Weird: I could have sworn your post yesterday and then it disappeared. Did I maybe do something to it? Want to try again?

I deleted the post cause the pic I was trying to post wouldn't show up here.

It was all the players we signed, positions, locations, ages, etc.

No biggie, nobody we have heard of any way.

But we'll know them in the future

You can see them all here ...

https://twitter.com/indianspro/status/1 ... 0097436672

... except our 42nd signing. Luis Garcia from Dominican. RHP. 6’ 193#, 17 years old.

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Taiwan reverses trend of virus-related sports cancellations with new baseball season


TAICHUNG, TAIWAN – Taiwan swung into a new baseball season on Sunday — with one team planning to place robot mannequins in its crowdless stands — as the island bucked the global trend for scrapping sports events during the coronavirus.

Despite its proximity and trade links with China, Taiwan has so far managed to keep a lid on the pandemic now sweeping the globe.

It enacted travel bans soon after the virus emerged publicly and rolled out comprehensive testing, contact tracing and quarantining.

Some 100 hundred days into the crisis it has fewer than 400 confirmed Covid-19 cases and just six deaths with schools, offices, restaurants and bars largely open.
Large gatherings like religious festivals have been scrapped.

But on Sunday the island’s 31st baseball season got underway with Chinatrust Brothers taking on the Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions in Taichung.
The games are being played to empty stadiums with fans being told to stay away.

But players are still travelling across the island for fixtures that are broadcast live.

On Saturday, Rakuten Monkeys unveiled robotic mannequins and cardboard cut-outs of fans dressed in home colours and caps at their stadium in northern Taoyuan county.

Some of the robots even banged on drums from the empty stands.

They will be playing baseball in Korea before the U.S.

Apr 6, 2020, 9:24 AM EDT

The first confirmed case of COVID-19 in the United States and the first confirmed case of COVID-19 in South Korea occurred on the same day. In the two months since then the course of each country’s outbreak has been radically different.

As of a week ago, the United States was reporting around 15 times more confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths than South Korea despite having only about six times the population. South Korea has likewise reduced its rate of new daily cases to one-tenth of its peak while the United States likely won’t see its peak for some time.

The biggest factor in that disparity is that South Korea began ramping up testing more quickly and implementing preventive measures, such as school closures and stay-at-home orders earlier and in uniform, as opposed to piecemeal fashion as we have done in the U.S. South Korea is not out of the woods yet — they are currently bracing for a second wave of COVID-19 — but they flattened the curve more effectively and are thus ahead of us on the timeline.

This is obviously a phenomenon with society-wide implications, but for our purposes here, it has implications for professional sports as well. To that end, ESPN published a story today about how KBO baseball in Korea is likely to be the first major professional sports league to resume its schedule. The story focuses on former major league pitcher Dan Straily, who now pitches for the Lotte Giants of the KBO. He talks about how his team and league in Korea have approached things there with respect to training and communication and things of that nature.

It’s an interesting read, but my biggest takeaway from it is not necessarily about what we should have done vs. what Korea has done or anything like that. I mean, there are countless ways the United States has completely screwed up its COVID-19 response via incompetence and worse, but this ESPN article does not get into that in a super effective way, nor does it take into account various differences between the U.S. and South Korea, separate and apart from the competence of its leaders, which would likely have led to at least some level of disparate results regardless. That’a a topic best left to a more in-depth article.

No, my biggest takeaway is how precarious and uncertain the return of baseball is even in South Korea, where things have gone better than in most places. As the article notes, one sick player, one sick trainer, and the timeline will be pushed back farther. And even if that doesn’t happen, the normal acts of ballplayers — getting a new ball from the ballboy to the ump to the catcher to the pitcher — are all coming under new scrutiny and are cloaked in uncertainty and unease.

It’s the sort of thing that makes me seriously question whether professional sports can come back on anything approaching the timeline those in power are currently envisioning. And whether they should be coming back this year at all.

Hi Joe!

Hi Civ

Puerto Rican MLB stars could play in the winter league

Some have expressed interest in participating in the PWL in preparation for the 2021 World Baseball Classic.

In the fall of 1994, players such as Roberto Alomar, Edgar Martínez, Juan 'Igor' González, Carlos Delgado and Bernie Williams, among others, participated in the Professional League of Puerto Rico due to the work stoppage in the Major Leagues. That group ended a dream season with Puerto Rico winning the Caribbean Series at the Hiram Bithorn with a 6-0 record.

A similar story could repeat itself this year for entirely different circumstances. The indefinite suspension of the Major League season due to the COVID-19 virus, opens the door for players like Carlos Correa, Francisco Lindor, Eddie Rosario, Javier Báez and José Berríos to choose to be active with their respective teams during the next season Puerto Rican baseball.

"I always keep in touch with some of the boys and (Martín) Machete Maldonado expressed interest in playing this year," said Alex Cintron, coach of the Carolina Giants in the Professional Baseball League Roberto Clemente and, also, hitting coach. of the Houston Astros.

"Rumors have come that the players have a chat and are motivating themselves in case the season is not played or it is shortened. It seems they plan to play in Puerto Rico, "he added.

Cintron, however, clarified that players' participation will be subject to major league franchises granting the proper permits. The next edition of the World Baseball Classic is scheduled for March 2021, an event organized by Major League baseball (MLB). Puerto Rico has been the runner-up in the past two editions (2013 and 2017).

"It will depend on who is healthy after playing possibly 80 games. The important thing is that they are motivated to play. It would be good for our league because we would see the parks full, "said Cintron.

He also said that local teams must be available to bear the costs of having major league players.

There is still no definitive date for the players to rejoin their respective teams so that the 2020 MLB season can then start. On the table is the alternative of having the 30 teams play in Arizona. Another option is to divide the teams into 15 in that state and the other 15 in Florida, each playing at their spring training center.

"We have to wait for the decision of MLB and the Players Association", concluded Cintron.

José Ramírez: Recovered and shows his culinary art during the pandemic

April 21, 2020 -

His hand and wrist are strengthened again, ready for when this pandemic ends. José Ramírez will once again be the player who between 2017 and 2018 achieved such brilliance that he was third in the race for the Most Valuable player in the American League.


His big rebound last year was squandered after hurting his right wrist after being hit with a foul ball on August 25 against Glenn Sparman of Kansas City, and at the time he finished the year, which for at least the past two months had him batting .327 with 13 home runs and 40 RBIs.


"I am recovered again, my hands are strong and I am like in my best times," Ramirez told the LISTIN. Ramirez had surgery five days after the injury. He has recovered fully.


"After the surgery, I spent all the break, working to return to my form and thank God I'm back," added the 5'9 and 26-year-old player, one of the players signed by veteran scout Ramón Peña.


After healing, he then underwent his usual training regimen with his coach, William Lugo, with whom he has worked with since his days when he was one of more players in the complex that Enrique Soto managed in Baní.


"Lugo is one who knows me best and knows what I should work on and focus on," said Ramírez, who rebounded after an unrecognizable first half when the injury occurred, in which he barely hit .218 with seven homers and 35 rbi in 317 at bats.


Ramirez is currently at Goodyear, the training ground for the Cleveland Indians, where he is currently working while staying at home during the pandemic.


The third baseman attends two or three times a week at the park near the home, where he performs his agility skills, strengthening the hands, working on his arm strength and other types of workouts.


On other occasions he attends the batting cages working on his hitting skills.


He also helps his wife with the care of her little Isabella, just nine months old.


It is not difficult for Ramírez to adapt to the kitchen and contribute his culinary skills with his wife Rosely, since he brings this art with him from his time in Class A when it was his turn to assume those functions with the group of newbies with whom he shared an apartment in those early days with the Indians.


"I was not far behind in the kitchen, I can prepare any kind of dishes to the best of tastes," says Ramírez, who works hard to cook a Moor of pigeon peas with a burning tail and salcocho, two of his favorites.


"Modesty aside I can say that I have a unique skills in the kitchen. I had to learn to cook from my early years when I signed with the Indians and I can say that this helped me a lot," says the player.


In the Minors, Ramírez was the cook for the group with whom he lived, but the others paid much more money in rent for the apartment.


Francisco Lindor, who has been a team leader since these early years, always appeared in that group. Manuel Carmona, another native of Baní was also there.


Despite the fact that in 2016, Ramírez with his .312 (565-176) average 11 homers, 76 RBIs, with 46 doubles and 22 stolen bases, hints that he is an important player in the majors, but has not received an invitation to join the World Baseball Classic team.


Ramirez hopes that for next year's contest this invitation will arrive. "With pleasure, I will be present at the event, of course, if I am injury free," Ramírez told the LISTIN.


Ramirez was already informed that Juan Núñez Nepomuceno and Amauris Nina, president and operations manager of the Baseball Federation would visit him. But this was not possible because just one day before the visit, due to the corona virus, the visit was cancelled.


"Luis Castillo (pitcher from Cincinnati) already told me that they would be visiting our complex," said Ramírez.


Like most players, Ramírez has gone to the aid of his native Villa Majega and other nearby towns such as Santa Rosa and La Javilla, where he has contributed delivery of nearly a thousand food rations.


"I want everyone to remain calm in their homes, because this virus is serious and this is the best way to combat it," added the player in his final message to the Dominican population.


Only Latino with 5 extra-bases in a game


On September 3, 2017, Ramírez became the 13th player in history to connect 5 extra bases in a game, on that date he also became the only Hispanic to do so.


Dominican doubles player leader.


In the 2017 season, he hit 56 doubles and became the Dominican with the most doubles in one season, leaving behind the record of 54 that had been held by Alex Rodríguez since 2004.


Equaled Doubles mark for a switch hitter.


His 56 doubles in 2017 equaled Brian Roberts as switch hitting batters in connecting for the most amount of doules. Roberts hit his 56 in 2009 with the Baltimore Orioles.

Omar Vizquel turns 53 and celebrates it from home

April 24, 2020

Shortstop Omar Vizquel had a great 24-year career in the big leagues. He reached several marks, including 11 Golden Gloves and being the one with the most games played for life. This Friday, April 24, he reached 53 years of existence.

Called "Kike" by his friends, Vizquel started baseball at a very young age, in Caracas. He was part of a children's team in his country that won a World Cup in 1977. He then signed a professional contract with the Seattle Mariners.

Also known as "Silk Hands," the former MLB shortstop shone with the Cleveland Indians and the San Francisco Giants, among other teams.

The man from Caracas is in the race to enter the Cooperstown Hall of Fame.

Vizquel, communicated through social networks that he will be giving a message of thanks to all his fans and colleagues this Friday at 8:00 pm Venezuela time.

Baseball in full swing in Taiwan, even in empty stadiums

Apr. 25

NEW TAIPEI CITY, Taiwan

When Wang Wei-chen had a base hit for the China trust Brothers, no one booed or cheered from the stands at the suburban Taipei ballpark. No one hurled insults at the umpires. And no one yelled the Chinese-language line of encouragement “add oil” to either team.

The 12,150 blue plastic seats were devoid of fans Friday night for the game between China trust Brothers and Fubon Guardians, down from the average crowd of 6,000 at professional baseball games in Taiwan. No fans have come to any games here since play started on April 11.

Taiwan’s five-team Chinese Professional Baseball League is barring spectators over concerns of spreading the corona virus in a crowded space. But Taiwan has relatively few cases of COVID-19, so the league decided it was safe to let in players, coaches, cheerleaders, costumed mascots, face mask-wearing batboys and the media.

“We’d like to have fans coming into the stadium to cheer us on, yet due to the outbreak they can’t,” said Wang, an infielder for Brothers. “We are still lucky, since we have not stopped our season and people can still see us in this way.”

Other baseball leagues around the world have been postponed to May or later. Beyond baseball, organized sports worldwide have canceled or delayed competition. The Tokyo Olympics have been pushed back a year.

At the Taiwan ballpark, about 150 placards were placed upright on the seats. They wished luck to particular players from the Guardians home team, some with cut-out effigies, and thanked Taiwan’s medical personnel for keeping coronavirus caseloads low on the Western Pacific island.

Rock and roll sounds blasted out of the bleachers as if in a normal game, and players did some cheering for their teammates to replace the din of fans.

“I think it feels like a real game,” said Mac Huang, a longtime baseball fan and middle school teacher in Taipei who is following the league now online. Fan-less games, he said, are “a good way to stop coronavirus, but no one knows when coronavirus will stop, and it’s good to have the games on anyway.”

League officials delayed the season twice from its originally scheduled opening day on March 14, and only started competition after close consultation with the Ministry of Health and Welfare. They’re ready to allow all 240 regular games in empty parks through the season’s end in mid-November, if needed.

Taiwan has had just 428 corona virus cases among a population of 23 million. Bars, restaurants, shops and schools still run normally. Taiwan has limited the spread by imposing flight restrictions and through contact tracing of anyone who comes near a confirmed patient.

“We have to be grateful to Taiwan’s citizens for keeping the outbreak under control and let us do this,” league commissioner Wu Chih-yang said.

To keep fans watching on their phones, PCs and TVs, the league is encouraging teams to give their stadiums a realistic, lively feel. That’s where the placards and cheerleaders come in. Online game commentary is being broadcast in English as well as Chinese this year in case fans overseas want to watch a live season.

“Because there is so much room up there in the stands, it leaves space for creativity and each team can be creative as it wishes,” the commissioner said.

Teams are still making some money from broadcast games, he added. The league charges a subscription fee for online viewers.

In Taiwan’s Taoyuan city, the unbeaten Rakuten Monkeys are charming fans by placing 40 mannequins in the stands - to be sent to local clothing stores once their duties are done. Stadium seats support four long LED-lit display boards that twinkle with slogans to inspire base hits and home runs.

The Monkeys, last season’s champions, deploy six robots to bang drums along with the cheerleaders. Fans are excited enough that about 50 of them have sponsored the LED boards, cheer squad leader Eric Chiu said.

A Monkeys game on April 15 attracted about 650,000 viewers in different countries, according to the Taiwan government-backed Central News Agency.

“They think what we’re doing now is OK, but we still hope this outbreak passes soon,” Chiu said. “It’s better to have the fans back.”

Guardians manager Hong I-chung is less sure.

“If you ask the players, they won’t find it so different actually,” Hong told reporters before Friday’s game. “They need to focus on the field, and often noise from fans can throw off their state of mind.”

He particularly noted the impact of players being “scolded” by comments from fans in the stands.

Other people on the field Friday said they were ready to play as usual. Pre-game chatter with reporters focused more on hitting, pitching and lineups than on the lack of fans or Taiwan baseball’s world outlier status. The Brothers won 11-0.

“The fact that were playing in front of empty seats, that’s fine, we’re still playing the game, getting the opportunity to come out here and play,” said Rob Ducey, a former Major League Baseball outfielder who is now a hitting coach for the Guardians.

Covering All the Bases: How Taiwan Opened Its Baseball Season Amid COVID-19

Taiwan is one of the few countries still playing live sports. Here’s how its pro baseball league made that happen.

By Bo-jiun Jing

April 24, 2020

With its morale-boosting first pitch on April 12 and a combined 33 home runs through the first 11 games, Taiwan’s major baseball league smoothly concluded its opening week of the new season amid the COVID-19 outbreak. Even with zero fans in attendance due to regulations designed to combat the virus’ spread, the island’s Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) has attracted unprecedented attention from baseball fans across the globe. The 31-year-old sports league is getting a boost to its visibility and reputation while filling a void left by canceled and postponed matches worldwide.

Beyond baseball diamonds, Taiwan’s international profile as a whole has also been raised by its swift response to the pandemic. The government’s rapid actions — it intensified airport quarantine inspection starting on December 31 and activated the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) on January 20 — coupled with the vigilance of Taiwan’s 23.6 million people, have so far contained the outbreak to 428 confirmed cases and six deaths. Among the COVID-19 cases, 343 were imported and 55 acquired through local transmissions; the remaining 30 were linked to a naval vessel that had visited Palau in March.

Taiwan’s medical network of infectious disease prevention and treatment, built by the island’s Centers for Disease Control in the wake of the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak in 2003, have overall provided effective logistical support for healthcare workers during the current pandemic, mobilizing such resources as negative pressure rooms and personal protective equipment. Several private companies have also partnered with the government to increase daily mask production from 2 million in January to 15 million in April. This not only assured the general public that the mask supply is sufficient, but also enabled Taiwan to donate at least 16 million surgical masks to countries in need, including 7 million masks to European countries and 2 million masks to the United States. The collective actions show that both the public and private sectors in Taiwan have been helping battle against the pandemic as well as keep its economy, and the national pastime, up and running.


For sports fans around the world, watching live games, not replays, is a considerable luxury at this moment. For professional players and coaches, being allowed to compete and continue their career statistics is even more priceless. With that in mind, staying extra vigilant and implementing stringent measures for COVID-19 containment is the optimal choice for the CPBL and its five clubs. After all, no one wants to drop the ball — either inside or outside the stadiums.

It was not an easy call when the CPBL decided to “play ball” without spectators. The league originally considered allowing at most 150 season ticket holders to attend each game at the beginning of the season. Fans would be asked to wear face masks and sit in assigned seats to ensure social distancing. However, as the country confronted the second wave of the disease fueled by imported cases from mid-March to early April, the CPBL on April 1 announced a “no-fans” policy until further notice. According to CPBL commissioner John Wu, including players, coaches, umpires, home team cheerleaders, stadium staff, and media members, the number of people in each ballpark can be controlled between 150 and 200, which complies with the CECC’s recommendation against mass gatherings of more than 500 people outdoors. Wu also urged fans to avoid contacts with players near the stadiums, club residences, and training sites to reduce loopholes in epidemic prevention work.

The four major league teams in Taiwan, namely the Rakuten Monkeys in Taoyuan, the Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions in Tainan, the Fubon Guardians in New Taipei, and the Chinatrust Brothers in Taichung, have all taken stringent precautions. For the first time in the CPBL’s history, each team has scheduled its 60 home team games in its home stadiums – except for the Lion’s five games in Hualien, a county on the east coast that is home to many top Taiwanese indigenous players. This reduces the number of baseball fields hosting games from seven last year to five this year, streamlining logistical management such as travel to and from stadiums as well as daily cleaning and disinfection of all these venues.

Although there is no baseball “bubble” as players are playing across the country and can be visited by their families, all team members — including those with the Wei Chuan Dragons, which is in the minor league this season — have been well surveilled by the clubs’ staff. In addition to intensive temperature checks, players are banned from eating out and using high speed rail on road trips. Under the current public health situation, testing is not required for players. However, if there is one confirmed case in the CPBL, the whole season will be put on hold.

In a scenario where games are played with no spectators through the first half of the 240-game regular season, the ballpark figure for the financial damage done to the four major league clubs would be over NT$300 million (US$10 million) in total. But with challenges also come opportunities. Sports broadcaster Eleven Sports Taiwan unprecedentedly streamed the home games of the Rakuten Monkeys live with English commentary on Twitter. The five games covered in the first week have collectively been viewed more than 5 million times globally. Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen also tweeted the game on April 17, expressing her gratitude to baseball fans around the world for “staying up late or getting up early to cheer for the first hit with us in Taiwan.”

The four major league clubs, which hold the broadcast rights to their home games, have negotiated terms with sports broadcasters to advance their English broadcasts. If executed successfully, they may increase not only the international fan base for the clubs but also the brand values for their owner companies. That could cover some revenue loss from tickets, food, souvenirs, and other fan-related goods and services. When the dust settles from the pandemic, these ballparks could even become tourist attractions for international visitors — just as the North American and Japanese professional baseball stadiums are usually among top tourist destinations for baseball fans in Taiwan.

Given that Major League Baseball in the United States and Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan are debating when and how to start the new season, and the Korea Baseball Organization is looking to throw its first pitch on May 5, the CPBL’s practice of no fans in the stands and relevant stringent measures may be worth referencing. Taiwan’s case shows that battling COVID-19 is like a baseball game. It takes collective efforts to get the last hitter out in the ninth inning. During these challenging times we all need to step up to the plate and make a difference — including the robot drummers, mannequins, and cardboard cutouts of fans currently in the stands in Taiwan’s ballparks.

Alberto Pujols with his sights set on playing in Lidom with the Giants

Apr 24, 2020

San Francisco de Macorís. - As one of the most pleasant surprises, Major League Baseball superstar Alberto Pujols expressed his desire to play with the Giants of Cibao in the upcoming Dominican winter baseball tournament.

The player's interest in debuting with the Giants was shown in full conversation with the team's top executives last Sunday, when Messrs. Samir Rizek and Alfredo Acebal Rizek, president and vice president of the franchise, communicated with Pujols through a video call .

Juan Mercado also participated in the video call, who was responsible for contacting the player.

Alberto Pujols' words

"I am thankful to God for the health and everything he has given me in life, that is why if everything goes well with me I would like to play in Lidom with my team Gigantes del Cibao in the next season" Pujols said

"It is very likely that I will need to take more turns this year due to the situation we are seeing with the virus, which will surely force the Major League season to be shorter and if I will be in the 2021 world classic, the best scenario is to play in a league as competitive as Lidom to prepare me ”He added

Team President's Response

"We are confident that Pujols can have health and a good season in the Major Leagues, and of course the doors of the Cibao Giants are open for when he decides to play, it would be a privilege to have him in San Francisco" said Mr. Samir Rizek

“That Alberto Pujols can play with us will be something for the history of the same league, but the most important thing is that it would be at the moment when the Dominican people need it most because of the pandemic, without a doubt it could be something great for fans. ”The chief executive of the team concluded by saying.

Alfredo Acebal surprised with Pujols

Vice President and Cibao Giants Operations Team member Alfredo Acebal was surprised by the kind of humility and interest shown by one of the best in the Major Leagues during the conversation.

"It really surprised me in a very positive way to hear one of the best players in the history of the Major Leagues say that he wants to play with us in the next season and as he expressed throughout the conversation, we are really talking about a great human being" So said the young executive of the Giants of Cibao.

"Definitely, if Pujols can play in the winter with our team, it will be a super interesting tournament because surely it will motivate other stars from the Major Leagues to play with the different teams," added Alfredo.

Contact with Alberto Pujols is part of the team's planning to communicate with their players and learn about their health during the pandemic, showing concern for each player and their families.

Report: Korea Baseball Organization and ESPN closing in on US media rights deal

We could see a deal where ESPN and the KBO come to a profit sharing arrangement to broadcast pro baseball during the Covid-19 pandemic.

By Collin Sherwin@CollinSherwin Apr 27, 2020, 12:38pm PDT

According to the Yonhap News Agency in South Korea, ESPN and the Korea Baseball Organization are getting close on a media rights deal where KBO games would be shown in the USA as soon as next week.

The 10-team KBO is scheduled to start playing their regular season on May 5th, and will be the second league in Asia to start playing after the Chinese Professional Baseball League in Taiwan. The KBO is considered the third-best top flight league in the world after Major League Baseball and Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan.

The reported negotiations are taking place between Eclat Media Group, the international rights holder for the KBO, and the Worldwide Leader in Sports. Those negotiations were thought to be dead last week as ESPN was apparently looking for free programming only, but their stance has changed on the matter.

Both the KBO and Eclat balked at the initial ESPN demand for free rights. One source said there was “a feeling of being disrespected among KBO ranks.” One KBO official said the league would rather not have Eclat shoulder production costs just to put games on ESPN.

Since then, ESPN has apparently changed its stance. ESPN first indicated interest in KBO games earlier this month amid its struggles to fill dead air, with the coronavirus pandemic having put all professional and amateur sports on hold.

If this is the case, we could be one step closer to actual baseball on our tv’s very soon. And as we have shown before, Korean baseball can be a lot more fun than the stateside product.