Today it was reported that yet another Marlins player has tested positive for COVID-19. That brings the number up to seventeen. It’s questionable whether it’s either wise or possible for the Marlins to continue the season, but for now they are. Questions about the wisdom of doing so apparently rest with Major League Baseball. Questions of how to play if they’re allowed to are up to the Marlins front office.
God love ‘em, they’re trying. And they’re being pretty creative about it!
Yesterday they signed a guy who can play seven positions. Pretty handy given that you don’t know who is going back and when. If you have a hole, hey, plug in Logan Forsythe! He can play almost anywhere.
Today, Jeff Passan of ESPN reports, they have signed pitcher Pat Venditte. Venditte had been with the Marlins last spring but had been released. This is reportedly a minor league deal.
The thing about Venditte, you may recall, is that he’s the game’s only ambidextrous pitcher. Usually he uses that trait to play matchups against hitters in the middle of an inning in order to negate the platoon advantage. One wonders whether he’s flexible enough to start as a righty on a Monday and start as a lefty on a Tuesday. That’d be pretty handy given the state of the Marlins roster right now.
Venditte has played parts of four seasons in the bigs, posting a 5.03 ERA in 58 games, all in relief. His strikeout rates are pretty low by today’s standards and last year he was pretty horrid in only two appearances for the Giants. But hey, the Marlins are being creative, so let’s give ‘em props, OK?
