Orioles increasing safety measures in spring training

SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles' media crew returned from the off-day and walked into a whole new world, with the increase in coronavirus cases around the world leading to closed clubhouses in baseball.

Players at the Ed Smith Stadium complex were made available upon request and seated at tables on the patio outside the workroom. Reporters asked their questions from a "safe" distance.

Six feet is the recommended perimeter.

Chris Davis, the Orioles' player representative, anticipated that extreme measures were forthcoming.

"I think guys are still trying to figure it out," he said. "Obviously, we had the announcement several days ago that there's going to be hand sanitizer everywhere, even more so than there already was, and to make sure to practice personal hygiene to the fullest. And also with the interaction with fans, the way we've been going about that once the game starts. Just take a ball out there and toss them a ball instead of going over there and mingling and shaking hands and doing all that stuff.

"It's unusual. It's definitely something that we're not accustomed to. But I guess if MLB sees it necessary for the time being, then we'll abide."

The Orioles don't want to deprive fans of the type of access and interaction that spring training provides. The idea of dispensing autographed baseballs to the crowd came up in recent discussions, "making sure you're not coughing on anybody or sharing germs," Davis said.

"You don't want to exclude any fans or neglect them, so we would basically just sign a ball and take it out there with us and toss it to them. So hopefully, the guys in our clubhouse are washing their hands."

The virus and Major League Baseball's reaction to it aren't dominant topics inside the clubhouse, according to Davis.

"It's definitely been mentioned," he said, "but we have so much on our plate on a daily basis to focus on and to think about. It's on every news channel, we see the headlines, we know what's being talked about in the community and the general public, but for us I think it's more just doing everything we can to be proactive and keep ourselves and our fans in a safe environment."

Davis hasn't heard from the Players Association that games could be cancelled in spring training or the regular season. Or that no-fans games, which Davis has experience with, might be under consideration.

"I hope not," he said. "I think that they're going to do everything they can to protect the players as well as the fans, but I hope that it doesn't turn into us missing games or pushing scheduled games back or something like that.

"I saw that just a few minutes ago on ESPN or ESPN News, one of the outlets, that the NBA was talking about playing games without fans in the seats, which, we don't even want to go down that road again. But hopefully it doesn't become more of an issue than it already has been."

Does the prospect of a "pandemic" scare Davis?

The word itself is chilling.

"I definitely don't like that term, but you can't let it run how you live," he said. "You can be cautious and take certain measures to make sure you're protected, but at the same time you've got to live your life. We have a job to do. We have a responsibility not only to the organization but to our fans to go out there and do our job.

"We've been faced with a lot of challenges in the past, especially since I've been here, and I think the general focus of our clubhouse has been to go out there and continue to do your job. Do everything you can to make sure that you're protecting yourself and your family and the guys around you, but at the end of the day we've still got a job to do."

This includes tonight's game against the split-squad Braves at Ed Smith Stadium.

Former Orioles outfielder Nick Markakis is on the trip. He hasn't been back to Sarasota since leaving the Orioles following the 2014 season.

The Orioles brought over pitchers Reed Hayes, Mickey Jannis, Zach Muckenhirn and Luis Ortiz, catcher Martin Cervenka, infielder Adam Hall and outfielder Zach Jarrett from minor league camp.

For the Braves
Charlie Culberson 2B
Nick Markakis RF
Freddie Freeman 1B
Austin Riley 3B
Adeiny Hechavarría SS
Rafael Ortega LF
Cristian Pache CF
Yangervis Solarte DH
Alex Jackson C

Ian Anderson RHP

Orioles player representative Chris Davis speaks to media about new precautions in place in the wake of the worldwide coronavirus outbreak.

Reporters have been asked to keep six feet between themselves and players.