Imagine waking up, putting on your uniform, packing your gear and getting ready for baseball practice. Now imagine arriving at the field wearing a face mask, going through a temperature check and answering questions about your health to determine whether or not you can practice with your teammates. These are the procedures young athletes must go through if they want to play baseball during the coronavirus pandemic.
While some teams and leagues have not been given clearance to return, others were fortunate to be able to return to the diamond. The Pasadena Stars, an 18-and-under baseball team affiliated with the Los Angeles Baseball Academy (LABA), have found a way to bring baseball back to their young athletes.
History of the LABA
The LABA was founded in 2011 by current executive director John Escandon. According to Escandon, the organization was established to provide local youth a safe environment to play baseball year round, regardless of their socioeconomic status.
“I designed this organization to give players a chance to develop and learn techniques that can help not only on the field but also help them when life gets rough,” Escandon said.
The LABA typically plays a nine-week season, starting with eight weeks of competition (two games each Sunday) and concluding with playoffs in Week 9. Escandon’s organization has 8-10 teams in each age division: 8-and-under; 10-and-under; 12-and-under; seventh- and eighth-grade graduates; underclassman division; upperclassman division; redshirt division and collegiate division.
Some players not only find success in the LABA, but beyond the organization as well. According to Escandon, the LABA has sent approximately 60 players to play collegiate baseball, including Tiger Adams of USC, Kenji Pallaes of UCLA, Troy Maki of Chico State and Julien Garcia of Cal State LA.
COVID-19′s Impact on the LABA
When COVID-19 hit, Escandon’s organization, much like all the other baseball leagues across the country, could not operate financially.
“Our fees that we generate go toward our field permits, our equipment, our baseballs [and] our uniforms. Not being able to play for seven months has been very difficult,” Escandon said. “There’s zero revenue in our account to reserve fields. So it’s taken a toll on not just our organization, but hundreds and thousands of organizations across the country.”
Escandon also acknowledges the challenges he faces with local and city government officials when it comes to communication.
“We’re definitely at a disadvantage as the communities we serve are low income. A lot of the city officials and the people I deal with turn a deaf ear,” he said. “They don’t listen to us. They don’t see our needs. They don’t advocate for us. Being one single voice as an executive director, it’s tough.
“I’ve fought hundreds of city officials, city personnel and unfortunately, they don’t care, which they should. They’re definitely in the spot to change kids’ lives. These kids are our future, and we have to let them know that we’re here to help them get them through this.”
Due to COVID-19, the City of Los Angeles denied the LABA access to the baseball fields, which forced Escandon to find other cities that would allow him to utilize their fields.
After a seven-month layoff, Escandon was finally able to put together a fall season in October and find a new home at Victory Park in Pasadena. This led to the formation of the Stars.
The Stars on the Field
Returning to the diamond has not always been an easy transition for the players. For some, it’s a matter of getting back in the swing of things after a seven-month layoff; for others, it’s simply adjusting to the new norms and protocols enforced by the league.
Marco Renteria, a catcher and infielder for the Stars, believes one of the biggest challenges is juggling the need to follow safety measures during a pandemic while also staying focused during practice.
“It’s just the risk that you take by going outside, talking to people because you don’t [want to] get the virus,” Renteria said. “Making sure that you have the motivation, because sometimes you just feel like you’re in a slump and you can’t do much at home because you don’t have all that variety that you do before the pandemic started.”
Zachary Chung, who pitches and plays first base, says being out on the field surrounded by his teammates, coaches and instructors allows him to learn and diagnose what he needs to work on.
“When the pandemic happened, you can’t just go [onto] the field and talk to coaches,” Chung said. “The coach can’t see what you do, what mistakes you can fix. [When the pandemic hit] it was hard because I don’t know what I should work on and the coaches have to figure it out.”
Players wear their face masks for the majority of the practice, even during intrasquad scrimmages. While it may be uncomfortable for some, others endure it for the love of the game. Pitcher and third baseman Joseph Valencia is one of those players.
“It’s hard playing with masks, but if you keep using it for a while, you get used to it,” Valencia said. “We love playing baseball, so we’re going to do what we have to do with masks or without masks, doesn’t matter.”
Usually during the fall, high school baseball would be having its preseason right now, but with the COVID-19 pandemic, most of these athletes had this opportunity stripped away. Being on a team like the Stars helps fill the void and prepare players for the eventual return of high school baseball. Until then, these athletes will make the most of this opportunity, with Victory Park serving as their home away from home. This not only helps with their player development, but their emotional and mental health as well.
“With mental health, you have to deal with not being outside and staying inside all time. But coming out here definitely makes me feel great because we all get to see people,” Renteria said. “With the restrictions of wearing masks and staying apart, we’re all getting used to it. Coming out here and getting the work in, that’s what’s important right now.”
Dugout Thoughts with Coach Reynolds
Stars’ coach Larry Reynolds has worked with Escandon for 15 years. When the pandemic brought the sports world to a standstill back in March, he and Escandon began their plan to bring their athletes back to the field.
“In my mind, sports is essential. But in the minds of others, it’s considered extracurricular activities, and so they shut us down,” Reynolds said. “And through John and myself, we’ve been trying to find a way to get out on the field, get back to baseball, because we know that there’s a lot of kids, particularly in Southern California, where baseball is huge.”
Reynolds’ love for baseball was ultimately the driving force behind his decision to continue coaching during the pandemic. In a sense, it’s therapeutic for him as well.
“Being on the field with these guys is a way for me to stay young because my playing days are well beyond me,” Reynolds said. “My job is to help encourage them to move in [the right] direction.”
Baseball is all about learning and making adjustments along the way, and this year is a prime example of that. These young athletes have to adjust to the new norms — temperature checks, wearing masks and social distancing — in order to play the sport they love.
While some players may struggle with wearing a mask while they are practicing, Reynolds and Escandon have set up a safety area where players can take off their mask to recuperate and catch their breath. Especially when they are exercising and sweating profusely, the masks can hinder their performance.
The Views from the Stands
According to some parents, being away from the baseball diamond and their teammates took a toll on their kids’ emotional well-being.
Daniel Gil is the father of Estebán Gil, a senior catcher at Wilson High School in Los Angeles. Daniel said his son lacked motivation when he was unable to practice due to COVID-19 restrictions.
“He went to a stage where he just didn’t want to play any sports,” Daniel said. “He didn’t want to pick up or exercise anything at home, you know, because he didn’t have that motivation of having his teammates around him.”
Other parents, such as Teresa Renteria, said COVID-19′s effect was the uncertainty it brought on her son, Marco.
“I think the immediate impact would be for him not knowing when he was gonna get back on the field,” she said. “He was a little anxious to get back and play the game because he’s very dedicated. So we waited it out for a little bit.”
As kids continued to stay at home and endured long hours of virtual learning on Zoom, they were deprived not only of baseball, but of social interactions with their teammates and friends.
It was especially hard for some parents, like Salvador Hernandez, to see kids unable to socialize with their friends and teammates.
“[My son Daniel] is 14, and it’s important for kids his age to have a social life,” Hernandez said. “So for him not to be able to hang out and socialize with anybody, it’s heartbreaking.”
Another parent, Virginia Escamilla, acknowledged the struggles her son, Nico Albuja, had to go through when it came to staying at home and enduring long hours of virtual learning.
“For him in particular, school doesn’t come easy for him … so he went through little phases of being bummed,” Escamilla said.
According to Escamilla, it was tough to see Nico at home not being able to perform as an athlete.
“That’s where he kind of strives, that’s where he gets a lot of his self-esteem from, [because] he’s got that talent,” she said. So with that having been gone and then the focus and having to do online schooling at home, it was hard.”
When it came time to organize and put this team together, some parents immediately jumped at the opportunity.
Daniel Gil’s son convinced him to allow him to join the team, and as a senior who has aspirations to play in college, this opportunity allows him to improve his game as he hopes to jump to the next level.
“It gives him more encouragement that there’s still a chance for him to play because he’s a senior,” Gil said. “He works out here and now he works out at home. So he’s out actively getting double work in.”
With other parents, the fear of COVID-19 is still present, and for people who are immunocompromised like Escamilla, the risks outweigh the benefits. But even with all the concerns, Escamillla still allowed her son to be on the team for one simple reason: trust. This team would not be possible if the parents did not place their trust in Escandon, Reynolds and the organization.
“This whole pandemic really stirred [people’s] fear and emotions,” Escamilla said. “[But] I trusted what John was saying. And I think that’s a big thing when you trust the organization.”
Renteria, like others, believed in the organization’s message, and witnessing the safety protocols enforced by the team solidified her trust even more.
“I believe that coaches here are doing a great job, letting all the kids know [to] keep your social distance [and to] maintain their masks,” Renteria said. “As a parent, I’m concerned every day, but we’re very happy to see the enforcement of continual safety is as shown. And the coaches have been incredible.”
Even though the organization is operating at a loss and the revenue this past fall has been affected due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there is nothing more important than bringing back baseball for these players.
Seeing them return to the field, playing the sport they love, is refreshing for both parents and coaches.
“[These kids] are dealing with school itself and that’s stressful for them, so this is a little escape for that,” Hernandez said. “This is a more normal state for them, so to have [them playing right now], it’s very fortunate to [have that opportunity].”
“Being a youth group, that’s more important than making money, making a profit ... giving these kids the opportunity,” Escandon said. “I see the importance of getting them out here and just giving the kids something positive, some reinforcement to safely play the game they love.”