With the coronavirus pandemic, MLB had to halt the start of the season indefinitely. Right now, the league owners are engaged in negotiations with the union to discuss salary compensation and other health standards in order to return to play, but talks are stalled. The New York Yankees and the remaining 29 teams are waiting to see if there is going to be baseball in 2020.
While there remains some hope that MLB will have at least a shortened season, the sentiment isn’t the same regarding the minor leagues. Because of all kinds of logistics and financial-related issues, there likely won’t be a season.
That leaves prospects at the mercy of their teams. Some of them will keep paying their weekly stipends throughout the season, others won’t. Each minor leaguer will have to find a way to make some money on the side.
And that’s precisely what New York Yankees’ lefty T.J. Sikkema is doing. When action was stopped in spring training, he, like lots of other minor leaguers, went home to DeWitt, Iowa.
The Yankees wanted to see him pitch, but…
Yes, he has been throwing bullpen sessions and working out, but the day has many hours to fill and the family needs money. So Sikkema, seeing the situation and following the recommendation of his sister, decided to work with DoorDash deliveries and earn some bucks. His girlfriend Amanda Brainerd is joining him, and the money is for her!
Sikkema spoke to the Des Moines Register about his new job. He thought about it for a few days before deciding to give it a go.
“She kind of got us into it,” Sikkema said about his sister’s pitch. “Amanda, one night, we were talking over dinner and she was like, ‘Maybe we should try that, T.J. – it’s really fun.'”
Sikkema is currently being paid a $400 weekly stipend by the Yankees. He is making between $15 and $25 per hour in DoorDash, and he and his girlfriend have a system: T.J. drives and Amanda drops the deliveries to customers.
“It’s not all about the money,” Sikkema said. “It’s a little bit about getting out and it’s a little bit about just trying to help people.”
The 2020 was going to be huge for the Yankees’ farmhand. The team selected him with the 38th overall pick last year, and he pitched 10.2 frames of a 0.84 with Staten Island (Class A short season.)
“I think it was going to be pretty big,” Sikkema said about the year that was awaiting him. “It was going to be my first full year in pro ball. So, I think I had a lot to prove.”
For now, he is making some money and helping out a little in his community. His time will come.