Andrew Miller’s comments on 2020 season should scare all MLB fans
Andrew Miller still believes there’s a decent change we don’t see a Major League Baseball season in 2020.
Don’t bet on a baseball season just yet. At least that’s the general feeling of Andrew Miller.
The 35-year-old reliever for the St. Loui Cardinals is hopeful, but still believes we could be without baseball due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic stateside.
Andrew Miller: "I think there's still some doubt that we're going to have a season now. By no means is this a slam dunk. We're trying, we're going to give it our best effort, but for me to sit here and say 100 percent would be a lie."
— Anne Rogers (@anne__rogers) July 5, 2020
Right now, the plan is for all 30 clubs to work out in their own cities before eventually playing games in the final week of July. If all goes according to plan, the teams will each play 60 regular-season games before going into a traditional playoff format, including three division winners and two wild card clubs from each league.
Andrew Miller isn’t convinced we’re going to have a 2020 MLB season
While some MLB fans don’t want to hear Miller’s words, they aren’t without merit. We’ve already seen some players opt out of the campaign, including pitchers Felix Hernandez and David Price. Then there’s Atlanta Braves star first baseman Freddie Freeman, who is dealing with a wicked case of COVID-19.
Most are going to play, but what happens if there is an outbreak either in one team or across the league? Does commissioner Rob Manfred have the stomach for stopping the season, waiting awhile and then starting up again? Remains to be seen.
Of course, this is uncharted territory. Baseball will also look a bit different this season in the National League. For the first time, the designated hitter will be used by all teams and not only in the Junior Circuit. Whether this becomes a permanent change is anybody’s guess, but 2020 will serve as experimental ground.