Major League Baseball's "Arizona plan" was leaked last week and received plenty of attention — not all good — as the league was reportedly considering playing the 2020 season in Arizona with plenty of other drastic measures, such as an electronic strike zone and social distancing in the stands instead of using the dugouts, proposed.
While MLB announced that many plans are being discussed and that talks of a season are preliminary, some players seemed to have liked the idea, which would target a late May/early June start.
Yankees reliever Adam Ottavino was among those on board and you can now add his teammate, catcher Kyle Higashioka, as a supporter of the "Arizona plan."
The backup catcher wrote in a diary for the New York Post on Monday that he just wants to salvage the season.
"I'd be glad just to play baseball at all," he said. "I'd be grateful for the opportunity to have even a partial season. It would give fans something to look forward to. I don't know how many other live sports would be on TV. It might give everyone a little escape. I don't know anything about the logistics, but I would feel very fortunate to play this year if we have a season."
The 2020 season was meant to be a pivotal one for Higashioka.
The 29-year-old, who is out of minor-league options, was getting his first true chance to show he was ready for the backup catcher role for a full major league season.
"It took me a while to reach this point in my career," he said. "The Yankees picked me in the seventh round of the 2008 draft, the same year they picked Gerrit Cole, now my teammate, in the first round (he didn't sign with us, of course).
"I think my path has helped me deal with this situation, just like it has helped to define me as a player. I was never a guy who would step into a situation and just dominate. Every single time, it was always a matter of failing first, and then learning how to succeed, and eventually succeeding."
