There are no formal team workouts happening at the spring training facilities in Bradenton, Fla., but Pirates players are still preparing for the 2020 season, whenever it might be.
Right now, the Pirates are holding workouts three days a week, staggering who everyone comes into contact with to try to decrease the risk of spreading COVID-19. For now, it is mostly weight lifting and strength and conditioning training, though pitchers are still throwing and hitters are getting time in the cage.
“Nothing extremely advanced right now," Derek Shelton said in a conference call Thursday afternoon. "It’s more just guys staying in shape.”
Shelton, a Florida resident, is staying near Bradenton, as are four other coaches.
Players were also given the option to return home or to Pittsburgh. If they did, they were given framework for their workout programs.
The goal for now is how to gradually "deload" pitchers. The Pirates had built their starting pitchers up to the 75 pitch mark before spring abruptly ended on Mar. 12.
“We have to make sure that we don’t go from 75 [pitches] to nothing, and we also have to make sure that we don’t essentially waste a ton of bullets trying to stay fresh because we don’t know when we’re gonna start," Shelton said.
MLB announced they had postponed the regular season until at least mid-May, though the actual start could be much later than that. That makes preparation difficult, but once a date is set, the Pirates will begin to ramp up workouts again to get their players ready.
To continue reading, log into your account:
