Minor League Baseball teams have a tradition of recognizing local cryptids. The Vermont Lake Monsters are named for a mysterious creature that swims the depths of Lake Champlain, the Eugene Emeralds’ logo features a lurching sasquatch, and the Dayton Dragons celebrate their hometown’s association with flight with a mythical animal rather than an airplane.
The Great Lakes Loons, High-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the Midwest League, will commemorate their own local folklore when they take the field as the Michigan Dogmen for select games in 2026. While the logo has a fierce quality about it, the Dogman is not meant to be scary.
“This isn’t a story of fear,” the team said in a statement. “It’s a story of curiosity, wonder, and the thrill of adventuring into the unknown. The Dogman isn’t a monster lurking in the dark, it’s the spirit of the wild, a reminder of the magic that comes alive when we gather outdoors, eyes wide with excitement, sharing stories under the starry skies.”
The suite of logos includes a campfire, recognizing that the story of the Dogman is often shared at night in the woods. The legend of the Michigan Dogman dates back to 1887, when a witness in Wexford County, Michigan, reported seeing a seven-foot tall, blue-eyed, half-dog, half-man walking on two feet. The Dogman is said to appear once a decade during years that end in 7 (so the Loons may be one year early).
The Loons’ season will begin April 3, with specific dates for Dogmen games yet to be announced.
