Atlanta Braves biggest season threat is the unseen virus
The Atlanta Braves haven’t been hit yet, but is it just a matter of time?
The Atlanta Braves haven’t held the kind of informal workouts that other teams have organized over the past couple of months, but it hasn’t taken long for others to find out just how nefarious this COVID-19 virus is.
Teams have quickly reversed course, and prior plans to conduct Spring Training 2.0 in Florida have been switched out in favor of home parks after outbreaks have occurred in camps runs by the Phillies, Blue Jays, and Yankees. One Astros player has also been found to have COVID-19 as well.
There were about 40 positive Covid-19 tests last week alone among players and staff who’ve been at MLB camps. The exact number of camps affected since spring training 1.0 ended isn’t known but it’s said to be more than 10. Little doubt Covid is the real threat to the MLB season.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) June 22, 2020
As nasty as this development is, though, perhaps these clubs are among the luckier ones — at least in one respect. There’s a chance that they could end up with some player immunity against re-infection that the “clean” teams won’t have. At least the season isn’t underway.
Clearly, getting more players infected isn’t the preferred course of action, but stay with me for a second: as high as the risk is for spreading this contagion around, suppose even one player picks up the virus during this season — short as it’s liable to be.
That player almost certainly won’t even realize he’s contagious for multiple days, during which he’d be in contact with his teammates. That’s how five members of the Phillies got the virus virtually simultaneously.
If an Atlanta Braves player then picks up the virus and then tests positive (or exhibits the tell-tale symptoms), his very presence in the clubhouse could immediately sideline any number of his teammates… 2 might be a minimum. Half the active roster might be the worst-case scenario (figure on most of the position players or most of the bullpen, for a prime example).
That would certainly eliminate those players from competition for a minimum of two weeks — and at least a dozen games.
Imagine losing most of the starting lineup for 20-25% of the season. The Braves could be staring at a hole they’d be unable to dig out of.
That’s clearly why these reports from the Florida camps must serve as a huge red flag to the Atlanta Braves (and the rest of baseball): the health protocols must be adhered to.
It’s probably also a cautionary tale for the rest of us as well: none of us can let down our guards.
Hall of Fame basketball coach Pat Riley was quoted as saying “Complacency is the last hurdle standing between any team and its potential greatness.”
He probably didn’t have a viral infection in mind when he said that. But it doesn’t really matter what the enemy is… only that ignoring that enemy allows it to thrive and win.
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So among all the adversaries the Atlanta Braves may be up against, this one cannot be overlooked. The protocols have to be followed.