Former Yankees star Derek Jeter, now CEO of the Miami Marlins, is one of three players who will be inducted this summer into the Baseball Hall of Fame, after their 2020 induction was postponed. Charles Trainor Jr./Miami Herald via AP
COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. — Baseball’s Hall of Fame has canceled its traditional outdoor induction ceremony for the second straight summer because of the pandemic and plans an indoor, televised event for Derek Jeter and others being honored.
Jeter, Larry Walker, Ted Simmons and late players’ association executive director Marvin Miller were to have been inducted last summer, but the pandemic caused the ceremony to be called off for the first time since 1960.
A crowd of about 55,000 has attended the 2019 ceremony for the inductions of Mariano Rivera, Edgar Martinez, Roy Halladay, Mike Mussina, Lee Smith and Harold Baines.
This year’s ceremony remains scheduled for July 25 but will look different. No new inductees were chosen for this year’s class.
Hall of Fame chair Jane Forbes Clark cited the “continuing uncertainties” of COVID-19 in making the change. She said the new format will adhere to “required New York State guidelines.”
This year’s awards presentation includes late Boston Globe writer Nick Cafardo, winner of the 2020 Baseball Writers’ Association of America Career Excellence Award; Dick Kaegel, the 2021 BBWAA winner after a career covering the St. Louis Cardinals and Kansas City Royals and editing The Sporting News; Ken Harrelson, the 2020 winner of the Frick Award for broadcasting excellent; Al Michaels, the 2021 Frick winner; and late Philadelphia Phillies chairman David Montgomery, winner of the 2020 Buck O’Neil Lifetime Achievement Award.
SPRING TRAINING: Major League Baseball revamped its exhibition schedule because of the pandemic, cutting travel for Florida-based teams in an effort to minimize coronavirus risks.
College teams, which often play big league clubs but are not subject to major league testing protocols, were dropped from the revised schedules announced Friday.
Split-squad games, traditionally used in the first half of the exhibition season to allow evaluation of more players, also were eliminated.
Florida-based teams may decide to dress at their own ballparks and travel in uniform for road exhibitions to increase distancing while putting on uniforms. Arizona-based teams traditionally dress at home and take batting practice at home, then travel for road exhibitions.
Pitchers and catchers open spring training workouts Wednesday, and the exhibition season starts Feb. 28, two days later than initially announced on Sept. 16.
The regular season remains on track to start April 1.
RANGERS: Free-agent infielder Brock Holt agreed to a minor league contract with Texas that includes an invitation to major league spring training.
The former Red Sox player would get a $1.75 million, one-year contract if added to the 40-man roster and would have the opportunity to earn another $750,000 in performance bonuses.
TRADE: Well-traveled right-handed reliever Dylan Floro was traded by the Los Angeles Dodgers to the Miami Marlins for left-handed reliever Alex Vesia and pitching prospect Kyle Hurt.
Floro, 30, went 3-0 with a 2.59 ERA in 25 games last year for the World Series champions. He has also pitched for the Rays, Cubs and Reds, and has a career ERA of 3.33 over 159 2/3 innings in five seasons.
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