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2 MLB players test positive for COVID-19 in past week

2 MLB players test positive for COVID-19 in past week

(AP Photo/Jeffrey McWhorter, File)NEW YORK – Two major league players and two staff members were positive for COVID-19 during the past week among 13,978 tests, a 0.03% positive rate. The positive tests were among 11 of the 30 teams. Including intake testing upon arrival at spring training, there have been 33 positive tests — 25 players, eight staff — among 78,227 tests, a positive rate of 0.04%. The positive tests were among 18 teams. All players on 40-man rosters and players with minor league contracts invited to big league training camps are screened.

Lynchburg Hillcats likely to remain Cleveland Indians affiliate, but at a different level

Lynchburg Hillcats likely to remain Cleveland Indians affiliate, but at a different level

LYNCHBURG, Va. – Baseball players in the Hill City could still end up playing home games in Cleveland. The Lynchburg Hillcats announced Wednesday that they’ve been formally invited by the Cleveland Indians to become their new Low-A affiliate. “We appreciate Cleveland’s commitment to top-notch player development and working with us to keep professional baseball in Lynchburg for years to come. We can’t wait to host baseball games again at Bank of the James Stadium and do what we do best -- provide affordable family fun to our passionate fans.”The announcement comes as Major League Baseball has altered the minor league structure. Lynchburg was last a Low-A club in 1989 as a Boston Red Sox affiliate.

Teams to rebrand as Appalachian League transforms into a collegiate wood-bat league

Teams to rebrand as Appalachian League transforms into a collegiate wood-bat league

ROANOKE, Va. – Say goodbye to the Pulaski Yankees, Danville Braves and the other familiar monikers of the Appalachian League. Major League Baseball and USA Baseball jointly announced a new format for the league, on Tuesday, which will feature the nation’s top rising college freshmen and sophomores in wood-bat play each summer. “The communities of the Appalachian League have supported baseball since our founding in 1911. This new Appalachian League format will continue that tradition, ensuring that high-level baseball will continue being played in our state for the long-term. We look forward to a new team as part of the community.” Danville Parks and Rec director Bill Sgrinia

Appalachian League to become a college baseball developmental league

Appalachian League to become a college baseball developmental league

ROANOKE, Va. – The Appalachian League will look different when it returns. On Friday, Major League Baseball and USA Baseball announced a plan to transform the Appalacian League into a college summer league. Rather than being professional players at the rookie-level, the league would be comprised of the nation’s top rising college freshman and sophomores. The plan is to “retain high-caliber baseball in the communities where it is currently being played under the Appalachian League brand while bringing new, modern approaches to player development and exciting partnerships and opportunities for teams, fans and communities,” according to Major League BaseballMore details will be released during a Zoom meeting on Tuesday at noon.

Cardboard fans? Masks? MLB is back, but it doesn’t look real -- these photos might weird you out

Cardboard fans? Masks? MLB is back, but it doesn’t look real -- these photos might weird you out

(2020 Getty Images)A lone Boston Red Sox employee eats a hot dog in the stands before a game between the Boston Red Sox and the Baltimore Orioles at Fenway Park on July 26, 2020 in Boston. (2020 Getty Images)A peek at Tropicana Field during a game between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Atlanta Braves on July 27, 2020 in St. Petersburg, Florida. (2020 Getty Images)A mask is placed on the Teammates Statue on Opening Day at Fenway Park on July 24, 2020 in Boston. (2020 Getty Images)A general view of of cardboard cutouts placed in the seats before the game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Francisco Giants at Dodger Stadium on July 25, 2020. (2020 Getty Images)With information from the Associated Press.

With an MLB season on the horizon, Lynchburg Hillcats reflect on should-have-been All-Star Game

With an MLB season on the horizon, Lynchburg Hillcats reflect on should-have-been All-Star Game

LYNCHBURG, Va. Yesterday in Lynchburg, the Carolina League All-Star game was supposed to be played. It would have been the citys first time hosting the game in 25 years. Its really sad for the city. It was our chance to really shine, and show off what weve done here for the last 25 years, General Manager Chris Jones said. Theres been so many ideas thrown around, as you can see, major league baseball and the players association are having their own issues, so I think minor league baseball is down on the totem pole of importance.

Players counter with 70-game season, 10 more than MLB

Players counter with 70-game season, 10 more than MLB

FILE - In this Feb. 19, 2017, file photo, Major League Players Association Executive Director Tony Clark, answers questions at a news conference in Phoenix. Commissioner Rob Manfred says there might be no major league season after a breakdown in talks between teams and the union on how to split up money in a season delayed by the coronavirus pandemic. As part of the union proposal, players would wear advertisement patches on their uniforms during all games for the first time in major league history. Both MLB and the union proposed starting the season on July 19, and players said it should end Sept. 30, three days later than management. Both sides would expand use of the designated hitter to games involving National League teams, and both sides would expand the playoffs to 16 teams this year.

Items worth $500K stolen from A-Rod's rental car

Items worth $500K stolen from A-Rod's rental car

KPIX via CNN(CNN) - MLB star-turned-sports broadcaster Alex Rodriguez reportedly was the victim Sunday night of a burglary, with the items taken worth $500,000, according to CNN affiliate KPIX. Rodriguez and other members of ESPN's broadcasting crew returned from a dinner out after working the Phillies-Giants game in San Francisco when they discovered someone had broken into their rental car, the station reported. Jewelry, bags, a camera, camera equipment, a laptop computer and electrical equipment were stolen, the San Francisco Police Department said. Police did not identify whom the items belong to. The valuables were worth $500,000, KPIX reported.

Larry Falivena has ALS, and he's visiting all 30 MLB ballparks

Larry Falivena has ALS, and he's visiting all 30 MLB ballparks

Larry Falivena is spending three months traveling to MLB ballparks in an RV, and his family has joined him. But for Larry Falivena, a husband and father of two, accomplishing that goal is about much more than the game. A nod to "Iron Horse" Lou GehrigIn February, Larry and Shana Falivena met with the CEO of the ALS Association, Calaneet Balas. Gehrig, dubbed the "Iron Horse" for playing 2,130 consecutive games, retired from baseball in 1939 after being diagnosed with ALS. "This mission is more important than being comfortable and safe and protected in our own little bubble in Apex," Shana Falivena said to CNN.

'Bobby Bonilla Day': Retire MLB'er makes bank every July 1

'Bobby Bonilla Day': Retire MLB'er makes bank every July 1

Bobby Bonilla is a retired MLB player who last took the field in 2001, but, 20 years later, is still getting paid $1.2 million a year by the New York Mets. In fact, he'll get paid $1,193,248.20 a year every year until 2035, when Bonilla is 72 entire years old. At that point, the final sum will be $29.8 million paid for a sport Bonilla will not have played professionally for 34 years. In 1999, the New York Mets wanted to get rid of Bonilla, but still owed him almost $6 million on his contract. Obviously, we all know how the Madoff scheme turned out, so unfortunately for the Mets, they never saw that return.

On this day: October 22

On this day: October 22

1973: Baseball player Ichiro Suzuki is born in Kasugai, Aichi, Japan. Originally a player in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball, Ichiro moved to the United States in 2001 to play in the MLB for the Seattle Mariners, with whom he spent 12 seasons before being traded to the New York Yankees during the 2012 season. He has played for the Miami Marlins since 2015. Between his 1,278 career hits in Japan's and his more than 3,000 MLB hits, he has the most hits by any player in top tier professional leagues, surpassing Pete Rose's 4,256 hits in June 2016. Hide Caption