lived, though he acquitted himself well over 8.1 IP, striking out eight against only one walk. The Cards removed him from their roster at the end of the season, and he signed a minor league deal with the Padres this winter.
Foster Griffin | LHP | Kansas City Royals
Here’s a doozy: Griffin was the 28th overall selection in the 2014 Draft. Kansas City took him one pick after Luke Weaver went to the Cardinals and just before Justus Sheffield (31st), Michael Kopech (33rd), and Jack Flaherty (34th) came off the board. I saw Griffin pitch in Lexington for the Royals A-ball affiliate in July 2015, and I didn’t love what I saw. His fastball topped out at 90 MPH, his delivery lacked energy and tempo, and his arm speed was mediocre; overall, he seemed lethargic. Well, he made the Opening Day roster, debuted on July 27 — his 25th birthday — in a relief role with his team trailing, didn’t allow a hit or a walk, and left the game before completing his second inning of work due to an injury that required Tommy John surgery. Oh, and he picked up the win. He’s still with the Royals, though not on the 40-man roster, and will miss much if not all of the 2021 season.
Kyle Hart | LHP | Boston Red Sox
Hart had a rough debut, giving up seven runs (five earned) to the Rays. Walks and homers plagued him in his other three appearances as well. His season ended unceremoniously with a hip impingement, and he was outrighted off the 40-man roster in November. But any time a 19th-rounder becomes a big leaguer, both the player and the organization deserve credit.
Joe McCarthy | OF | San Francisco Giants
Not to be confused with the Hall of Fame manager, this left-handed hitting corner outfielder went 0-for-10 with five strikeouts and was off the Giants roster before the end of August.
Ricardo Sanchez | LHP | St. Louis Cardinals
Sanchez’s professional journey began on July 2, 2013, when the Los Angeles Angels allocated $580,000 of their international signing pool to him. After one year in the Halos system, Sanchez was traded to the Braves, where he spent four seasons before being traded to the Mariners (and back to GM Jerry Dipoto), before the Cardinals claimed him off waivers in February 2020. Sanchez appeared in three Major League games, spent time on the injured list with elbow pain, and is now a free agent.
Brandon Leibrandt | LHP | Miami Marlins
When a COVID outbreak takes out 18 players, the scouts and front office staff search everywhere for warm, preferably able, bodies. Someone found Leibrandt, son of former big league hurler Charlie, pitching for the New Jersey Blasters. Weren’t they also a USFL team and a demolition union? Leibrandt was once a Phillies farmhand with big league aspirations, and he got the call with the division rival Marlins. He appeared in five games, logging nine innings and walking seven while striking out only three. An elbow injury (familiar refrain, huh?) brought an early end to Leibrandt’s season, and he once again finds himself without a team.
Yermin Mercedes | DH | Chicago White Sox
Mercedes’ long journey from the Dominican Republic to the big leagues culminated in a pinch-hitting appearance at Kauffman Stadium in the 8th inning of a 9-2 game. He grounded out, spent another day or two in the big leagues over the course of the season, but — unlike every other player mentioned here — he remains on the 40-man roster. After stints with the Nationals, Orioles and a few independent league teams, Mercedes is the kind of player I root for.
Next week, we’ll take a look at the rest of the players who were in the right place at the right time — and in good health — during the 2020 season and explore the benefits of wearing that big league uniform if only for one day. This topic also makes me wonder what player health will be like in 2021 after a season (and winter) that was taxing in a new way.
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Wait. One of these dudes is also an Olympic figure skater???!!!