OnlyBucs

547974656273642427160 wrote: Why will there be need for the alternate training site in 2021?  Is this in preparation for the possibility that the minor leagues won't be playing?  If the minor leagues do play, why would there be these training sites?
Excellent question and even MLB does not know the anmswer.



https://deadspin.com/mlb-safety-s-plan- ... 1846235095



The Alternate Training Site remains part of the framework of the 2021 protocol, with the plan being that players from the ATS will be used to fill out the Taxi Squad when teams go on the road. Teams are responsible for ensuring safe travel for players between the ATS and where they meet their teams, but this is where the non-geographic schedule comes into play.



The rule on the ATS is that it must be “located sufficiently close to the location where the club will play its home games during the championship season that commercial air travel is not required.” So, while the Yankees could keep their ATS last year in Scranton, where they have their Triple-A team a two-hour drive from the Bronx, the White Sox, whose top affiliate is in Charlotte, needed to use the facility of an independent league team in Schaumburg, Ill.



Further complicating things is that there is no minor league schedule yet, minor league spring training won’t start until the major league season is underway because its trying to keep the spring training facilities uncrowded, and the Alternate Sites from last year were a mix of minor league stadiums, independent league facilities, and colleges. MLB plans to continue with the ATS program because there’s no guarantee that the minor league season will go smoothly, [highlight]but MLB could not provide clarity on how Triple-A and an ATS program could exist simultaneously, other than that the plan is to have both.[/highlight]


Yeah, that's the question I have. Teams can't keep their best, or most useful, players at training sites instead of playing in minor league games for the obvious reasons. The weirdness that was 2020 continues.

164056424D57474C4156644349454D480A47240 wrote: Why will there be need for the alternate training site in 2021?  Is this in preparation for the possibility that the minor leagues won't be playing?  If the minor leagues do play, why would there be these training sites?
Excellent question and even MLB does not know the anmswer.



https://deadspin.com/mlb-safety-s-plan- ... 1846235095



The Alternate Training Site remains part of the framework of the 2021 protocol, with the plan being that players from the ATS will be used to fill out the Taxi Squad when teams go on the road. Teams are responsible for ensuring safe travel for players between the ATS and where they meet their teams, but this is where the non-geographic schedule comes into play.



The rule on the ATS is that it must be “located sufficiently close to the location where the club will play its home games during the championship season that commercial air travel is not required.” So, while the Yankees could keep their ATS last year in Scranton, where they have their Triple-A team a two-hour drive from the Bronx, the White Sox, whose top affiliate is in Charlotte, needed to use the facility of an independent league team in Schaumburg, Ill.



Further complicating things is that there is no minor league schedule yet, minor league spring training won’t start until the major league season is underway because its trying to keep the spring training facilities uncrowded, and the Alternate Sites from last year were a mix of minor league stadiums, independent league facilities, and colleges. MLB plans to continue with the ATS program because there’s no guarantee that the minor league season will go smoothly, [highlight]but MLB could not provide clarity on how Triple-A and an ATS program could exist simultaneously, other than that the plan is to have both.[/highlight]


Yeah, that's the question I have.  Teams can't keep their best, or most useful, players at training sites instead of playing in minor league games for the obvious reasons.  The weirdness that was 2020 continues.


The ATS is a Covid concession so that replacements will be immediately available when a team is on the road. A 5-man taxi squad makes the road trip made up of players from the ATS. Ideally, no one on the MLB roster would get sick and these replacement players would not be needed.



What this suggests to me is that this group of players would be low ceiling, AAAA types to hold the team over until a better replacemernt can be recalled while the legit prospects would be getting the minor league seasoning they need. If a player gets sick or hurt on thr road, the taxi squad replacement might only be activated for a couple games (probably to sit on the bench) until the better replacement can be recalled and arrive from AAA. It wouldn't make any sense to hold the top AAA players out of minor league competition and have them sit around all season at the ATS or travel with the team just in case, but never get used.

0A272A3B3C2D3A7A79480 wrote: Why will there be need for the alternate training site in 2021?  Is this in preparation for the possibility that the minor leagues won't be playing?  If the minor leagues do play, why would there be these training sites?
Excellent question and even MLB does not know the anmswer.



https://deadspin.com/mlb-safety-s-plan- ... 1846235095



The Alternate Training Site remains part of the framework of the 2021 protocol, with the plan being that players from the ATS will be used to fill out the Taxi Squad when teams go on the road. Teams are responsible for ensuring safe travel for players between the ATS and where they meet their teams, but this is where the non-geographic schedule comes into play.



The rule on the ATS is that it must be “located sufficiently close to the location where the club will play its home games during the championship season that commercial air travel is not required.” So, while the Yankees could keep their ATS last year in Scranton, where they have their Triple-A team a two-hour drive from the Bronx, the White Sox, whose top affiliate is in Charlotte, needed to use the facility of an independent league team in Schaumburg, Ill.



Further complicating things is that there is no minor league schedule yet, minor league spring training won’t start until the major league season is underway because its trying to keep the spring training facilities uncrowded, and the Alternate Sites from last year were a mix of minor league stadiums, independent league facilities, and colleges. MLB plans to continue with the ATS program because there’s no guarantee that the minor league season will go smoothly, [highlight]but MLB could not provide clarity on how Triple-A and an ATS program could exist simultaneously, other than that the plan is to have both.[/highlight]


Yeah, that's the question I have.  Teams can't keep their best, or most useful, players at training sites instead of playing in minor league games for the obvious reasons.  The weirdness that was 2020 continues.


The ATS is a Covid concession so that replacements will be immediately available when a team is on the road. A 5-man taxi squad makes the road trip made up of players from the ATS. Ideally, no one on the MLB roster would get sick and these replacement players would not be needed.



What this suggests to me is that this group of players would be low ceiling, AAAA types to hold the team over until a better replacemernt can be recalled while the legit prospects would be getting the minor league seasoning they need. If a player gets sick or hurt on thr road, the taxi squad replacement might only be activated for a couple games (probably to sit on the bench) until the better replacement can be recalled and arrive from AAA. It wouldn't make any sense to hold the top AAA players out of minor league competition and have them sit around all season at the ATS or travel with the team just in case, but never get used.


Bobster, you have put my questions and concerns to paper. I've been trying to imagine which NRI guys would fit such a taxi squad definition. The big question: how do you handle the 40-man issue?