Cape Cod League Latest Casualty of COVID-19
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to span the globe and cripple economies, not to mention most of what is considered everyday life, we are currently in the holding pattern of looking for the light at the end of the tunnel. After all, video game versions of sports are only going to get you so far and it’s tough to get interested in sports like ping pong, darts or chess. While we continue to hope for the return of sports in the coming weeks, we now know of another league that won’t be getting things going in 2020.
The Cape Cod League announced on Friday that their season for 2020 was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A statement by the league said the following in what was deemed a unanimous vote:
"The decision was based on the health concerns and safety needs of all involved. Following CDC guidelines and medical recommendations, the league determined it would be impossible to guarantee the safety of players, coaches, umpires, host families, volunteers and fans during this unprecedented health crisis."
It's a big blow for the sport, as the Cape Cod League is one of the premier destinations for top-tier college talent. The league gives players their first taste of what playing pro ball will be like and serves as a showcase for teams to get a look at who they hope can make an impact on their franchise in the future. It makes for an extremely difficult scouting situation as, with the college baseball season stopped after only a couple weeks thanks to COVID-19, there’s not much to lean on as far as getting an idea of how good a player can be. It’s safe to say that this draft will be a bit more of a crapshoot than previous seasons as you’re dealing with a lot of uncertainty at this stage of the game.
This marks the first time since 1946 that the Cape Cod League won’t take place. That was right after World War II, which made perfect sense, as America was trying to get back to normal after the previous five years of turmoil. So, where will scouts get a chance to look at players? For that matter, where will players get a chance to showcase their wares in order to put their best foot forward at this point in time? There is a sense of uncertainty on that front as other leagues continue to figure out their best course of action.
The Northwoods League announced that they wouldn’t start on time. Their hopes are to start in late May or shortly thereafter though they have to deal with the issue of the Duluth team not having a home stadium until July 1. The loss of fans could be a major issue there as well. On the plus side, the San Diego League hopes to get underway May 31 while the Midwest Collegiate League is targeting early June to get its season underway. There are several other leagues that plan to still play, which would at least present some options to college players to have a chance to showcase themselves.
Still, it’s a disappointing day all around with the cancellation of the Cape Cod season. The 10-team league has been a major focal point of scouting as some of the biggest names in the sport in recent years have taken their hacks or toed the rubber there at one point or another. Without it, it could make scouting that much more of a challenge and force teams to make multiple trips to scout out the talent they may be looking at for the draft. It will be interesting to see how it all pans out but for now, it’s a sad day for baseball fans.