The offseason has gone on much longer than anticipated, and players are starting to grow restless while waiting for something to happen. They are used to being in full swing during May and the absence of baseball can be overwhelming for some.
Justin Turner recently joined Joe Davis and Orel Hershiser on their ‘Off Air’ podcast to talk about his offseason. He’s enjoyed his time off, but he’s also itching to get back on the field.
“Definitely restless. It’s helped that I’ve been able to get outside to a park and play catch, they’ve kinda relaxed the stay at home orders here and that was an activity that was on the list that’s okay.. that little aspect helped, I got to stop throwing a ball into a net from 40 feet in my backyard”
While outside activities are still under strict regulations here in California, Turner also acknowledged that players in other parts of the country are able to prepare a little better. Some current Dodgers that live in Arizona, for example, have been able to get some more practice time in, and Turner has considered joining them.
“yeah that’s gone through my head. we have our condo out there. we’ve had conversations about going out there even just for 4 or 5 days.”
Once MLB and the MLBPA can come to an agreement (if they can come to an agreement), players will have to start finding ways to ramp up their training. Many players have been limited in the workouts they can do at home, and it is very likely that the Dodgers regroup at their Arizona facility if LA is still under strict lockdown. With about a third of the team still being out there, those players have been able to stay in shape. The same can’t be said for players like Turner, although he may change that sooner or later.
Priority number one for the players is still to be safe, but they are itching to get back out there. Players may not be on the same page yet, but most are ready to go once they get approval.
