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MLB Order Clubs To Halt Amateur Scouting

By Matt Mancuso

March 17, 2020 No comments

Brett Baty/John Gutierrez (For American – Statesman)

After COVID-19 canceled all future collegiate baseball activities, Major League Baseball has ordered all MLB clubs to pull all of their scouts — both domestically and internationally — indefinitely. Clubs will also not have the ability to host showcases for any player. Furthermore, teams will not be able to visit potential draftees in their house. All these measures are being taken as part of Major League Baseball’s mission to slow the coronavirus curve.

Coronavirus has had an unprecedented impact on baseball, both at the collegiate and the professional levels. The NCAA announced on Thursday that all spring sports for the 2020 season have been canceled, including the Div. I and Div. III baseball championships. Many high school games have also been postponed. What this means for the MLB draft is currently unknown, although the current opinion is to have it start on its original June 10 date.

The details regarding the 2020-21 international signing period are also up in the air at the moment.

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Contradictory to earlier reports that the Mets have shut down their Spring Training complex, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic tweeted out this afternoon that that is not the case. While group workouts are not permitted at this time, players are still allowed to work out individually. Kyle Glaser of Baseball America reports that the Mets are one of the few teams to pay their minor leaguers as if Spring Training is going on as planned.