Granite City, Belleville East graduates dealing with loss of minor league baseball
Without ever stepping on the field, the big league dreams of thousands of baseball players were put on hold in 2020 with the announcement Tuesday the minor league season had been canceled.
That news, although disappointing, was not a surprise to several metro-east area prospects. With the escalation of the coronavirus pandemic, spring training camps were shut down in March and, earlier this spring, several major league franchises released minor league players in a cost cutting move.
But, while MLB announced last week a condensed 60 game major league season will begin July 24-25, minor league players must wait until March 2021 before resuming their professional baseball journey.
“We kind of knew it before yesterday (Tuesday) that there wasn’t going to be a minor league season because of what we were hearing. I don’t know when the last time there wasn’t a minor league season,” said Granite City native Chad Spanberger. “It’s disappointing because you work all winter to get ready and now there is no season.
“All we can do is get ready for next spring and hope things will be better.
Traded from the Toronto Blue Jays organization to the Milwaukee Brewers system last fall, the power-hitting, 24-year-old first baseman, joins a list of area minor league players which includes, among others, Drew Millas of Belleville (Oakland A’s), Bryan Hudson of Alton (Chicago Cubs), Tanner Houck of Collinsville (Boston Red Sox), Austin Bossert of O’Fallon (New York Mets) and Josh Fleming of Columbia (Tampa Bay Rays).
Earlier this week Houck, a right-handed pitcher and the No. 10 ranked prospect in the Red Sox system, was not among the 47 Boston players listed as eligible to play in the major leagues in 2020. All major league teams can have 60 players — 40 on their roster and 20 others who could be added.
While Spanberger was looking forward to his first season in the Brewers system, Millas, a 22-year-old catcher who played high school baseball at Belleville East, was looking forward to his first minor league at bat.
Taken in the seventh round of the 2019 Amateur Draft after a superb college career at Missouri State, Millas missed all of his rookie season with the Oakland organization after suffering a sprained ulnar collateral ligament (UCL).
Oakland team doctors found a blood clot in his right arm pit, which landed him on the 60-day disabled list ending his season.
Millas looking toward the future — again
Now, after months of work to get ready for the ‘20 season, Millas must look ahead to the future once again.
“My agent actually got a tip about this (cancellation) and so the news wasn’t unexpected,” Millas said. “Honestly, in terms of what we were thinking, with our mindset we were approaching this summer as another offseason.
“So we were expecting this. Fortunately I was better prepared for this than a lot of guy were so we’re good to go.
“Not being able to play is rough. But I have been able to get in a lot of bullpen sessions and live batting practice. Even though I haven’t played in two years, I feel good. I’m strong, my swing is tight and I’m anxious to get out there and get going again.”
