Marty’s musings: injuries, delays, and MLB’s response to the pandemic

Welcome to ‘Marty’s Musings’, my weekly column of numbers summarizing the happenings in the baseball world. I am your guide for taking an analytic look at the news and notes throughout the game, and highlighting this week’s key pitching matchups.

Injuries, standstills, and an attempt to keep stadium workers afloat. It’s been an odd and depressing week all-around.

News & Notes

2 - Yankee minor leaguers who have been diagnosed with COVID-19 so far. While most, if not all, players are being quarantined across the game, it’s unsurprising that men in close quarters were at higher-risk of exposure.

~6 - Week injury for Astros starter Justin Verlander who underwent surgery on his groin. It doesn’t really seem like this timeline will impact any major league time, and the 37-year-old is likely to be recovered by the time Opening Day finally arrives...whenever that will be.

147 ⅓ - 2019 innings thrown by Red Sox’ ace Chris Sale. Sale posted his career-worst ERA, and suffered from left elbow problems dating back to last August. Whelp, Sale will undergo Tommy John surgery after being diagnosed with a flexor strain. 2020 is completely out of the question, and he’ll very likely have a slower start than usual to 2021.

6/10-6/13 - Dates for the Rule 4 MLB draft, which is likely to be canceled. The AP reported last week that MLB is considering canceling the draft while they work through other COVID-19 issues, the least of which is salvaging a partial season.

30 - Million dollars committed to ballpark employees who are standing-ready to go unpaid to start the season. Each team pitched in $1 million to impacted stadium workers. Ballpark workers are seasonal hourly workers, and most certainly will suffer from games being canceled.

??? - Days until Opening Day. We enter into the ‘spring without baseball’...and it has nothing to do with labor disputes.