Notebook: Mariners end Fall League early due to positive COVID-19 tests

Nov 16, 2020, 12:07 PM

The Mariners had been holding a camp and playing Fall League games in Arizona. (Getty)

(Getty)

Mariners Insider, Seattle Sports

With words that have become very familiar across the sports world in 2020, the Mariners canceled their final two Player Development Fall League games “out of an abundance of caution” after two individuals tested positive for COVID-19 at their facility in Peoria, Ariz., late last week.

Mariners Takeaways: Jerry Dipoto on Lewis, Hot Stove focus and more

The Mariners’ Player Development Fall League, which also included a high performance schedule which began with 40 top minor leaguers participating, came to an end as scheduled on Saturday with all players testing negative and returning home.

From the Mariners’ announcement:

“Following our health and safety protocols, we conducted contact tracing and follow-up testing with all players and staff in Peoria. There were no other positive results, and one of the two previous positives had two subsequent negative results. The other individual who tested positive is isolating and following medical guidance.”

Mariners notes

• Winter Ball in the Dominican Republic, or LIDOM as it is known, began Sunday. The Mariners have four players participating with Julio Rodríguez and Luis Liberato playing for the Leones de Escogido, Johan Ramirez with the Aguilas Cibeanas (managed by former Mariners middle infielder Félix Fermín), and Eric Filia with the Estrellas de Oriente.

Rodríguez , who is playing professionally in his home country for the first time, went 1 for 4 with a walk, three strikeouts and a run scored Sunday. His lone hit an opposite-field single off Luis Gil, the Yankees’ fifth-ranked prospect. Liberato went 1 for 3 and Ramirez turned in a very early 2020 Ramirez-like performance, giving up a single and walking two (one intentionally to load the bases) but not allowing a run to score in his one inning pitched.

• Something to keep your eyes open for this week: Friday is the deadline for teams to protect Rule 5 Draft-eligible players by putting them on the 40-man roster.

• The Baseball Hall of Fame ballot was announced Monday morning with 14 holdovers and 11 players making their first appearance on the ballot. There are no former Mariners among the newcomers and just one total, Omar Vizquel, on the 25-player ballot. As always, a terrific follow to track the voting is Ryan Thibodaux on Twitter.