Snake Bytes 7/5: Duds

The Diamondbacks were coordinating recently with two different software companies to potentially show broadcasts this season with virtual fans in the stands. The two images above are from each company as seen on the cameras at Chase Field. The images look remarkably similar to what you’d see on a video game. I do not have confirmation if it was just the Diamondbacks experimenting with this idea or MLB as a whole, or if either will be moving forward with it at all. And now the news...

Diamondbacks News

[D’backs.com] Notes: Bumgarner throws, Lovullo talks - With all but a couple of players — David Peralta and Kole Calhoun — having reported for Summer Camp, Lovullo took some time Saturday to hold a team meeting. “I was able to get in front of them and outline a few of my expectations,” Lovullo said. “Some of the things that are important to me, simple reminders of what our concepts are, what our beliefs are and what we’re trying to get to.”... Lovullo will go to the team’s satellite camp at Salt River Fields on Sunday to address the players that are working out there.

[AZ Central] Arizona Diamondbacks offer no details on absent players David Peralta, Kole Calhoun - The Diamondbacks worked out for the second consecutive day without corner outfielders David Peralta and Kole Calhoun, neither of whom was seen on the field during the time media was allowed inside Chase Field. Reliever Kevin Ginkel also has yet to be spotted at the park by reporters. Manager Torey Lovullo said the club is still in the same position it was in when he was asked about players’ absences on Friday, saying, “Guys are still completing their intake testing.” Asked why it is taking so long, Lovullo said, “I think Major League Baseball has set forth a certain protocol that you’ve got to arrive, you’ve got to quarantine, you’ve got to test, you’ve got to pass the test. I think it’s a small window for very rigorous protocols.”

[Arizona Sports] Madison Bumgarner faces live hitting as MLB summer camp continues - Arizona Diamondbacks ace Madison Bumgarner was supposed to take the mound to pitch for the first time at Chase Field as a member of the home team on March 26 against the Atlanta Braves. Due to the season being pushed back because of the coronavirus pandemic, however, Bumgarner finally stepped on the mound to face live hitting at Chase Field 99 days later. Instead of facing the Atlanta Braves, Bumgarner on Saturday pitched to hitters from his own team in live batting practice as Major League Baseball’s “summer camp” continued in preparation for the shortened 60-game season. The 30-year-old lefty pitched two innings of work, throwing 35 to 40 pitches, according to D-backs Manager Torey Lovullo.

[The Athletic] ‘This is an experiment’: Arizona adjusts to new normal of Spring Training 2.0 - The day began with a morning workout of the satellite roster at the team’s spring training complex at Salt River Fields. There, general manager Mike Hazen, who joked that “putting on pants this morning was odd,” addressed his pool of reserve players. “The general message was reminding them of our collective responsibility to each other,” Hazen said. Given that the satellite roster will travel to Chase Field for intrasquad games as early as next week, it would take just one careless player to send an outbreak of COVID-19 through the roster, possibly crippling the season before it could start. By midday, the action had moved to Chase Field. Team personnel arrived in pre-planned stages — clubhouse and medical staff, then coaches and food service, then players in staggered groups. Each was tested for COVID-19 — the results take about a day to process — and submitted to temperature checks.

Around the League

[ESPN] Miguel Sano, DJ LeMahieu, Salvador Perez among MLB players to test positive for coronavirus - Minnesota Twins third baseman Miguel Sano, New York Yankees infielder DJ LeMahieu and Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez are among a host of MLB players who have tested positive for the coronavirus, it was revealed Saturday. Four Atlanta Braves players — All-Star first baseman Freddie Freeman, reliever Will Smith, right-hander Touki Toussaint and infielder Pete Kozma — also had the team disclose their positive tests Saturday with their permission. Along with Sano, Twins catcher Willians Astudillo, shortstop Nick Gordon and right-handed reliever Edwar Colina tested positive, according to the team. Yankees manager Aaron Boone announced positive tests for LeMahieu and reliever Luis Cessa. He said both players are at home and gave the team permission to release their status. Boone said LeMahieu was asymptomatic and Cessa had mild symptoms.

[Yahoo Sports] Masahiro Tanaka hit by Giancarlo Stanton line drive during simulated game - New York Yankees pitcher Masahiro Tanaka was hit by a line drive while throwing a simulated game Saturday at Yankee Stadium. The incident was captured by YES Network. Giancarlo Stanton was at the plate and hit a line drive back at Tanaka. The team confirmed Tanaka was hit in the head.

[MLB Trade Rumors] Braves Coach Eric Young Sr. Opts Out Of 2020 Season - Braves first base coach Eric Young Sr. has decided to step away from his role for the 2020 season, manager Brian Snitker told reporters (including Gabriel Burns of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution). Young is reportedly a higher-risk candidate for COVID-19, though as Burns notes, the team didn’t disclose the specifics of the 53-year-old Young’s health situation. Young has been Atlanta’s first base coach for the last two seasons, and has six prior years of first base coaching experience with the Diamondbacks and Rockies before joining the Braves organization.

[Sports Illustrated] David Price, Felix Hernandez Opt Out of 2020 MLB Season - Baseball will be without a pair of Cy Young Award winners when—or perhaps, if— the season resumes later this month. Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher David Price chose to opt out of the 2020 MLB season, the left-hander announced Saturday. That was followed later in the evening by a tweet from the agent of Atlanta Braves pitcher Felix Hernandez, who will also sit out. “After considerable thought and discussion with my family and the Dodgers, I have decided it is in the best interest of my health and my family’s health for me not to play this season,” Price wrote on social media. “I will miss my teammates and will be cheering for them throughout the season and on to a World Series victory.”