LANSING, Mich. — The minor league baseball season isn't officially canceled, however, Lansing Lugnuts owner Tom Dickson told Fox 47 weeks ago that he did not believe the Lugnuts would play in 2020. The minor league season has been on hold for several months now and players have been looking for other jobs in lieu of baseball. That isn't easy for players who have significant training that has to be completed and an uncertainty on their availability as the summer progresses.
Insert The Athletic's Emily Waldon. Waldon has covered minor league baseball for years and is currently a National Prospect Writer. Waldon led a charge on social media for fans to help out minor league players in need. Her efforts led to nearly $14,000 being raised by fans to help minor league players when spring training was shut down back in March.
She didn't stop there. Waldon also made it a personal mission to help minor league players find jobs that they could work until the return of baseball. Waldon says 60 payers were able to find employment with the help. Her job was to be the middle man, connecting employers directly with players who needed employment.
"They don't know what's going to happen with the season yet, no official decision has been made. So being able to alleviate some of the pressure that has been placed on them through this project, it has been really cool to be a part of," Waldon said.
Waldon was very vocal on social media letting her followers know that organizations should continue to pay their minor league players their stipends while the season was on hold. Many organizations, including the Tigers, have committed to do so for the months that have been missed.
During my conversation with Waldon, we also discussed the Detroit Tigers 2020 MLB Draft class. The Tigers drafted all position players in this year's shortened draft. Waldon believes this was a smart move by the organization.
"I think that this is one of the most exciting drafts that I have watched, not only as an obvious Tigers fan but somebody who has covered the farm system for the last five years. They are moving in a really good direction. I have said this on so many different occasions, they've got so much pitching but that lineup you've really got to fill some of those gaps," said Waldon.
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