Practice began yesterday at Carpenter Complex for players invited to participate in this year’s Fall Instructs. However, this year’s camp is certainly like no other before it. The team is operating camp in “bubble like” conditions. Players are transported back and forth from the hotel to the Complex in commercial tour buses ... socially distanced seating. All are restricted to the hotel while not at the complex.
Both the Spectrum Field clubhouse and the Carpenter Complex locker rooms are being utilized to space players out. Tents have been set up outside on the Complex grounds as well ... seemingly for food service purposes.
All personnel permitted to enter the bubble are subject to temperature checks and COVID testing. Masks are required to be worn when indoors and outdoors when unable to socially distance. It’s a tightly run ship intentionally designed to keep everyone safe and healthy. It’s very smart and an admirable approach that other organizations and agencies certainly could learn from ... just sayin 🤔
No fans, scouts or media are allowed inside the bubble.
Today I ventured out of my house for one of the few times since March. In full mask regalia I walked the public trail situated behind the baseball complex grounds with the hopes of seeing some baseball action from afar. ( Note ... the newly refurbished garbage treatment center that sits adjacent to the trail is again operational and has the same stench as it had before 🤢). Sight lines from the waking trail to the ball fields are not very good ... can’t really see much at all ... can’t see thru the outfield tarped fences. I’ve longed to watch baseball again in person though so any glimpse was considered in my mind worth the try 🤪.
I got glimpses of some of the one on one workouts ... those seem to be designed that way also in accord with the bubble conditions ... one player working with one coach ... outfielder Jose Cedeno worked on his footwork to field and throw ... new draftee Baron Radcliffe worked on glove positioning with the coach soft tossing baseballs to him. Infielders Guarner Dipre, Edgar Made and Casey Martin took ground balls and also worked on bringing the glove thru the baseball as they fielded it ( a drill that is done on the knees with a coach rolling baseballs to them ). I spotted Kendall Simmons with a bat in his hand as he ventured towards the Montgomery Training Center. As I left a group of pitchers were in the midst of running drills in the outfield of Ashburn Field ...
A good feeling ... a temporary reprieve from what has become the routine of daily stay at home actions. It was also strange as well ... having not been for six months in the vicinity of the Complex which had become akin to being my second home over the past few years.
Under normal circumstances I’d be attending Fall Instructs on a daily basis and writing my observations ... these are not normal circumstances we now live in so that’s not possible. Occasionally I may venture over to watch from the walking trail as best I can but I also don’t want to infringe on the intent of the “bubble” so will only venture there sporadically at most, perhaps not at all ...
The good news is that some of the Phillies minor leaguers are able to train under the Phillies coaching guidance in a year where most cannot ... the sad news is we still are very much in the midst of a pandemic and proper restrictive accord is required. It’s an absolute that we must all adhere to ... each of us must do our piece. It’s all part of it.
Happy Day, Happy Baseball ⚾️
Comments