The treasures buried throughout Greenville, North Carolina, will be a lot safer with the addition of the Coastal Plain League’s newest team, the collegiate wood bat Greenville Yard Gnomes, whose identity is tied to the city’s past and present. The nickname beat out four other finalists in a name-the-team contest:
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.
Binghamton Rumble Ponies unveil Grumble Pugs identity
The Double-A Binghamton Rumble Ponies will rebrand for a night as the Grumble Pugs. The temporary identity can best be explained by the fact that if you squint hard enough, “Grumble Pugs” is kind of an anagram for “Binghamton Rumble Ponies.” The nickname was unveiled on social media with a
Pioneer League introduces Yolo High Wheelers
The Northern California county of Yolo will have a new baseball team in 2024, the Yolo High Wheelers. The team will play on the campus of UC Davis, located in Yolo County not far from Sacramento. The logo features a stylized, winged penny farthing, a tribute to the fact that
Somerset Patriots to play as Jersey Diners
The Somerset Patriots, Double-A affiliate of the New York Yankees, will play three games in 2024 as the Jersey Diners. The temporary nickname is an homage to the preponderance of this particular and unique style of informal eatery that New Jersey is known for. The suite of logos, highlighted by
Northwoods League introduces Habaneros softball team
Late last year, the collegiate summer level Northwoods League, which for 30 years has been home to a baseball program, introduced a softball program set to debut in 2024. This week, the league unveiled the name and logo for the Mankato Habaneros, the first of four teams that will take
Akron RubberDucks to play as Barberton Fried Chicken and Hot Rice
The Akron RubberDucks, Double-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians, will pay tribute to their local food heritage with a one-game alternate identity in 2024. The team will play as the Barberton Fried Chicken and Hot Rice, an homage to a spicy food item that has its roots in a small
Reading Fightin Phils to play as Cream Chipped Beef
The Double-A Reading Fightin Phils will play their 21st annual morning game with a temporary brand that pays tribute to a regional delicacy. The Fightins will play as the Cream Chipped Beef in uniforms that evoke the red-checkered table cloths you might find at a Pennsylvania deli. Cream chipped beef—more
Mississippi Braves to relocate after 2024 season
The Double-A Mississippi Braves announced this week that they will leave Pearl, Mississippi, their hometown since 2005, after the 2024 season. The franchise will take up residence in their new home of Columbus, Georgia, beginning in 2025. The move will almost certainly result in a rebrand, leaving affiliated Minor League
OKC Baseball Team goes nameless before rebrand
The Triple-A baseball team formerly known as the Oklahoma City Dodgers announced today that they will rebrand for the 2025 season. The announcement was accompanied by the unveiling of a series of interim logos that will be used for the 2024 season, along with the decision to ditch their existing
New Northwest Arkansas Naturals look features landscape, chicken
The Texas League’s Double-A Northwest Arkansas Naturals unveiled their first rebrand since the team debuted in 2008. The new look preserves the team’s nickname, based on their home state’s slogan, “The Natural State,” and introduces a suite of new logos created by Torch Creative. “As we set out on this
Missoula PaddleHeads introduce winter “PowderHeads” logos
The Missoula PaddleHeads, an independent professional baseball team in Montana, introduced a wintertime “PowderHeads” alternate identity today with two logos featuring their moose character engaging in winter sports enjoyed by the people of the Missoula and Western Montana at large. The logos were created by Brandiose. When the PaddleHeads rebranded
Lehigh Valley IronPigs throw back to classic Phillies look
Since 2014, the Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs have paid homage to their parent club with specialty home uniforms. They Pigs will continue that tradition in 2024 with uniforms that evoke Phillies jerseys of the 1970s and ’80s. The just-unveiled burgundy and powder blue brand calls back to one of the