Back when Diamondbacks farm director Josh Barfield was still playing, getting invited to instructional league was both a blessing and a curse. It carried prestige and was good for development, but Barfield remembers how all he wanted to do after a long minor-league season was to go home and rest.
“It felt almost like a punishment,” Barfield said.
As with everything else in the world, instructional league is far different this year. With the pandemic forcing the cancellation of the minor-league season, instructional league is the closest thing organizations have to replacing lost developmental time. And players seem to fully recognize its importance.