During mid-March, the Cincinnati Reds had a conference call with all their amateur scouts to re-examine their schedules.
Some high schools and colleges were starting to shut down because of concerns with the novel coronavirus. The Reds knew it might be their last chance to watch some draft prospects for a while, so they completely overhauled their 10-day schedule.
“We did that and literally within 48 hours, it came to a crashing halt,” said Brad Meador, the Reds’ amateur scouting director. “That’s how fast it happened.”
Meador was in Phoenix for a major high school tournament, the Boras Classic, which had games postponed and canceled because of rain.