There were more casualties of Major League Baseball’s 2020 reorganization of the minor leagues than just the 43 teams who lost their affiliated status. The leagues that hosted the 120 teams who retained or gained affiliations lost the unique names that in some cases went back generations—according to Benjamin Hill
Author: Paul Caputo
Paul Caputo is a grown man who collects plastic ice cream helmet sundaes from minor league baseball stadiums because he likes logos that much. Paul is the host of the Baseball By Design podcast and he is the author of the first book published by SportsLogos.net, The Story Behind the Nickname: The Origins of 100 Classic, Contemporary, and Wacky Minor League Baseball Team Names (also available on Kindle). He can be found on Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky at @baseballbydesign, and he maintains the Countdown to Spring Training on Facebook. Paul is a Philadelphia sports fan, but he's not so bad.
New Rocky Mountain Vibes jerseys celebrate “The ‘Springs” and fan-favorite Toasty
Since 2019, Colorado Springs has been home to the Pioneer League’s Rocky Mountain Vibes. The Vibes recently unveiled two new jerseys that are a bit of a departure for the team: a powder blue Hometown Series top that pays homage to Colorado Springs and a mostly white Home Field jersey
Portland Sea Dogs to play as Maine Bean Suppahs
The Portland Sea Dogs will take on one of their home state’s favorite meals—and social occasions—as a temporary identity this summer. The Sea Dogs, who have previously played as the Maine Whoopie Pies and Maine Red Snappers, will add Bean Suppahs, New England accent and all, to the menu. Bean
New West Coast League logo celebrates Pacific Northwest landscape
Nearly two decades after the league’s founding, the collegiate summer level West Coast League updated its logo for the first time. In a SportsLogos.net exclusive, we sat down with WCL commissioner Rob Neyer and Portland Pickles owner Alan Miller to discuss the league’s new look. The new logo, created by
Akron RubberDucks to play as JoJos, Homers
The Akron RubberDucks unveiled two promotional identities that they’ll don in 2022: the Akron JoJos and the Akron Homers. The RubberDucks join the food-based nickname frenzy with an homage to fried, breaded potato wedges called jojos. The nickname is a regionalism that the team attributes to Lebanese immigrants Alfred Ajamie
Springfield Sliders rebrand as Lucky HorseShoes
Since 2007, the local baseball team in the collegiate summer-level Prospect League has been called the Springfield Sliders. Today, at 2:17 central time on February 17 smack dab in the middle of the 217 area code, the franchise retired its turtle-based brand of 15 years and announced it would heretofore
Atlantic League welcomes Kentucky Wild Health Genomes
The newest team in the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball is the Kentucky Wild Health Genomes. There are a few things to unpack here, so we’ll start with the low-hanging fruit. The geographic signifier is Kentucky. They’ll play in Lexington, the second-largest city in the state and the horse capital
Peoria Chiefs to play as Orange Barrels, Pork Tenderloins
The Peoria Chiefs, High-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals, unveiled two alternate brands that they’ll wear in 2022 that have special significance to the local community. For three games this season, the team will play as the Orange Barrels. The nickname pays tribute specifically to construction on the Murray
Wisconsin Woodchucks update logos, rebrand as Wausau Woodchucks
The Wisconsin Woodchucks, members of the collegiate summer level Northwoods League, just moments ago unveiled a new suite of logos created by Dan Simon and announced that they’ll be the Wausau Woodchucks rather than the Wisconsin Woodchucks. The new logo—unveiled on Groundhog Day because woodchucks and groundhogs are the same
My God, It’s Full of Stars: Sugar Land Skeeters rebrand as Space Cowboys
The Triple-A baseball team in Sugar Land, Texas, made it official today after the news leaked last week, they’re now the Space Cowboys. The new identity, unveiled this afternoon, features an astronaut whose visor is reflecting a field of stars, and who is wearing a cowboy hat and bandanna—paying tribute
Independence League introduces North Platte Plainsmen
The newly formed collegiate summer level Independence League grew to nine teams with the addition of the North Platte Plainsmen this week. The team unveiled a suite of logos that feature a no-nonsense cowboy character created by Lincoln, Nebraska–based designer Adam Kovar. The cowboy character does not have a name
Rochester Honkers update logos, add purple
The Rochester Honkers, a Minnesota-based collegiate summer level team in the Northwoods League, unveiled a suite of seven new logos today. The biggest change in the updated identity is the addition of purple to the teal and black that the team has used since they were founded in 1994. “We