COVID-19 VS The MLB

Author: Jake Rabbanian

It is without question that the Covid-19 pandemic has left millions of sports fans in an uncertain state. The actions displayed by stopping and resuming the sports season has left fans in a state of confusion. As we have seen, some leagues have been introducing new ideas to ensure the safety of all the players and staff members. For instance, the NBA introduced the idea of quarantining in Disneyworld in Orlando, Florida, and resuming their season with an updated schedule. Also, soccer leagues such as La Liga and the English Premier League have both displayed a smooth return to the reopening. So, without further adieu, I present the top things to look for during the MLB season during the reopening and entire season.

Rob Manfred is handling the entire situation

This is my first and very brief point. Playing during the pandemic creates many difficult situations and questions that the commissioner must address. We have witnessed NBA commissioner Adam Silver make an executive decision in quarantine in a bubble, but Manfred will be playing a vital role during the reopening and it will be interesting to see how he addresses the many questions fans, players, and staff members have. In my opinion, Manfred has made poor decisions in the past, and I do not have a ton of faith in him making the best decisions during the reopening, which will result in a shaky reopening for the MLB.

Teams Gotta Get Goin’

The second point I would like to introduce would-be that Major League Baseball’s original schedule compared to the newly revised one. If we look at other leagues, we see that the NBA and NHL both have 82 games a season, NFL has 16, MLS has 34 and the MLB has 162 games a season. Despite the MLB having almost 3 times the amount of games as the NBA and NHL and 10 times as many games as the NFL; the 2020 MLB season will only have 60 games. Only 37% of the games that were scheduled will be played. Even though 60 games is a relatively high amount of games to play, it’s hard for the MLB to have such little games since the standings will remain even. For instance, imagine the NFL had this same scenario, so each team would only play 10 or 11 games. I believe in that situation that many teams would have the same record, which I think will happen in the MLB season. Of course, baseball teams and players want to win every game, but losing one game out of 162 games is not going to kill them, but losing one game out of 60 might. The potential for the level of competition in the MLB is going to be something that we’ve never seen before, so brace yourselves.

The Situation Down In Miami :/

If you’re reading this you are probably a fan of the MLB, so I assume by now you know about the situation with the Miami Marlins. In case you don’t, the Miami Marlins have had a COVID-19 outbreak and have had 18 members have tested positive for the virus. The MLB then announced that Miami’s next six games will be postponed. The Marlins have continued daily testing and will remain in Philadelphia where they last played the Philadelphia Phillies. Not only is the outbreak an issue for members in the Miami Marlins organization, but the MLB has to closely ensure and test all teams, places, and people Marlins players have had contact with. Also, the Marlins have had six of their games postponed which is already 10% of the MLB season. It’ll be interesting to watch and difficult for this situation to end with a good outcome for the MLB and the Miami Marlins.

These are my top-three things I would be on the lookout for during the 2020 Major League Baseball season. Who knows what’ll happen in the season this year.