The Minor League season is over

The 2020 Minor League Baseball (MiLB) season is over. We’ve known this was coming for a while now, but it’s still a bummer to see.

MiLB announced the news on Tuesday, just one day before MLB teams are set to report for a second Spring Training, ahead of a late July start to a coronavirus-abbreviated 2020 season.

Here’s the statement:

Major League Baseball (MLB) has informed Minor League Baseball (MiLB) that it will not be providing its affiliated Minor League teams with players for the 2020 season. As a result, there will not be a Minor League Baseball season in 2020.

“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 and 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.”

While the writing was emphatically on the wall, the timing is certainly a bummer. The agreement between the two leagues is set to expire later this year, and the expectation is that MLB will decide to part ways with about 40 of MiLB’s 160 teams. The Minors may never look the same, and with the 2020 season cancelled, the teams that are left behind won’t get a chance to say a proper goodbye.

The loss of the season will stunt the growth of many prospects. The San Francisco Giants are trying to combat that by inviting top prospects Joey Bart, Marco Luciano, and Heliot Ramos to their alternate training site, as part of the 60-player pool. It is expected that fellow top prospect Hunter Bishop will join them when he recovers from the coronavirus.