A Spring Without Baseball: Former Twins Brian Raabe & Son Take No Time Off Training During Pandemic
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- With baseball season interrupted, top prospects are looking for ways to stay sharp.
Zack Raabe is the starting second baseman for the Gophers and he did not have to look far for some help. His father is a former Gopher, former Twin and current college coach a Bethel University -- meaning he feels the loss of his sport like his son.
Brian Raabe is supposed to be in the dugout, coaching baseball at Bethel University but that's not the way it works this spring for almost everyone.
"It hasn't been fun, I mean for a guy that his whole life is sports and baseball," Brian Raabe said. "Someone just asked me that, when was the last time you didn't have a spring or a summer and it's never -- this is the first time."
There is a special soft spot for those that will not compete again.
"All of us are in this together, the coaches are struggling with it, the players are struggling with it, parents -- everybody," said Brian Raabe. "We gotta try to stay strong and stay mentally tough."
So he turns his attention to another prospect, see Brian was a 41st round pick who beat the odds and made the Big Leagues, along the way he and his wife had a daughter and son. And that son grew into a pretty good ballplayer.
"I've head multiple coaches that he's had in the past come up to me and tell me how great of a player he was," Zack Raabe said.
Zack Raabe is putting together quite a career as a player at his dad's alma Mata, playing for the Gophers.
"Just putting in the work to have a mindset to know that this is going to end sometime and not be lazy," Zack Raabe said. "In order to win during this time is to keep working."
So that's why they come here, father and son, player and personal coach.
"It does give us some time to work on some things, do some different things," added Brian Raabe.
Like so many, you make the best of what you can. Having a former major league infielder to help is an advantage as they both try to endure what they did not think was possible: a spring without baseball games.