A number of remaining free agents worked out at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., on Wednesday as the Major League Baseball Players Association opened its makeshift Spring Training camp for its unsigned members.
According to a source, the camp, which was closed to media and the public, is open to any free agents that accrued Major League service time during the 2017 season, and it is being run by former Astros manager Bo Porter.
"Our goal here is to provide a training facility that guys can use if they want to stay sharp and/or work into baseball shape, in the event that they get a call from an interested team and want to be able to hit the ground running once they arrive," MLBPA executive director Tony Clark said through a spokesman. "It is a controlled environment that is much the same as many players already have in place in their home cities. As such, it provides the same opportunities to be seen and be worked out if the agent and player are interested in doing so."
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Clark said there were "upward of 30" players in attendance on Wednesday at the camp in Bradenton, though no players were named. Players at the camp have insurance coverage and are given a full range of equipment as well as a roster of coaches to work with.
There was a bit of confusion on Wednesday when a club scout attempted to enter the facility to watch the workouts before being turned away.
"We shared with the scout attempting to gain access today that if he had an interest in scouting a particular player or players, that could be set up at his and the player's discretion/convenience [at the facility] but that the general training sessions were not open to the public," Clark said.