Marty’s musings: where we stand on the 2020 season

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.

Pay cuts, postponements, and the latest plans regarding baseball festivities across all levels...

News & Notes

3 - Ten-team divisions could be how 2020 baseball looks in a radically-altered and shortened season. MLB and the Player’s Association continue to talk about a late-June / early-July return to the field. It’s an interesting concept, and would make for a fun and unique season. You can read about how the teams and leagues would be aligned in this USA Today article.

2021 - The year in which Derek Jeter, Larry Walker, Ted Simmons, and Marvin Miller will hopefully be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. With the uncertainty surrounding travel, health, vaccines, and the like, MLB announced they will cancel the 2020 Cooperstown festivities and reschedule the same events for next year.

73 - Little League World Series since the tournament’s inception in 1947. Last week the organization announced its intention to cancel this year’s Little League World Series tournament.

35 - Percentage that MLB presented to the umpire’s union on a pay-reduction. If there is no agreement between the league and the union, umps won’t be paid until the season begins...whenever that may be. Bob NIghtengame has the details here.

30 - Year old A’s minor league Miguel Marte died of COVID complications last Tuesday. Marte had been in Oakland’s organization from 2008 to 2012, playing across single-A. The family has set up a gofundme, which the Athletics organization linked to on their twitter page; the team donated $1,000 to the family. The average funeral and burial costs are somewhere in the $7,000-12,000 range.

??? - Days until Opening Day.