With nearly all summer programs canceled due to COVID-19, David Hale and Mike Ford will be virtually teaching kids this summer.
With the New York Yankees still waiting to begin their critical 2020 campaign, the team’s players have been forced to keep themselves occupied until spring training resumes.
While some are solely focusing on their preparation for the upcoming season, the same can’t be said for two of New York’s players, as both are planning to make an impact on a local baseball camp this summer.
This week, the Rising Star Baseball Camp announced that David Hale and Mike Ford will be providing three Zoom lessons to kids that were planning on attending the event.
COVID-19 unfortunately canceled the annual summer camp that draws kids from across the tri-state area. Nevertheless, these campers will receive tips on how to improve their hitting and pitching from two major leaguers.
This will be the first time the camp hasn’t run an event since commencing operations in 1998. However, camp director Darren Gurney is very excited that so many young athletes will be able to hear from Hale and Ford this summer.
“In the absence of the boys’ ability to play, it is so important to continue to foster their love of the game and to encourage them to stay fit,” Gurney discussed, per Oli Coleman of Page Six. “We are grateful for the opportunity to hear from top MLB talent.”
Along with Gurney, the camp additionally features a significant number of coaches who specialize in separate on-field drills and have experience at different levels, from high school to college.
Since these kids won’t be able to practice on the field for the time being, Hale and Ford will be suggesting ways to “stay motivated” amid the pandemic. If this crisis passes by next summer, they’ll be able to utilize the advice in 2021 and beyond.
Taking this time to help shape some younger players is exactly what more professional athletes should be doing during this unfortunate period. If anything, this is just another example of the first-class players within the Yankees organization.
