Ryan Zimmerman has been in the lineup and clubhouse for the Washington Nationals since the franchise moved from Montreal in 2005, and was a key backup in a team that beat the Houston Astros in an exciting seven-game World Series. last October.
But if Major League Baseball can launch a pandemic-shortened 60-game season in late July, the Nationals will defend their title without the 35-year-old infielder, considered the heart and soul of the organization.
Zimmerman and Nationals pitcher Joe Ross, 27, opted for the shortened 2020 season “for the personal health and safety of themselves and their loved ones,” the team announced Monday.
Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Mike Leake, 32, and Colorado Rockies utility Ian Desmond, 34, also chose not to participate in the 2020 season, both of whom lost $ 5.2 million in prorated salary.
Zimmerman, who made his major league debut on September 1, 2005, cited his family’s circumstances: He has three young children, including a newborn and a mother who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, as the reason for her decision.
Ryan Zimmerman of the Washington Nationals celebrates with third base coach Bob Henley after hitting a three-run homer against Dodgers pitcher Pedro Baez.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
“Everyone knows how much being a team means to me, and I will greatly miss that camaraderie this year,” Zimmerman said in a statement. “Of course I would love to look for consecutive titles. I can’t speak for anyone else, but given the unusual nature of the season, this is the best decision for me and my family, and I really appreciate the organization’s understanding and support. ”
Zimmerman, Ross and Leake’s decisions come four days before teams start training at their local stadiums and with COVID-19 cases, positivity rates and hospitalizations increase dramatically in several states, including Florida, Texas. , Arizona and California, which are home to the MLB teams.
Fear and concern about the coronavirus could push more players to choose to exit the season.
“I’m excited to have the opportunity to come back and play, but at the same time, I’m a little scared of what it will look like … there’s some nervousness and apprehension,” Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun said Monday. prepared to leave his Malibu home to return to Milwaukee to restart training camp.
“My highest priority is to be a first parent and second husband, so leaving three young children and my wife in an environment where I don’t know what it will be like or when I will return exactly or how safe it will be. It will be a little scary and completely different from anything I’ve experienced. “
Braun, 36, said he is still not comfortable with his wife, Larisa; 5-year-old daughter Celine; 3-year-old son Greyson; and the 4-week-old son, Carter, traveling to Milwaukee. He wants to see if there is an MLB season and how LA and Milwaukee are doing in numbers of cases and hospitalizations next month.
“They won’t come initially because there are so many unknowns and uncertainties,” said Braun, a six-time All-Star and the most valuable player in the 2011 National League. “I think it’s easier and safer to stay here for now and then we’ll assess how the things and if everything is normal and safe. “
Braun said he is not convinced that MLB can start or complete a season.
“I am optimistic that we will play games, but obviously, if we look at what is happening in the country, the COVID numbers are not good,” he said. “There are a significant number of athletes who have tested positive, which is indicative of the overall numbers in our country at the moment.”
The risk to his family was not worth the reward of playing a 15th season for Zimmerman, who hit .257 with six homers and 27 RBI in 52 games in 2019 and hit a dramatic home run in Game 1 of the World Series.
But Zimmerman, who signed a one-year, $ 2 million contract for 2020 after the Nationals refused to exercise his $ 18 million option, said he would not withdraw.
“I haven’t decided on my future in baseball after 2020,” said Zimmerman, who has accumulated $ 138 million in professional earnings. “But this year, I will stay safe at home and push as hard as anybody for the guys to defend our championship.”
Desmond, an 11-year veteran, announced his decision Monday night at the end of a long Instagram post about police brutality, racial injustice, and baseball’s lack of accessibility for too many young people.
“With a pregnant wife and four young children who have a lot of questions about what’s going on in the world, home is where I need to be now,” said Desmond, who is biracial. “Home to my wife, Chelsey. Home to help. Start to guide. At home to answer questions from my three older children about the coronavirus and civil rights and life. At home to be her dad.
Leake, a 10-year veteran, was entering the final year of a five-year, $ 80 million contract after having a 12-11 record with a 4.29 ERA for Seattle and Arizona in 2019.
The law was not considered a “high risk individual” as part of the MLB health and safety operation manual, so he will lose his 2020 salary. His father, Chris Leake, suffered a catastrophic fall from the roof of a house in the who was working in 2013 and is paralyzed from the waist down.
“During this global pandemic, Mike had a lot of discussions about playing this season,” agent Danny Horwits said in a statement. “They took into account countless factors, many of which are personal to him and his family. After exhaustive consideration, you have chosen not to participate in 2020.
“This was not an easy decision for Mike. He wishes his Diamondbacks teammates the best of luck and health this season and is looking forward to 2021. ”
Ross was 4-4 with a 5.38 ERA last season and was expected to compete for fifth place in the Nationals’ rotation. The law did not issue a statement, but his family may have played a role in his decision. According to Athletic, Ross’s father is a pediatrician and her mother is an emergency nurse in Oakland.
Washington Nationals pitcher Joe Ross pitches during spring training against the Miami Marlins on March 2.
(Jeff Roberson / Associated Press)
Zimmerman hinted at this decision in May when he wrote a newspaper for the Associated Press.
“I love baseball and I know how much the United States loves baseball, but do you know what I love much more than baseball? My family, ”said Zimmerman. “Even if we are supposed to be quarantined, what if someone goes to a grocery store? Or a pharmacy to pick up a prescription? Or something like that?
“So all of a sudden, I’m a healthy 35-year-old athlete who maybe gets sick but is asymptomatic, and I’m going home, and I have a 2-week-old baby who gets it. Maybe the baby will get over it without us knowing, but 10 years later, my son’s lungs don’t fully develop. Who knows? We just don’t know everything about what this virus does.
“At some point, we must be honest: what is it worth to have baseball?”
