Sunday, August 03

There are 321 days left in the calendar year, so start counting down now. 3…2…1… Welcome to The Baseball Traveler newsletter. Let’s talk about Minor League Baseball.

On Jan. 30, the Hartford Yard Goats announced that they would play a game this season as the Thunder Chickens. One week later the Double-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies unveiled another alternate identity: the Leaf Peepers.

These offseason unveilings are now a matter of course for Minor League Baseball teams as, over the last decade, alternate identities have evolved from curiosities to promo schedule standbys. They generally have a local connection, celebrating food, history, culture and natural surroundings in an irreverent manner. From Steamed Cheeseburgers to Bouncing Pickles to this year’s crop of Thunder Chickens and Leaf Peepers, the Yard Goats have been dedicated practitioners.

"I’m surprised that other sports and other industries haven’t really picked up on this trend just yet, because it’s refreshing for the people who work in your office. It’s refreshing for the fans. It can bring in new fans. When we announced Bouncing Pickles a couple of years ago, when tickets went on sale that was one of the first games that sold out," said Yard Goats general manager Mike Abramson, speaking on The Show Before the Show podcast.

"From a national retail perspective it’s become a commonplace practice, especially in the food and beverage industry," he continued. "You look at popular sodas, candy, snack foods, they are rolling out these seasonal alternate identities all the time. … If somebody loves Skittles, they love the fact that once a year they come out with turkey-flavored Skittles or whatever."

Turkey-flavored Skittles seem unlikely, but Abramson came up with that example because turkeys have recently been on the brain. Though this may be news to you, Thunder Chickens is a slang term for a turkey because (per the Yard Goats press release), "of the loud gobbling sound they make." Connecticut is home to an estimated 35,000 wild turkeys, so there you have it.

"When you’re around [Minor League Baseball] for a long time, when you hear the name you just know," said Abramson. "I think a lot of it is the consonant-vowel combinations. It’s got to be something that really punches, which was the thing we loved about the Yard Goats so many years back. And also just the fact that it’s funny, it’s interesting, you can tell a story with it. But I also think it really works if you have a local tie."

Enter Leaf Peepers, which flips the term on its head by depicting a leaf with bulging eyes. You’re not peeping at the leaf; the leaf is peeping at you. 

"Ten million people every year come to New England just to look at the leaves change color. It’s a big deal. That was one of the names that came up, and we thought we’d try to capitalize on it. The logo is a leaf peeping, but we got there in a roundabout way. We started with several iterations of a person with binoculars huddled in bushes and peeping out and it just never seemed catchy enough."

Creating an alternate identity is generally a multi-year process, from brainstorming to designing to receiving the requisite MLB approvals to ordering (and waiting for) merchandise and player uniforms.

"We have a couple of brainstorming sessions each year where we get our full staff together," said Abramson. "Ply them with drinks and food and everybody starts to throw ideas around. … We always start off those conversations by saying there are no bad ideas and there are, in fact, a lot of bad ideas. As the afternoon goes on we start to call out the bad ideas a little more quickly and passionately. But it’s fun. It’s a great team-building exercise and the people you least expect are the ones who come out with the names [that are chosen]."

Given this timeline, be assured that the Yard Goats -- and many other teams across Minor League Baseball -- are currently working on alternate identities for 2026 and beyond.

"It’s a lot of fun," said Abramson. "Everybody loves to come on to the socials and say, 'It’s a cash grab!' and, it is in that we are a for-profit business. When you work in the same sport every year and it’s cyclical, you have to amuse yourself somehow and alternate identities are a great way to do that. It gives you something to feel proud of and work at, to figure out how to market differently."

This is Josh Jackson, ruining Ben's mood for Valentine's Day. You know me as the host of Ghosts of the Minors, the segment on The Show Before The Show podcast that demands you spot the real historical Minor League Baseball team or player disguised among a pair of fakes.

Last week, we made ourselves sick with Leo Pukas. This week, I ask which of these teams was comfortable down on the farm in the Minors of yesteryear?

1. The Billerica Dairy Boys
2. The Sadieville Piglets
3. The Morristown Roosters

For the answer, tune into the next Ghosts of the Minors!

Last week’s newsletter featured a roundup of all Minor League teams that changed their primary logos in advance of the 2025 campaign. This roundup neglected to include the Lake County Captains, so their belated entry is included below. The Baseball Traveler Newsletter, on behalf of Ben’s Biz Enterprises, regrets this egregious error of omission.

Team: Lake County Captains (High-A CLE)
Date: Dec. 3
Occurrence: New logos
The Captains are based in the Cleveland suburb of Eastlake, their nautical identity a reference, in part, to the close proximity of Lake Erie. The Midwest League team's previous primary logo featured the Captains' wordmark imposed over a ship's steering wheel, but now the captain has resumed command. This salty soldier of the seas wears a Captains cap atop his furrowed brow; that hat features a new “C” logo, modeled after the Cleveland Indians font of the 1970s. In the secondary “Caps” wordmark, the letters collectively form the shape of an anchor. READ MORE

Since I assume you’re asking for it, here is an updated graphic featuring the EIGHT new Minor League looks heading into 2025. 

The funny thing is, I noticed this Lake County omission on my own. Usually when an error appears in this newsletter you, the reader, let me hear about it. One time I referred to Campbell University as Liberty University, and almost instantaneously my inbox was flooded. Have I made any other mistakes you’d like to point out? Please let me know. I live to correct.  

The Portland Pickles, renegades of the summer-collegiate West Coast League, are the subject of a new one-hour documentary. “Pickles, Pickles, Pickles” debuts on the MLB Network on Saturday at 2 p.m. ET and will be made available on demand for MLB.TV subscribers shortly thereafter. For more on the Pickles and the documentary that chronicles their 2024 season, check out my story.

READ ABOUT “PICKLES, PICKLES, PICKLES" HERE

The Pickles share an ownership group with the Lake County Captains who, you may recall, unveiled new logos in advance of the 2025 season. 

I have a few more things to share with you, should you be willing to receive them.

The Amarillo Sod Poodles will play as the Yellow City Pigweeds on select games this season. This "brings attention to the pigweed plant, a distinctive species found in the Texas Panhandle." READ MORE

Before Fayetteville was home to the Woodpeckers, it was home to the Cape Fear Crocs. On May 23, the Woodpeckers pay tribute to this bygone chapter of the city’s baseball history. 

The Super Bowl has come and gone and I, for one, am very happy for the result. Did you know that the New Orleans Superdome, where the Super Bowl was held, was once home to a Minor League team? Tim Hagerty, an excellent writer in addition to being the voice of the El Paso Chihuahuas, has the story. READ MORE

The Lake County Captains, who unveiled new logos this offseason, now have a new bat dog named Mokoro. READ MORE

The Reading Fightin Phils’ 22nd annual Morning Game takes place Sept. 9, during which they’ll play as the Flapjacks. Might their opponent, the Somerset Patriots, play as the Diners? READ MORE

Thanks for reading, and Fly Eagles Fly. Get in touch anytime for any reason at all.  

Contact Benjamin Hill

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