| Sport | Baseball |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2020 |
| Folded | 2020 |
| Teams | 4 |
| Country | United States |
| Venue | Constellation Field |
| Headquarters | Sugar Land, Texas |
| Classification | Independent |
| Champions | Sugar Land Skeeters[a] |
The Constellation Energy League was an independent baseball league that operated in Texas during 2020 because of COVID-19 restrictions limiting travel, and as a way to create opportunities for minor league players.[1]
History
The league consisted of four teams,[2] each managed by a former Major League Baseball (MLB) player:[3]
| Team | Manager | Roster |
|---|---|---|
| Eastern Reyes del Tigre | Dave Eiland | link |
| Sugar Land Lightning Sloths | Greg Swindell | link |
| Sugar Land Skeeters[b] | Pete Incaviglia | link |
| Team Texas | Roger Clemens and son Koby Clemens | link |
The teams were made up of former MLB players as well as other minor league and independent professional players. Each team was scheduled to play 28 games, including seven-inning doubleheaders every weekend.[4] The league's season was planned to begin on July 3, but was pushed back to July 10 due to a spike in COVID-19 cases.[5] Even with the delay, the league began play two weeks before the start of the 2020 MLB season.[6]
All games were played at Constellation Field in Sugar Land, Texas.[7] Parking was included with ticket prices to limit staff and fan interactions and up to 1800 ticket-holders were seated in a socially distanced fashion within the 7500-seat stadium.[8] No games were canceled due to COVID-19 cases, and the league operated for five weeks without any positive COVID-19 test results.[9] Players received $1600 per month, with exposure to MLB teams being the main reason for playing; at least five players in the league were subsequently added to MLB rosters.[3]
Results and honors
The Sugar Land Skeeters finished with the best record in the four-team league.[10][11][a] A most-valuable player (MVP) was named for each team.[12]
| Team | Record | Win pct. | MVP (statistics) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sugar Land Skeeters | 17–11 | Dustin Peterson (.309/.400/.500 slash line) | |
| Eastern Reyes Del Tigre | 14–14 | Ford Proctor (.346/.500/.679 slash line) | |
| Sugar Land Lightning Sloths | 14–14 | Jamie Westbrook (18 RBIs, 5 home runs) | |
| Team Texas | 11–17 | Kody Clemens (.416 slugging percentage) |
An all-star team was also named:[13]
| Pos. | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| C | Jake Romanski | Sugar Land Skeeters |
| 1B | Casey Gillaspie | Eastern Reyes Del Tigre |
| 2B | Dustin Peterson | Sugar Land Skeeters |
| SS | Ford Proctor | Eastern Reyes Del Tigre |
| 3B | Ryder Jones | Sugar Land Skeeters |
| OF | Courtney Hawkins | Sugar Land Skeeters |
| Evan Marzilli | Eastern Reyes Del Tigre | |
| Jamie Westbrook | Sugar Land Lightning Sloths | |
| DH | Jared Walker | Eastern Reyes Del Tigre |
| UTIL | Kody Clemens | Team Texas |
| David Hamilton | Team Texas |
| Pos. | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| SP | Matt Dermody | Sugar Land Skeeters |
| Anthony Vasquez | Eastern Reyes Del Tigre | |
| Joe Wieland | Sugar Land Lightning Sloths | |
| RP | Alejandro Mateo | Team Texas |
| Zac Rosscup | Sugar Land Lightning Sloths | |
| Robby Scott | Sugar Land Skeeters |
Notes
- ^ Baseball reference sites, which appear to account for tie games differently, list Eastern Reyes del Tigre atop league standings.[14][15][16]
- ^ "The 2020 team does not necessarily reflect the 2019 Atlantic League roster that played under the same title."[4]
References
- ^ Marrion, Jack (2020-09-08). "Clemens earns Constellation Energy League all-star spot". Chron. Retrieved 2020-12-05.
- ^ "Constellation Energy League Announces Team Names and Logos". Sugar Land Skeeters. 2020-07-02. Archived July 3, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2020-12-05. – via Wayback Machine
- ^ Nightengale, Bob (September 5, 2020). "Indy baseball leagues have become 'life-savers'". USA Today. p. B1. Retrieved May 22, 2021. – via newspapers.com.
- ^ Conlon, Paul (2020-07-22). "Sugar Land Skeeters: How the franchise re-invented itself in COVID-19 world". House of Houston. Retrieved 2020-12-05.
- ^ "Constellation Energy League to Be Delayed to July 10". Sugar Land Skeeters. June 29, 2020. Archived July 3, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. – via Wayback Machine
- ^ Southern, Joe (2020-07-15). "Constellation Energy League gets first five games under its belt". The Sealy News. Archived from the original on 2020-08-11. Retrieved 2020-12-05.
- ^ "Skeeters Intend to Host Four-Team Pro Baseball League at Constellation Field". Sugar Land Skeeters. 2020-06-10. Archived September 12, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2020-12-05. – via Wayback Machine
- ^ "Tickets for Constellation Energy League to go on sale June 24". Atlantic League Professional Baseball. Retrieved 2020-12-05.
- ^ Nightengale, Bob (September 5, 2020). "Indy baseball leagues have become 'life-savers' (cont'd)". USA Today. p. B2. Retrieved May 22, 2021. – via newspapers.com.
- ^ Marrion, Jack (September 8, 2020). "Clemens earns Constellation Energy League all-star spot". Chron.com. Retrieved May 23, 2021.
- ^ Dunsmore, Ryan (August 29, 2020). "Skeeters win Constellation Energy League title". Fort Bend Herald. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
- ^ "Constellation Energy League Team MVPs". Sugar Land Skeeters. September 2, 2020. Archived September 21, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. – via Wayback Machine
- ^ "Constellation Energy League All-Star Team". Sugar Land Skeeters. September 3, 2020. Archived September 21, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. – via Wayback Machine
- ^ "DakStats WebSync"
- ^ "2020 Constellation Energy League"
- ^ "2020 Constellation Energy League Standings". Stats Crew.