Oakland Athletics minor league manager Webster Garrison is on the way to recovery from COVID-19, as he was removed from a ventilator and is breathing on his own.
The Oakland Athletics had been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. Webster Garrison, their beloved minor league coach and manager, had contracted the virus and was fighting for his life, hooked up to a ventilator in a Louisiana hospital.
Over three weeks after being admitted and put on the ventilator, Garrison is doing much better. He has been breathing on his own for the past few days, and while he is still weak and unable to really speak, he is on the road to recovery.
Obviously, he is a long way from being completely in the clear and ready to return to the diamond. Being on the ventilator for over three weeks is certain to make anyone feel weak, let alone fending off the coronavirus. However, the signs are positive. Garrison is entirely breathing on his own, and his oxygen levels are at 100%.
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Garrison has been an institution in the A’s system. He spent nine of his 16 minor league seasons with Oakland, getting his one brief look in the majors with the A’s back in 1996. Garrison was hitless in those ten plate appearances, drawing a walk while displaying a respectable glove at first and second.
He found his niche after his playing career. Once he hung up the glove, Garrison has spent the past 20 years as a minor league coach and manager, alternating between being a hitting coach and manager in the system. He has been a key part of the development of the A’s prospects, as well as the perfect ambassador for the team.
Hopefully, once the season begins, Garrison will be back in his accustomed place on the diamond. He is currently slated to be a part of the coaching staff of the A’s rookie league team in Arizona, where his decades of expertise and knowledge will be shared with the newest members of the organization.
Longtime Oakland Athletics minor league coach Webster Garrison is winning his battle with COVID-19. Hopefully, he will be out of the hospital and back in the dugout soon.