The collegiate wood bat Appalachian League resumed its flurry of new brand announcements this morning with the unveiling of the Bluefield Ridge Runners, named for a historic train. Per the team: “The new Ridge Runners name of the team is reflective of the rich railroad history of the Bluefield area.
Category: Minor League Baseball
A Breakdown of Minor League Baseball’s Total Realignment for 2021
The world of Minor League Baseball was completely turned on its head last week when Major League Baseball announced a total restructering of the entire system. What was previously fourteen leagues spread out over five levels is now eleven leagues over four levels, massive re-alignments were implemented to accomodate this
Appy League’s Kingsport Axmen pay tribute to Daniel Boone
In 1775, Daniel Boone and 35 axmen began clearing the forests of eastern Tennessee, in what would later become the town of Kingsport, to create the Wilderness Road, one of two major routes used by western settlers at the time. Since then, portions of the trail have been preserved in
Appy League introduces Pulaski River Turtles
Just as the world of baseball branding is set to lose one turtle-themed brand, another is introduced. We know that the Single-A Beloit Snappers will have a new name in 2021, but as of this morning, the collegiate level Appalachian League gives us the Pulaski River Turtles, formerly the Pulaski
Greenville Flyboys take off in Appalachian League rebrand
We’re halfway through a parade of ten Appalachian League rebrands, with the fifth announcement in four days coming today: The erstwhile Greenville Reds are now the Greenville Flyboys, a tribute to a historic airfield that existed on the site where the team’s stadium stands now. “Pioneer Park, Tusculum University, literally
Appy League introduces Elizabethton River Riders
The Elizabethton River Riders are the fourth of ten new identities in the works for Appalachian League teams. The team announced its new identity, which was created in house by Major League Baseball, this morning. The nickname draws on the affinity that residents of Elizabethton, Tennessee, have for recreating on
New Appy League team Johnson City Doughboys pays homage to WW1 soldiers
The Johnson City Doughboys are the third of ten Appalachian League teams to announce rebrands this offseason. The Doughboys nickname draws on patriotic pride, and specifically pays homage to a “Doughboys” statue, the only of its kind in the state of Tennessee, located near the team’s stadium. The term Doughboys
Appy League introduces Bristol State Liners in flurry of rebrands
The Appalachian League baseball team that plays in the Twin Cities of Bristol, Tennessee, and Bristol, Virginia, heretofore the Bristol Pirates, is reviving a century-old nickname of one of the cities’ previous teams. The original Bristol State Liners made their Appalachian League debut in 1921 and played for five seasons.
Stirring Up Debate: Introducing the Burlington Sock Puppets
If your city once laid claim to the title “Hosiery Capital of the South” and you’re trying to name a minor league baseball team, it would be almost criminally negligent not to seize on that fact. To that end, just moments ago, the Appalachian League’s franchise in Burlington, North Carolina,
Battered Bastards of Baseball Reborn
In the violently shifting landscape of minor league baseball, the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes, one of more than 40 teams to lose its Major League affiliation, have given rise to a new independent league that features, among others, a reboot of an iconic band of misfits and outcasts from the 1970s, the
Negro Leagues’ Portland Rosebuds Rebooted
The Wild Wild West League, a four-team summer wood bat baseball league for high school and college players, was formed in 2020 by the Portland (Oregon) Pickles in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The league announced it will continue in 2021, featuring two new teams, the Willamette Wild Bills and
Danville Baseball Team looking for name suggestions
If there’s a silver lining to the reorganization of minor league baseball, which caused more than 40 teams to lose their affiliation with Major League parent clubs, it’s that all 10 teams in the Appalachian League will get unique nicknames. The Appy League, as it’s known to friends and family,