The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Tribune Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

THE Coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic has forced Major League Baseball to alter its schedule and shift the offseason for Bahamian players with their clubs and others preparing to compete at the 2020 World Baseball Classic Qualifiers.

Major League Baseball suspended operations indefinitely which includes bringing an abrupt end to spring training, delaying opening day for both the major and minor leagues and also postponing the WBC Qualifiers indefinitely.

Spring training already concluded for players like Lucius Fox (Tampa Bay Rays/Durham Bulls-Triple A) and Jazz Chisholm (Miami Marlins/Wichita Wind Surge-Triple A) who were reassigned to AAA baseball on Monday, but came to an abrupt end for others such as Chavez Young of the Toronto Blue Jays and D’Shawn Knowles of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

Knowles was expecting to play in his third spring training game today.

“We practiced before they announced the cancellation and I was supposed to go out on Friday to play with the major leaguers again but that was cancelled,” he said. “I don’t know if they are sending us home or what the situation is but as long as this virus is around we will be out of activity. We won’t be playing. Everything is being pushed back.”

The league issued its formal statement yesterday.

MLB said the action “is being taken in the interests of the safety and well-being of our players, clubs and our millions of loyal fans.” And also said it “will remain flexible as events warrant, with the hope of resuming normal operations as soon as possible.”

“Nothing is more important to us than the health and safety of our players, employees and fans,” the league said in its announcement. “MLB will continue to undertake the precautions and best practices recommended by public health experts. We send our best wishes to all individuals and communities that have been impacted by coronavirus.”

Major League Baseball’s opening day was originally scheduled for March 26 will be delayed at least two weeks. Minor League Baseball was originally scheduled for April 9 and was rescheduled at a date to be named later.

There are currently 20 Bahamians in minor league baseball.

Many of those players were expected to compete for Great Britain at the upcoming WBC Qualifiers. The official roster announcement was just days away from release, but several players had already confirmed their participation with the programme.

Bahamian baseball players have been on the roster for Great Britain at the last two editions of the qualifiers and both sides looked to continue that relationship at this year’s event at the Kino Sports Complex in Tucson, Arizona in March.

Great Britain was set to compete in Pool two, March 20-25 against the Czech Republic, New Zealand, Panama, Philippines and Spain. Pool one was scheduled for March 12-17 and included Brazil, France, Germany, Nicaragua, Pakistan and South Africa.

Liam Carroll, manager for Great Britain, said the success of having Bahamians on the roster has been vital in the growth of the programme.

With Richardson and Cartwright on the roster, Great Britain went 1-2 during the 2013 Qualifier played in Regensburg, Germany, where it debuted in the WBC. Their tournament highlight was a 12-5 win over the Czech Republic.

At the 2017 Qualifiers in Brooklyn, New York, Richardson and Cartwright were joined by Ali Knowles, Jazz Chisholm, Kyle Simmons, Todd Isaacs, Reshard Munroe, Byron Murray and Champ Stuart. That team finished just one game shy of WBC qualification when they suffered a 9-1 loss in the final.

Bahamian players are eligible to compete for Great Britain once their parents were born in the Bahamas while it was still a British colony, prior to Independence.