The first pitch in the new Minor League Baseball season is thrown tonight after a nearly 600-day layoff.
While the pros competed through the pandemic, mostly without fans, players in baseball's farm system have remained benched until now, as last year's season was canceled.
The minors also serve as a lab of sorts for new rules, like a 15-second pitch clock to speed up play in one league. And, yes, even robot umps in another.
