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Jeter talks delayed season, COVID-19 relief
Marlins CEO Derek Jeter called in to the Beyond the Bases podcast Wednesday for his first public interview since Spring Training was cancelled last month. He spoke with host Kyle Sielaff about a variety of topics, including the role that sports can play in recovering from tragic events, the fully installed artificial turf at Marlins Park and his renewed appreciation for his wife, Hannah.
No players in the organization have tested positive for COVID-19, according to Jeter (though it is unclear how many of them have actually taken tests). Despite multiple reports naming Marlins Park as a possible neutral site for October/November playoff games, he denies that the league has discussed it with him.
Echoing everybody else’s sentiments, Jeter is non-committal but hopeful about there being a 2020 MLB season.
Chef Cervelli
Veteran catcher Francisco Cervelli will be just fine in self-quarantine, partly thanks to the cooking skills that he has developed from his family. The debut episode of “Behind the Plate”—posted by the Marlins Wednesday on IGTV and Facebook—featured the lasagna recipe that Cervelli learned from his grandmother.
The 34-year-old will return to the kitchen next week with a new dish (but hopefully the same great apron).
Meal donations for pandemic heroes
In his retirement, old friend Tom Koehler has settled down in Jupiter, where he is partnering with local meal prep and delivery service The Hybrid Chef to fundraise for healthcare workers, police officers and firefighters. Those of you who live in their community, or simply want to support brave people facing challenging circumstances, donate here.
Walk-off links
- I am excited to announce the newest Fish Stripes initiative to “build” a digital Marlins Hall of Fame! Vote here on the 22 former players who are candidates for the Class of 2020.
- Hard-throwing right-hander Jordan Holloway held a Twitter Q&A Wednesday afternoon, which you can find on the Jupiter Hammerheads account.
- The Marlins are one of many MLB teams who provide STEM education to children ages 8-11, as detailed by Ed Moran of Front Office Sports.
- Sports Info Solutions selected the best 21st-century defensive players from each team. Their Marlins representative is...Giancarlo Stanton?! Stanton was undoubtedly an effective right fielder, but he’s hardly the first defender who comes to mind when reflecting on the past 20 seasons.
- The first-ever MLB farm system rankings from Shelly Verougstraete of Pitcher List put the Marlins at No. 8. It has been a consensus across the industry this spring that the Fish have a top-10 collection of prospects.