The Alaska Baseball League held-out for as long as possible hoping to provide summer baseball in Alaska with a four-team Alaska League schedule for 2020.
On Friday, The ABL announced ” The Alaska Baseball League takes seriously its responsibility to its players, fans, and the community of Alaska to act with sound judgment with the best available information. To operate this summer without the ability to keep all involved safe from exposure to the COVID- 19 virus, we as a league have decided not to operate this summer. We all look forward to 2021 as both a healthier year but one where baseball will come back to Alaska.”
With the decision that amateur summer baseball with college-eligible players would not be feasible, for many reasons including: safety of players, coaches, personnel and fans; travel and fiscal concerns; and the continuing COVID-19 concerns, the Alaska Baseball League joined the Peninsula Oilers and Alaska Goldpanners in cancelling the 2020 baseball season.
Alaska baseball League 2020 President Chris Beck (General Manager of the Chugiak-Eagle River Chinooks) stated…
“with mixed emotion I am writing to inform you that after meeting with the league it was decided that the ABL will not operate this summer (2020). Our (Chinooks and the league) priority is the overall health of of all we come in contact with and to be able to operate in a safe and productive manner These priorities could not be accomplished in the environment we facet his summer with the COVID-19 virus.”
The Peninsula Oilers made the decision to suspend the 2020 base all season independently in mid-March. Oilers President Mike Tice stated,
“At the Peninsula Oilers Baseball Club, nothing is more important than the health and well-being of our customers, employees, and the community we serve.
As the US and many other countries continue to battle the Coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19), we cannot ask players, coaches and staff members to travel up to Alaska.
We will not ask our sponsors and host families for financial support at this time when they have their own employees, customers and families to support.
We have closed our bingo hall and sent our employees home. We will notify our players and coaches that we will not field a team for the 2020 season. Again, please understand that we are making this decision with the health and well-being of our fans, our customers, our families, our team and our community in mind.”