![]() The use of host families was officially outlawed. When minor league players unionized and reached a historic initial collective bargaining agreement with Major League Baseball in March, the league agreed to double salaries and provide guaranteed housing to most players. Host family programs were suspended during the coronavirus pandemic over health concerns. Players at the lower levels of the minor leagues in places like Johnson City or Lake Elsinore, California, often stayed at the homes of local families instead of apartments or hotels - a way to save money for low-wage players as they transitioned into their lives as pro athletes. TeriAnn Reynolds and her family were part of a little-known but vital piece of baseball's minor leagues that dates back decades: host families. ![]() “That's why it was so great to have TeriAnn helping.” ![]() ![]() “Even little things, like going to the grocery store, were a challenge,” Peralta said. To call it culture shock would be quite the understatement. ![]() PHOENIX (AP) - Long before David Peralta was a veteran outfielder for the Los Angeles Dodgers, he was an 18-year-old kid from Venezuela who didn't speak much English playing minor league baseball in Johnson City, Tennessee. ![]()
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