Woodpeckers Grounded: 2020 Minor League Baseball Season Called Off
The Fayetteville Woodpeckers made it official Tuesday afternoon: There will be no Minor League Baseball played this season, and with that, no Woodpeckers 2020 season.
Minor League Baseball announced it will not hold a season this year, after coronavirus (COVID-19) created limitations in most markets, and for most teams.
“We support Minor League Baseball’s decision to cancel the 2020 season,” said Dan O’Neill, Senior Director of Business Operations for the Houston Astros. “We remain committed to the safety of our community and the fans. Fayetteville’s enthusiasm for baseball was evident in 2019 with nearly 300,000 guests who came to Segra Stadium and supported the Woodpeckers. I want to thank our loyal fanbase, season ticket holders and partners for supporting us and being patient during this challenging time. We look forward to hosting non-baseball events in 2020 as allowed by the state and local government and plan on being ready to play baseball in 2021.”
The Woodpeckers were hoping to take advantage of an extremely successful opening season at Segra Stadium.
In a statement, Minor League Baseball said that Major League Baseball would not be providing players because of its unusual season setup this year. Major League Baseball had announced it will hold a 60-game season starting in July, and with that came unusual circumstances for availability of players.
“Major League Baseball has informed Minor League Baseball that it will not be providing its affiliated Minor League teams with players for the 2020 season,” the MiLB statement said. “As a result, there will not be a Minor League Baseball season in 2020.”
On Monday, the Woodpeckers announced that 13 former players had been added to the Astros’ player pool for the season. Those players will be available to be part of the full-time roster for the Astros, and because of the condensed schedule, required a large number of pitchers and catchers.
“These are unprecedented times for our country and our organization as this is the first time in our history that we’ve had a summer without Minor League Baseball played,” said Minor League Baseball President & CEO Pat O’Conner. “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.”
