The Akron RubberDucks, Double-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians, will pay homage to a local delicacy for one night only when they play as the Akron Sauerkraut Balls this summer. This carries on the team’s tradition of highlighting local foods, including playing as the Jojos—a local term for seasoned potato
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.
Hickory Crawdads to play as Dickory Docks
The High-A Hickory Crawdads unveiled an alternate brand that plays off a popular nursery rhyme. They’ll play three games this summer as the Hickory Dickory Docks. The alternate brand features the titular clock, which, depending on which version of the traditional song you sing, is visited by either a series
Erie SeaWolves revive “Howling Dead” logo
When the Double-A Erie SeaWolves refreshed their brand in 2013, the end result was an updated version of their wolf pirate character, smirking at the viewer from behind an eye patch over a pair of crossed baseball bats with sword handles. The rebrand was well received and is still in
Grand Junction Rockies rebrand as Jackalopes
The Grand Junction Rockies, an independent minor league baseball team in the Pioneer League, made the long-overdue decision to rebrand two seasons after losing their affiliation with the Colorado Rockies. The team announced today that it will heretofore be known as the Grand Junction Jackalopes. The nickname derives from a
Hudson Valley Renegades add Cider Donuts alternate identity
The High-A Hudson Valley Renegades will play four times next season as the Cider Donuts, a tribute to a regional, seasonal delicacy associated with New York state. The team’s alternate logo, the latest in a long line of food-based brands in minor league baseball, features new mascot Dusty the Donut
Charlotte Knights go blue with brand refresh
The Triple-A Charlotte Knights revealed a new identity that brings them in line with Charlotte’s other professional sports teams. Like the NFL’s Carolina Panthers, NBA’s Charlotte Hornets, and MLS’s Charlotte FC, the Knights’ brand is blue. The team unveiled a suite of logos created by David Ruckman Creative using the
Dishing it Out: Here Come the Minot Hot Tots
The newest offering on the collegiate summer level Northwoods League’s menu is the Minot Hot Tots, a team named for tater tot casserole, a meal popular with residents of Minot, North Dakota. The team unveiled its name and a suite of logos highlighted by an anthropomorphized tater tot wielding a
El Paso Chihuahuas mark Padres NLDS win with Rally Goose cap
For years, it may have seemed that the rivalry between the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres was one that only fans of the Padres were aware of. That changed with San Diego’s unlikely victory over the heavily favored Dodgers in last week’s National League Divisional Series. Pundits attribute
Grand Junction Rockies announce impending name change
The Pioneer League baseball team that plays in Grand Junction, a town of 60,000 residents just east of the Utah border on Colorado’s western slope, has gone by the nickname Rockies since 2012. That made a lot of sense (though it was a bit boring) through 2020, because the team
New Billings Mustangs logos update brand, highlight local connections
The Billings Mustangs, members of the Pioneer League since 1948, have been playing this year with a series of new logos that update and complement the team’s previous brand, which was created in 2006. The new marks, created by Delaware-based design firm The Barn Creative, are intended to honor the
Stage Set for Prospect League’s Jackson Rockabillys
The town of Jackson, Tennessee, is roughly halfway between the musical juggernauts of Nashville and Memphis. Jackson lays its own claim to musical history as the home of the rock and roll genre know as rockabilly. The area is the birthplace of rock n roll artist Tina Turner, country singer
Lehigh Valley IronPigs to Play as “Wooder Ice” on Salute to Philly Night
The Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs have paid homage to their parent club’s hometown in Philadelphia—just a short drive from their own hometown in Allentown, Pennsylvania—with Salute to Philly night. They’ve adopted temporary identities based on an ice cream confection (Jimmies, 2021), a multi-purpose slang term (Jawn, 2019), a specific play