By Beacon Staff
The Burlington Bees will not play this year.
Minor League Baseball officially canceled its 2020 season Tuesday (June 30). Due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19)pandemic, a game had yet to be played in Burlington or anywhere else.
The move came after Major League Baseball (MLB) informed Minor League Baseball (MiLB) that it would not be supplying players for affiliated teams this year.
We are heartbroken. Baseball is our life, our staff loves baseball and our presence here in Burlington and surrounding communities. We know that the fans, players and all of our loyal supporters are hurting as well," Bees general manager Kim Parker said in a statement to The Beacon. "We had hoped for even a shortened season but here we are with no baseball this summer."
The Bees board of directors and staff are working on options for the 2021 season and beyond, Parker said.
The cancellation leaves thousands of minor leaguers without a team to play for in 2020. Most of the top prospects for each franchise have been placed on the 60-man taxi squad rosters, which could accelerate their path to the big leagues. Thousands of other players will have nowhere else to go.
If not for the pandemic, the baseball season would have begun about three months ago.
"These are unprecedented times for our country and our organization as this is the first time in history that we've had a summer without Minor League Baseball played," MiLB president and CEO Pat O'Conner said in a statement posted on Twitter. "While this is a sad day for many, this announcement removes the uncertainty surrounding the 2020 season and allows our teams to begin planning for an exciting 2021 season of affordable family entertainment."
The move wipes out play for 160 teams, from Triple-A at the top tier to the Rookie-level at the bottom, scrapping a central event of summer life in small towns and big cities.
MLB had already cut down its season from 162 to 60 games, with play scheduled to start on July 30.
It is unclear how deeply the Tuesday announcement will affect the minors moving forward. The last Burlington High School home game at Community Field will be a doubleheader Thursday (July 2). Game time is 5 p.m., and there will be concessions.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.