Kevin Gorman's Take 5: Pirates ready to follow protocol, play ball as camp starts at PNC Park - TribLIVE

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This will be a baseball season of so many firsts, especially with the Pittsburgh Pirates having a new team president, general manager and field manager preparing for a 60-game regular season with the universal designated hitter and an extra-innings rule.

But their first focus is on a second edition of spring training.

The Pirates open training camp — new manager Derek Shelton is calling it The Deuce — on Friday at PNC Park with plenty of questions about how to whittle 40 players into a 30-man roster in three weeks.

📍Pittsburgh pic.twitter.com/Q0uOUEyP7t

— Pirates (@Pirates) July 1, 2020

1. What’s the protocol?: Pirates players reported to camp on Wednesday and Thursday, where they had to go through testing and screening and physical exams.

For players, their temperatures will be taken by the medical staff. If it’s above 100.4 degrees, they will be sent home. In addition to the injured list, there will be a covid-19 list. Problem is, under health privacy laws, it will be a guessing game to determine who’s on it and whether they actually tested positive or were exposed.

Both Shelton and general manager Ben Cherington complimented the job that director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk has done in scrutinizing every detail of the return-to-play plan so that the Pirates are as prepared as possible.

“There’s a lot of work involved certainly to get that done within the protocols we’re working with,” Cherington said. “But a lot of it has been planned at this point. The key is going to be listening to our players on a day-to-day basis, encouraging communication, really emphasizing communication so that we understand as much as we possibly can about what they’re getting, what they’re not getting. Maybe what they’re feeling. If we need to back off, if we need to push harder, because it is going to be different.

“As much as I think we’re confident in what we’re planning and that we’re well prepared, we don’t know for sure how a particular player is going to respond once they’re back in their everyday routine of formal training. It’s just going to come down to really good communication and listening and making sure our players can voice what they’re feeling and then being willing and ready to adjust if you need to.”

That’s where the Pirates are preaching education, making sure that players are well aware of the safety measures and accountability that are required to pull off baseball amid a pandemic.

“Fortunately, we’re dealing with grown men here,” Shelton said. “They have to basically monitor themselves and make really good decisions for themselves. So, I think a large part of what comes on our staff and our medical group is making sure that we just educate guys of what the guidelines are, because the one thing that we all know of is it’s going to be different. It’s different for everybody, and it’s an adjustment for everybody.”

2. What’s the biggest adjustment?: Spitting. Seriously.

To follow the health and safety protocols, the Pirates will have to break common ballplayer habits, with no spitting or licking fingers between pitches. No high-fives. No hugging. No hanging out together in the dugout. Some things will be just weird.

“Some of the things that are outlined in the protocol are stuff that guys have done instinctually,” Shelton said. “People may say, ‘Oh, they’re doing it to go against the protocol,’ but they may just do it, like spitting. That one’s come up in a couple calls. Well, you’re going to tell these guys not to spit. These guys have been spitting since they were 5 years old. It’s going to be an adjustment for that. There’s going to be awareness to it, and I think a big part of it comes down to us and the players is that we’re just educating each other about what the protocols are.”

And perhaps even bigger is practicing it.

Good morning. pic.twitter.com/oXpKmmssQe

— Pirates (@Pirates) July 2, 2020

3. What will practices look like? The Pirates will break into eight groups — four for pitchers, four for position players — and practice in four time slots between 9:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.

Shelton said the Pirates conducted all types of baseball drills Wednesday, including pitchers throwing bullpen sessions, hitters taking live batting practice, infielders taking ground balls and outfielders fly balls.

Don’t be surprised if one group is stretching and warming up — excuse me, activating — on the main concourse while others are on the field. But crossover is not permitted.

The Pirates are planning to play intrasquad games after a week or so and hope to play exhibition games before the season starts July 23 or 24. The MLB schedule has yet to be announced.

4. How many players are in camp? The Pirates have split their 60-man roster into two squads, with the 40-man group at PNC Park officially known as the Summer Camp Roster and the 20-man group at Altoona’s Peoples Natural Gas Field as the Alternate Training Site Roster.

Ridiculous as it sounds, the Opening Day roster will consist of 30 players selected from 38 players. Starter Jameson Taillon is participating in camp at PNC Park but is out for the season while rehabilitating from Tommy John surgery, and reliever Edgar Santana is serving an 80-game suspension for a positive PED test.

Shelton said the Pirates “have a general idea” of who will make the Opening Day roster, based on spring training in Bradenton and how their bodies react to the ramp-up for the season.

“That’s probably going to be the biggest part of how we’re going to do the assessment,” Shelton said. “I think because of the evaluation we had in spring training and the fact that we were 19 games in or whatever it was, we have a pretty good idea of where we’re at.”

5. Who makes the Opening Day roster? Right now, it’s fair to say the Pirates pretty much know their starting lineup, with a few exceptions.

The field lineup should look like this: Jacob Stallings at catcher, Josh Bell at first base, Adam Frazier at second, Kevin Newman at shortstop and Colin Moran at third (Shelton gave his endorsement Wednesday), with Bryan Reynolds in left field, Jarrod Dyson in center and Gregory Polanco in right.

The starting rotation will likely feature right-handers Joe Musgrove, Trevor Williams, Mitch Keller and lefty Derek Holland, with room for creativity for the fifth spot. Keone Kela is the closer, with Kyle Crick and Richard Rodriguez the setup men.

That’s 15 players penciled in, or half the team.

Shelton wouldn’t reveal whether he will keep an odd or even number of pitchers and position players — he wants to take a wait-and-see approach, for health reasons — but it’s likely he will lean toward keeping more pitchers.

The biggest battles will come down to the fifth starter, long and middle relief in the bullpen, utility infielders and the designated hitter. The biggest storyline to follow might be whether top position prospects in third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes and shortstop Cole Tucker can make the Opening Day roster.

The best storyline? Baseball is finally back.

Kevin Gorman is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Kevin by email at kgorman@triblive.com or via Twitter .

Categories: Pirates/MLB | Sports