Morning Mound Visit: MLB’s plan already showing faults

Britt Ghiroli | The Athletic $: On Monday, the Nationals and Astros had to cancel their workouts because neither team had received test results taken on Friday. MLB didn’t properly plan around FedEx being closed for the holiday, so test shipped to the lab in Utah didn’t make it in time. Some are wondering if the league can keep up with the demand of processing thousands of tests a week and getting them back within 48 hours. This came after MLB knowingly announced incomplete intake data which suggested a 1.2 percent positive test rate, but that was before all data had been compiled.

Alan Nathan | FanGraphs: In 2013, Alan Nathan attempted to predict where a fly ball would land using exit velocity, launch angle, and spray angle. The results were inconclusive, but after revisting the question, the foremost physicist in baseball has a better answer.

Anthony Castrovince | Medium: After the Washington football announced it would consider changing its racist team nickname (only after pressure from FedEx), the Cleveland baseball team announced it would follow suit. That raises the question of what Cleveland would change its name to. The possibilities are limitless because anything would be an improvement over what’s currently in place, but according to Anthony Castrovince, one option rises above all others.