Washington Nationals pitcher Sean Doolittle announced on Twitter on Sunday night that he and his teammates will cover a pay cut that minor-league players in the organization will have to endure.
“After hearing that Nationals minor league players are facing additional pay cuts, the current members of the Washington Nationals Major League Baseball club will be coming together and committing funds to make whole the lost wages from their weekly stipends,” Doolittle wrote. “All of us were minor leaguers at one point in our careers and we know how important the weekly stipends are for them and their families during these uncertain times.
“Minor leaguers are an essential part of our organization and they are bearing the heaviest burden of this situation as their season is likely to be cancelled. We recognize that and want to stand with them and show our support.”
Nationals closer Sean Doolittle is one of baseball’s truly good guys. He and his wife Eireann Dolan have been involved with numerous philanthropic efforts and Doolittle even earned a nomination for the Roberto Clemente Award in 2016 when he was with the Athletics. They have supported Operation Finally Home, which is a nonprofit that provides “custom-built, mortgage-free” homes to members of the military and their widows. They also supported San Francisco’s veterans charity Swords to Plowshares, which “provides needs assessment and case management, employment and training, housing, and legal assistance” to veterans.
In 2015, Doolittle and Dolan hosted Syrian refugee families for Thanksgiving amid a turbulent time concerning Syrian refugees and U.S. foreign policy. The pair continued to speak out in support of refugees, including in 2017. Doolittle and Dolan also supported LGBT people in 2015, buying enough tickets to fill the Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum on LGBT night. That was in response to critics who vowed to sell their tickets in protest. Last year, Doolittle was recognized for his advocacy of union workers who serve food at MLB stadiums.
This is all to say that Doolittle is a thoughtful guy who puts his money where his mouth is. He doesn’t just shoot from the hip.
Today, we learned that MLB ownership has agreed on a proposal it intends to present to the MLB Players Association on Tuesday regarding the 2020 regular season. The proposal will include details about the schedule, location of games, as well as worker pay. Ahead of that proposal, Doolittle offered his thoughts on the matter in a thread on Twitter. He provides links to many resources, validating his concerns. It’s worth reading and considering.Obi-Sean Kenobi Doolittle✔@whatwouldDOOdo ·
Bear with me, but it feels like we’ve zoomed past the most important aspect of any MLB restart plan: health protections for players, families, staff, stadium workers and the workforce it would require to resume a season. Here are some things I’ll be looking for in the proposal…Obi-Sean Kenobi Doolittle✔@whatwouldDOOdo
And that’s before we get to hotel workers and transportation workers (pilots, flight attendants, bus drivers). They are essential workers. We wouldn’t be able to play a season without them, and they deserve the same protections.Obi-Sean Kenobi Doolittle✔@whatwouldDOOdo
We don’t have a vaccine yet, and we don’t really have any effective anti-viral treatments. What happens if there is a second wave? Hopefully we can come up with BOTH a proactive health plan focused on prevention AND a reactive plan aimed at containment.Obi-Sean Kenobi Doolittle✔@whatwouldDOOdo
Sorry, I had to get that out of my system. I’m going to turn my phone off now. Best of luck to my mentions. Stay safe. Keep washing your hands and wearing your masks. I hope we get to play baseball for you again soon. Obi-Sean Kenobi Doolittle✔@whatwouldDOOdo
We haven’t heard from many players about the risks they face if they were to resume playing. Doolittle has taken it upon himself to speak up. Hopefully, union reps take his concerns into account before hearing MLB’s proposal tomorrow.
The view from left field 