Former Gamecock's perspective on possibility of MLB's return

It’s been a while since we’ve heard the familiar call to “play ball” due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  Along with several other professional baseball players, former South Carolina catcher and current Detroit Tiger Grayson Greiner has been trying to stay sharp at a Columbia-area training facility in anticipation of getting back on the field.

“I’ve been working out and hitting every day, throwing and catching bullpens,” Greiner said. “I’m trying to do what I’d be doing on a daily basis during the season without having the game portion of it. I’ve been working out at Athlete’s Arena with (personal trainer) Shane Miller, Monday through Friday, with a pretty good group of players. We go to an indoor hitting facility and hit there every afternoon or evening as well.

“(Former Gamecock) Tyler Webb, who is with the Cardinals, Zack Godley, who has been with the Diamondbacks the last four or five years, and he’s now with the Tigers with me, Brandon White, who’s a minor leaguer with the Braves, and Corey Stone, a minor leaguer with the Rangers; we’ve got a good group of about eight or 10 guys that are up there every morning.”

As the nation takes precautions in reopening, Major League Baseball and the Players Association are in negotiations for a return-to-play plan for the 2020 season, and Greiner said the players are keeping things in perspective while doing whatever it takes to be ready to play ball.

“They check in with us,” Greiner said of his Major League bosses. “For the most part, it’s on our own. When you get up to the highest level, you don’t really have to tell people to work out or stay in shape. They trust us to be professionals and do the work that we need to do on a daily basis. The Tigers will send me workouts, and each month I’ll do four weeks of a workout program. So, I’ll do that, and Shane has a workout program for me as well. We’ve got plenty to do. I’m trying to keep improving my swing and get as many reps as I can.

“This is probably the longest I’ve gone since I was four years old without playing baseball games. It’s been weird. If and when our season starts up, that first pitch of that first game will help us feel like things are getting a little bit back to normal to some degree. It will be great for us personally, and it will be great for fans around the world just to have the national pastime back. I’m very excited for that to hopefully happen.”

“To be back out there and allow America to have live sporting events again would be great.”

One of the considerations on the table for MLB’s return includes the possibility of playing in stadiums without fans.

“It would be interesting for sure because you play your whole life playing in front of people. To go more to a sandlot where you’re just playing against another team where you’re not able to feed off the energy of the crowd, it will be interesting,” Greiner said. “We’re trusting people who are a lot smarter than us to make those decisions. The most important thing is to make sure that everyone is safe and that everybody’s family remains safe.”

Greiner noted that he doesn’t have reservations about returning.

“There are people a lot smarter than me that are handling this. I’m just trying to let the chips fall where they may,” Greiner said. “All we can do is hope and pray that they’ll all do what’s best for us and our sport and remain optimistic that were going to play this season. I think everyone in the game really wants to get this season going. To be back out there and allow America to have live sporting events again would be great. I’m just trying to remain as optimistic as I can that this will get worked out and we can play baseball again.

“You really do attack the season one day at a time. I know that’s a cliché. The only difference this year is there’d be less one day at a time. I think the Player’s Association and MLB will give us a enough time to be ready for a season. Everyone wants to get real, meaningful games in as soon as we can. It probably won’t be a full spring training. The main thing is going to be getting the pitchers back throwing multiple innings and stretching those guys out. Those guys are going to want to build up their arm strength and stamina on the mound. That’s probably the biggest hurdle.”

With no decisions on the fate of minor league baseball this year, Greiner is concerned about fellow ball players who might lose their chance to play ball or have to give up on that dream due to finances.

“Guys have to do what’s best them and their families,” Greiner said. “A lot of guys I played with in the minor leagues are married with multiple kids. You have to get a paycheck to keep a roof over your head and put food on the table. Nobody anticipated this situation coming, so it’s not good for anybody. There might be guys who have to give up baseball and get a job to be able to provide for their families. It’s a terrible situation for a lot of people in our country and in the world. The MLB draft this year is only five rounds, so there won’t be as many new guys coming in. It will be interesting to see how it all plays out.”

Until it’s time to play ball, Greiner is finding time to enjoy an extended off-season near his Columbia home.

“I’m spending time with family, golfing, going fishing out on the lake and just trying to find ways to stay busy,” Greiner said. “Being able to spend all this time with my wife (Madison) and son (Hudson), who’s two-years-old now, has been a blessing. He’s at a fun age now. So, spending everyday with them has been great.”