MLB Bullets is closing the clubhouse

Hi! I’m guest-bulleting again!

The coronavirus continues to be the lead story. While no MLB games have been postponed or cancelled yet, that possibility continues to exist. Meanwhile, MLB’s first action was to temporarily ban media from clubhouses.

• Ken Rosenthal says that having media in the clubhouse matters, and explains why in this article in The Athletic which is open to everyone. Basically, it’s about forming relationships.
• Many players have already said they’re going to try to help out the media when they can. Among the more thoughtful statements was this one from Joey Votto:

• And another:

• Emma Baccillieri writes about the history of MLB dealing with infectious diseases, including smallpox!
• Barry Rozner says closing locker rooms is a “red herring” and hopes it’s not a “trial balloon” to keep media out permanently.
• Rockies outfielder David Dahl knows what it’s like playing in empty stadiums; he did it in Double-A when his team had to play all their games on the road because their park wasn’t done. Patrick Saunders has details.
• Meanwhile, Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez got sick, but he only has the flu. So far, that is, says Mike Oz. Sanchez has yet to be tested for COVID-19.
• For now, the Reds’ traditional Opening Day parade is still on:

• But Evan Drellich notes that the Mariners might have to play some regular-season games at their spring training facility in Arizona. (The Athletic subscription required, but you can get the gist of it here)
• Across the Pacific, South Korea’s major league, KBO, will postpone the start of its 2020 season, which had been scheduled for March 28. They are hoping to start “sometime in April.”
• Turning to other stories, Maury Brown has some inside scoop on how ESPN worked with players, including Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo, to mic them up for recent broadcasts.
• Hey, Siri!

• Rangers outfielder Willie Calhoun was hit in the face by a pitch Sunday. He’ll miss at least two weeks following jaw surgery, writes Evan Grant.
• At least 50 players are expected to begin the season on the injured list. Jason Martinez has details on players either recovering from elbow injuries or who have had new such injuries diagnosed this spring.
• Rian Watt has details about Matthew Boyd’s new curveball. If Boyd has a good year with that, look for him to be traded at the deadline.
• If you think it’s tough to not have Javier Baez or Kris Bryant signed to contract extensions, imagine how Indians fans felt when they heard Francisco Lindor and Tribe officials had tabled extension talks. Jason Lloyd has the story. (The Athletic subscription required)
• The so-called “Shohei Ohtani rule” for two-way players is penalizing N.L. players like Michael Lorenzen, writes Ken Rosenthal, because unlike Ohtani, N.L. players don’t have the DH option. Rosenthal has some suggestions on how this rule might be tweaked. (The Athletic subscription required)
• If you have not yet seen MLB.com’s new video search page, check it out — they have over three million videos searchable by player, team, game situation and year, going back decades. They really outdid themselves on this one, especially since they have made all the videos embeddable. That makes it much easier for me to share them here with you.
• Larry Walker will be inducted into the Hall of Fame this summer. But before that, he’ll get an honor any Canadian might want: he’ll be the honorary emergency goalie for the Colorado Avalanche this Sunday against the Vegas Golden Knights.
• Finally, the Blue Jays played themselves some defense on Monday:

And tomorrow will be a better day than today, Buster.