Inside Baseball's Bubble

Q: What has your experience been so far?

Andy Young, INF: The experience has been good! We are getting used to the new protocols and regulations. Now it's about getting our work in and being the most prepared we can be.

Jon Duplantier, RHP: It's always good seeing guys and working with them.

Josh Rojas, UTIL: Everything has been going really well. It took a couple of days to find the new routine again but once I have got the new schedule down, it has been smooth.

Riley Smith, RHP: So far it has been good but different. Teammates are close, but not being able to dap your buddies up or stand closer than 6 ft. is different from the usual. But our organization is keeping our health at the highest priority so I understand the reasons and appreciate them looking out for us.

Q: Where do you feel you are at in your preparation for the season?

Young: I feel like I'm 100% prepared for the season. The Diamondbacks have went above and beyond making sure we have had everything we needed to stay in shape during the quarantine. They did a great job.

Duplantier: I'm in the process of building up to be able to help the team.

Rojas: My body feels good for the most part. I'm definitely feeling a little soreness here and there from just getting back into baseball activities everyday. As for my timing at the plate, it's not quite there yet but I will be ready for the first game.

Smith: I stayed in shape the whole time we were shut down. I'm ready to go and excited for games to start.

Q: Do you have any goals or aspirations for this season?

Young: My goal this year is to continue to stay ready. When the big league club needs a guy, I want to be able to go up and contribute to the team.

Duplantier: Just take advantage of every opportunity that's presented to me. And be a reliable part of a World Series team.

Rojas: My number one goal for the season is to stay healthy. We have a really good team this year and I want to be available for my teammates.

Smith: I want to play in the big leagues and win a World Championship with my teammates. That's been the goal all along. This year is no different.

Q: What are you most looking forward to this year?

Young: This year I'm looking forward to seeing all the guys compete and win some games! The guys are ready to play and it will be exciting to see how the year unfolds with the shortened season.

Duplantier: Looking forward to playing ball again and competing.

Rojas: I'm honestly just looking forward to getting out there and competing. That's usually the generic answer but this year I actually mean that. I'm really excited to face someone else, compete, and win!

Smith: Just looking forward to playing baseball again and having some normalcy back in everyone's lives.