NORFOLK, Va. - While the coronavirus pandemic persists, Major League baseball pays minor league players $400 a week through May 31st.
For many of them, they're making more money during COVID-19 compared to their usual paychecks, and that includes former Old Dominion University first baseman and 2019 Royals draft pick Vinny Pasquantino.
“They could easily have not paid us if they didn’t want to so it’s nice that they decided to," Pasquantino said.
Cashing in on his prowess at the plate, on the other hand, will take some time.
As the former ODU slugger waits for baseball to pick back up again, he spends his down time with family in his hometown of Richmond.
"Just trying to stay in shape, because at least I'll be in shape when I get back to doing more baseball things," Pasquantino said. "I'll be able to get back into it quicker.
"There's people who have it way worse than me so I'm just gonna try to keep my spirits high."
His spirits are high when they certainly could been the complete opposite.
Pasquantino had just began his first ever Spring Training as a pro, but the experience was quickly taken away because of COVID-19. He says Royals minor league teams stopped training just two days after they began taking live batting practice.
“Everybody tells you after your first season, cuz it’s not a full season, everybody tells you you don’t know how to prepare your body for 140 games," Pasquantino said. "This will be the offseason that you learn, you’ll either do a good job or not, and the the next offseason you can change it. I'm in for another offseason of people telling me I don’t know how to prepare myself for a full season. That's the biggest bummer is I have to keep hearing that from every single person I work out with.”
Before that offseason comes, he has to get throught he current situation, which feels like an offseason of its own.
"It's almost like the beginning of the offseason that you don't know when it's gonna end," Pasquantino said. "Super weird time but we're all going through it together so I know I'm not the only one."
