Minor League Baseball (MiLB) announced on Tuesday that the 2020 season has officially been canceled.
Fans of Alabama’s three minor league baseball teams — the Montgomery Biscuits, Rocket City Trash Pandas and Birmingham Barons — will have to wait until 2021 to see their respective squad return to the diamond.
The Major League Baseball season has been greatly constricted by the coronavirus pandemic; the 30 MLB teams will play a schedule of 60 games beginning in late July, instead of the normal 162.
As a result, according to Minor League Baseball, the major league “will not be providing its affiliated Minor League teams with players for the 2020 season.”
The demise of the 2020 MiLB season had been all but certain before Tuesday’s announcement but not yet officially confirmed.
“We are disappointed we will not host a 2020 Birmingham Barons season at Regions Field this summer,” said Barons general manager Jonathan Nelson.
“We look forward to continuing the tradition of Barons baseball at Regions Field in 2021,” he added.
The news is perhaps most disheartening to fans of the nascent Trash Pandas. Formerly the Mobile Bay Bears, the Huntsville-area team never got to play a game of what would have been their inaugural season.
“Obviously, this is an incredibly disappointing day for our fans, staff, and partners,” commented Trash Pandas president and CEO Ralph Nelson before adding, “[b]ut the health and safety of our families and community is paramount above all else.”
Nelson continued, “Baseball has always been part of the healing when our country has come back from tragic times, and I firmly believe the Trash Pandas will help heal North Alabama when we come out on the other side of this pandemic an even stronger community.”
“With the help of our fans, sponsors and the River Region community, we’ll be back as strong as ever. Together, we will get through these unprecedented times and make the Biscuits 2021 season an unforgettable celebration. Until we meet again, stay safe, friends,” concluded Biscuits CEO & managing member Lou DiBella.
Henry Thornton is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can contact him by email: henry@new-yhn.local or on Twitter @HenryThornton95
