Brewers Star Christian Yelich Weighs in on Delayed MLB Season and Responds to Arizona Plan
Major League Baseball is reportedly considering playing the entire 2020 season in Arizona with no fans in attendance and players in relative isolation. That report shocked fans and likely had the same effect on players who weren't in the loop.
Milwaukee Brewers star Christian Yelich appeared on WEEI radio in Boston on Tuesday and talked about the possibility of having a 2020 MLB season. He sees the situation as entirely up in the air at this point.
MLB's Christian Yelich on OMF: It's 50/50 league plays this year https://t.co/RirJgO7X8U pic.twitter.com/8O86IbdcbT
— WEEI (@WEEI) April 7, 2020
“There’s a very real chance that we don’t play as much as there is that we do play. I would say it is probably 50/50," Yelich said. He also added that he thinks "there are a lot of challenges" to the league's latest Arizona plan. Woah.
MLB's reported plan features a lot of obstacles to overcome. The most obvious one is ensuring players are tested on a regular basis and that there isn't an outbreak of COVID-19 among teams. And let's not forget these guys need some more time to get ready!
.@ChristianYelich on time needed to be ready for the season:
— OMF (@OMFonWEEI) April 7, 2020
"I think 2-3 weeks of spring training... I think the biggest thing would be for pitchers, just having them build up... We probably need expanded rosters and all that for a little while to make sure guys don't get hurt"
Spring Training is a crucial time for pitchers to build up their arm strength. Having it cut short this year means there needs to be at least several weeks of preparation before any meaningful games are played. The league seems intent on playing a season in 2020, but a star like Yelich rebutting with these beliefs are concerning for sure.