Cape Cod League Cancels 2020 Season

The nation's premier amateur baseball league is shutting down its 2020 season based on "the health concerns and safety needs of all involved."

The Cape Cod Baseball League announced Friday that its executive committee has unanimously voted to cancel its 2020 season due to the coronavirus pandemic.

"The decision was based on the health concerns and safety needs of all involved," the league said in a statement. "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.

"We would like to thank all our dedicated volunteers and sponsors for their support and look forward to playing again in 2021. Thank you for your continued support and stay safe and healthy."

The Cape Cod League was founded in 1885. It's an annual summer showcase for the nation's top collegiate players, and often provides opportunities for players to improve their draft status and prove themselves against top competition.

The coronavirus pandemic has put Major League Baseball's 2020 season in peril. The league is considering all options in its attempt to salvage as much of the campaign as possible.

"I think it's incumbent upon us to turn over every stone to try to play the game in 2020 if there's any way we can in the environment," commissioner Rob Manfred said during an interview with The Associated Press.

If, and in whatever form, the season is able to resume, it will likely occur without fans in attendance, according to Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

"There's a way of doing that," Fauci said. "Nobody comes to the stadium. Put [the players] in big hotels, wherever you want to play, keep them very well surveilled. ... Have them tested every single week and make sure they don't wind up infecting each other or their family and just let them play the season out."