The New York Mets announced their first member to stay away from Citi Field during summer camp. While it is not a player, it is their hitting coach Chili Davis who will not report to Citi Field for full team workouts on Friday.
Cespedes catches up with Chili Davis and Terry Collins during full squad workouts. pic.twitter.com/syWJCQIAXH
— Deesha (@DeeshaThosar) February 17, 2020
Davis is a resident of Arizona, a state that has seen their positive COVID-19 cases rise over the last few weeks. While he does not have the virus, Davis is deciding to stay home as a precaution to keep others in the organization safe. Players who reported to Citi Field on Wednesday were also awaiting results of their COVID tests to make sure they were good to go.
Remote Learning
Thankfully technology is at a point where instruction can efficiently work through a phone or computer. Assistant hitting coach Tom Slater is going to work with the hitters in person during Davis’s absence.
Davis will work much like teachers throughout the country did. He will review hitting footage and conduct Zoom meetings to stay active with the players. It will be as simple as setting up a tripod with an iPad connected directly in the batting cage where Davis can give immediate feedback.
Davis may not be the first one to opt-out as Brodie Van Wagenen still waits for confirmation from the rest of Luis Rojas staff. Rojas will hold a Zoom meeting with his coaches on Thursday to figure out a plan for summer camp.