The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Tribune Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

OPENING weekend did not go as planned for Chavez Young and his Canberra Cavalry in the Australian Baseball League as COVID-19 restrictions led to another delay for the already shortened season.

Young was one of five players on the roster in quarantine that did not make the trip to Perth to take on the Perth Heat, but eventually, the entire opening weekend series was postponed.

According to the Cavalry, its roster “includes players from New South Wales – or close contacts of people from the state – that would be required to quar-antine in Western Australia following a COVID out-break in Sydney’s Northern Beaches.”

Young and the other players in quarantine will be available when the Cav-alry makes its season debut at home on December 25 against the Melbourne Aces.

“Obviously, this was not how any of us planned to start the ABL season, and it was about as far from what we at the Cavalry wanted. We know only too well the heartbreak of having to abandon a series, as we had to do that last season. We’ve now seen Sydney and Melbourne cut their opening weekend series short as well, underscoring that all clubs and the league still have challenges ahead in the COVID-19 world,” Cavalry Director Dan Amodio said. “Right now, we want to thank you for the flexibility, patience, sup-port and understanding you continue to show us as we CHARGE into our home opener at MIT Ballpark next weekend.”

Young is ranked No. 30 on the Blue Jays’ prospect list, and joins a Cav-alry club that has advanced to one championship series and three semifinal appearances in the last four seasons.

The ABL is one of baseball’s recog-nised winter leagues where minor league prospects are assigned as an English-speaking alternative to the primary Spanish-speak-ing Latin America-based winter leagues. This season for the ABL features two conferences (Australian and International) with the traditional 40 games con-densed to a 24 game regular season.

Seven former Cavalry players were members of MLB 60-person taxi-squads last season. The club has active strategic partnerships with two MLB teams, the San Diego Padres and the Houston Astros.

Partner teams have also included the Blue Jays, Cin-cinnati Reds and Atlanta Braves.