If you’ve followed baseball closely over the years, you should have a basic understanding of the various lists in a franchise and how they differ.
There’s the 25-man roster, of course, the group of players actively in the major leagues at any given time. Then there is the 40-man roster, which in addition to the top 25 active players includes players on the short-term disabled list (10-day IL) and the group of top-tier junior players who are most likely to be promoted in some point. Players recovering from serious injuries (60-day IL) do not count, nor do most minor league players who complete rosters across the farm system.
However, we will all have to familiarize ourselves with a whole new set of charts this season. The 2020 season is going to be different from anything we’ve experienced, and that includes the different rosters now in effect.
There is still an active roster of the big leagues, but it will include 30 players on opening day to account for the lack of time pitchers will have to raise their arms during the upcoming shortened summer practice. Teams will be required to reduce that active roster from 30 men to 28 after completing two weeks of play, and then to 26 two weeks after that. The list will remain at 26 the rest of the season, with no additional calls for September this year.
And the 40-man roster still exists, though only as a means of identifying which players can be called up to the majors along the way. As always, if a team wants to promote someone who is not on the 40-man roster, they will have to clear a spot either by releasing someone else or placing a player in 60-day IL.
But without minor leagues in 2020, where will those possible calls be? The answer: in a separate facility near team baseball stadiums where they can exercise daily and even play practice games to keep the boys cool should they need them. (In addition to that, teams will be allowed to bring three additional players with them on the road, a squad of taxi drivers who would be the most likely players promoted in the event of an injury.)
Who’s going to participate in that backup camp, staying cool in relative darkness as the big players start this unusual season? We had a first glimpse of the possibilities on Sunday when all major league baseball clubs were to send their group of 60 players to league offices.
Yes, this year’s key number is 60. Anyone not on the active list or in a squad of three-man roaming taxis will be kidnapped in the backup camp, which the Nationals We look forward to celebrating at the new Single-A facility in Fredericksburg (although that has yet to be finalized).
That 60-man roster essentially represents the group of players who could appear in the majors for the Nationals in 2020, with a few caveats, of course.
Transactions are still allowed until August 31, so players from other organizations could be purchased until then. Free agents could also be signed, and there are still quite a few unemployed veterans who could help a team in need along the way.
The Nationals’ roster of 60 players could also lose a couple of players before camp opens Friday, if someone chooses not to participate for health reasons. Ryan Zimmerman, with a newborn son at home and a close relative (his mother, Cheryl) with a serious illness (multiple sclerosis) that increases his risk of developing serious problems if he contracts COVID-19, has already publicly admitted that he can choose not to participate . Zimmerman and any other player who considers it will need to make their official decisions soon, and that could open up more positions on the roster.
What to do with the Nationals elections to complete the current list of 60 men? Beyond the obvious members of the opening day roster, players tend to fit into one of three categories …
* Members of the 40-man roster who would normally move to and fro between the majors and Triple-As. That includes outfielders. Andrew Stevensoninfielder Wilmer Difocollectors Three Barrier and Raudy Readand launchers Aaron Barrett, James Bourque, Erick Fedde, Kyle Finnegan, Ryne Harper, Kyle McGowin and Austen Williams.
* Veterans who were in spring training as non-listed guests. That includes men as utilities. Emilio Bonífacio and Brandon Snyder, receiver Welington Castleand launchers Fernando Abad, Sam Freeman, Javy Guerra and Kevin Quackenbush.
* Young prospects who are not realistically part of the team’s 2020 plans, but will now have the opportunity to work in a semi-formal setting for the next three months to make up for their lost minor league seasons. That includes players like infielder Luis Garcia, receiver Jakson Reetzand launchers Tim Cate, Seth Romero and Jackson Rutledge.
How many of these boys will appear in a Major League game for the Nationals this season? It’s hard to guess how many roster maneuvers there will be in this unprecedented season, but for comparison: the Nats used 50 players in total last season while playing 162 games, and have never used more than 57 players in a season. individual.
It seems unlikely that they will break the 40 mark during this 60 game season. But as with so many other things right now, it is impossible to predict how a season will unfold that none of us have experienced.
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