Emily Jablon and students from the Binghamton Hosuing Authority are creating a mosaic for Columbus Park in Binghamton.

How to cope, stay sharp and fit and committed absent competitive baseball?

Ryan Clark is a regular in the weight room and pitching tunnels of the Bo Dome. Michael Osinski is wearing out that pitching machine firing sizzlers in the direction of his bat. Justin Topa figured, why not go ahead and build a backyard mound?

That trio from Broome County is among the masses of minor leaguers dealt a summer devoid of baseball. The three started at their organizations respective spring training facilities only to be shooed away in concert with the coronavirus outbreak.

Clark is a Johnson City native who pitches in the Los Angeles Angels organization, Osinski a Vestal High alum and corner infielder in the Boston Red Sox chain, and Topa a Chenango Valley graduate and pitcher in the Milwaukee Brewers organization.

Ryann Clark of Johnson City, a pitcher in the Angels organization, is among minor leaguers from Broome County whose careers are on hold.(Photo: Provided)

All were hopeful, eager, rip-roarin ready, until

Osinski received a text while gassing up his vehicle in Fort Myers, Florida, around supper hour that March evening. It said, everyone come to the field and grab your stuff because were sending everyone home. I packed my stuff and left Fort Myers around 8 that night.

Clark absorbed the news from MLB Network while getting his day started in the weight room in the Angels Tempe, Arizona, headquarters.

Topa was recipient of an email on a Thursday that informed the Brewers would be postponing all activities through the weekend. Then, literally Friday afternoon it was, Heres your flight home, he said.

Osinski, wholl turn 25 on August 4, is a fourth-year professional long on versatility. Hed played mostly third base, some first base and in abbreviated spring training was mixed in at second and acquainted to the corner outfield positions. He was coming off a 2019 season interrupted by a broken bone in his hand, incurred while batting in his sixth game of the season. Notably, he finished that game pre-diagnosis, in fact even grabbed a base hit.

Michael Osinski, Vestal High grad, in 2019 with Triple-A Pawtucket.(Photo: Provided)

The whole baseball world is in the same situation so you cant really look at it as a negative, he said. At this point you have to find something you can take advantage of when we come back. You have to get better any way possible, youve got to get something positive out of it no matter what. You cant go backward, you have to be moving forward.

Clark, 26 and a fifth-round draft choice of the Atlanta Braves in 2015, was primed as primed could be for his sixth professional season.

Its definitely frustrating, not in an anger way, he said. With no minor league season, people can get really upset about that or whatever. Im still happy because I still have a job playing baseball. They released a ton of guys, there were two waves of cuts. Im thankful the Angels think highly enough of me to keep me around.

The most frustrating part is, Im still continuing with my development, trying to get better every day. Ive been putting on live ABs here with other pro pitchers, some college guys. Were facing professional hitters and other college guys who arent with a big-league team.

This is the best Ive feltever. My velocity is right where I want it to be, my off-speed stuff is right where I want it. So the most frustrating part is, no matter how well I do right now, no one can see it. Like if this is the year where everything clicks, a really good year to set me up for next year, there is no record of it.

Similarly, there was much promise attached to an eighth professional season for 29-year-old Topa.

I think most frustrating for me is knowing how prepared I was going into the season, he said. I felt really well in spring training, I was fortunate enough to be what they call a major league backup, so I was at pretty much every major league spring training game this year and I ended up pitching in three or four. Its one of those things where theyd bring 3-4 guys to every game and if they hit their pitch limit or something happens, then these minor league guys will go in and help cover some innings.

Justin Topa, a Chenango Valley High graduate, doing work in 2019 with the Double-A Biloxi Shuckers.(Photo: Provided)

Last game, velocity was there, arm felt great, I was making a pretty good impression with the big-league staff. So, for everything to shut down and to have the minor league season canceled, thats the most frustrating part for sure.

Topa resides in West Chester, Pennsylvania, and is fortunate to have two nearby facilities hes utilized the last couple offseasons. However, shortly after his return from spring trainingthe state shut down gyms and the like.. And so, Plan B: Secure dumbbells for home workouts, construct that backyard pitching mound and enlist the services of a high school catcher to backstop his bullpens.

He eventually gained access to a gym for lifting purposes, and his go-to facility recently reopened.

Arms good, staying in shape, pretty much ready to go when we get the go-ahead, said Topa, whose initiation to minor league ball came at age 10 as a part-time Binghamton Mets bat boy, a gig that led to full-time detail at NYSEG Stadium.

Home for Clark and wife Anna these days is Dublin, Ohio, not far from Bo Jacksons Elite Sports in Columbus114,000 square feet, 75-foot-high ceiling, full-size infield, pitching tunnels, full weight room. Call it Utopia for the professional athlete bent on maintaining overall fitness and baseball shape.

Theres a great group of guys out here who all want the same thing, to pitch in the big leagues, he said. With the Dome and all the mounds they have in there, Im fortunate to have that resource as well. Where if I was, say, back home and Im trying to figure what fields I can get on and whos around to play catch or whod want to catch.

Ive gotten very lucky with my situation in Columbus, from offseasons to now, said Clark, who played last autumn in the Dominican RepublicThat was a blast, completely new culture and great competition.

Osinski has spent his downtime on the home front in Vestal. Taking it easy with the baseball stuff, honestly, not blowing myself out, he said. There are four-a-week batting sessions, thrice-a-week fielding ground balls on the high school turf, workouts at the house and camps to work in Cortland.

What he misses the most in this, his first baseball-free summer since age 5 or so?

Being able to suit up every night and play the game I love, being around all the guys, he said. Its been weird. In Zoom meetings we always have a good time and give it to each other like we do when were playing. But thats what I miss the most, being around the team and being able to play.

The future look of minor league ball when we emerge from the pandemic, given Major League Baseballs intentions to lop 40 farm teams and significantly scale back the draft?

Competition is going to be a lot stronger, Osinski said. Just shows how much more you have to put in the work, be ready to go and take care of every opportunity you get. Thats what its going to come down to now.

Clark: The biggest impact from this coronavirus pandemic is going to be money. Im interested to see how that affects owners, GMs, signing people who are free agents this year.

With minor leagues, I dont know. Seems almost like something theyll get to it when they get to it.

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Local minor leaguers grind through frustration of a summer without baseball - Pressconnects