In 2023, the Amarillo Calf Fries sacked the competition. In 2024, the Jersey Diners were the most popular item on the menu. Now it’s once again time to ask: What Minor League team debuted the best alternate identity of the season?
The answer to that question will be decided by YOU. You can vote from now — with no limit on the number of times you can vote — until Midnight ET on Sept. 23. The winning identity will be announced during the 2025 MiLB Awards Show airing on MLB Network on Sept. 29 at 9 p.m. ET.
Asheville Tourists, High-A affiliate of the Houston Astros
The eastern hellbender salamander, one of three giant salamander species to be found on this planet, live among Western North Carolina’s river rocks. While Hellbenders would make for a cool team moniker in and of itself, the Tourists opted for the giant amphibian’s attention-grabbing nickname: Snot Otters. This juvenile alter ego is displayed on the jerseys in a dripping, mucus-like green, because how could it snot be? The Snot Otter in question emerges from the river with a baseball in its four-fingered left hand.
Arkansas Travelers, Double-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners
Greg Johnston, Arkansas Travelers vice president of stadium operations, has worked for this Double-A franchise for 50 years. His constant companion, Dizzy, is about that old in dog years. The cream-colored canine is a year-round fixture at North Little Rock’s Dickey-Stephens Park, and during ballgames he can often be found mingling with fans and signing pawtographs. The Travelers suited up as the Barkansas Dizzys for an entire six-game series in June, during which the dog of the hour celebrated his eighth birthday.
Binghamton Bathtub Donkeys
Binghamton Rumble Ponies, Double-A affiliate of the New York Mets
On two occasions this season the Rumble Ponies shed their usual carousel-centric identity in favor of a different and arguably even stranger breed of domesticated equine: Bathtub Donkeys. This bizarre alter-ego references an archaic and perhaps apocryphal New York law that deemed it illegal to have a donkey sleep in a bathtub on Sundays. The logo features a baseball-loving donkey in a baseball-themed tub, because some laws were made to be broken.
Erie SeaWolves, Double-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers
Moon Mammoths are the only alternate identity in the history of alternate identities to have been created by a talk show host. In May, “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” ran a segment on Minor League promotions that concluded with Oliver’s offer to create a new identity for one Minor League team. The SeaWolves were chosen and Oliver and his staff got to work creating the Moon Mammoths, a tribute to the wooly mammoth bones that were discovered in Erie County’s Lake Pleasant by a diver named George Moon. Moon Mammoth mania then ensued, emanating outwards from Erie and eventually encompassing Earth’s entirety.
Jacksonville Honey Drippers
Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp, Triple-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins
Honey Drippers marked the Jumbo Shrimp’s first foray into the world of alternate identities, and they made their mark via a vibrant blue, yellow and pink color scheme. It’s a multi-hued homage to an iconic frozen dessert, popularized in Jacksonville’s Eastside neighborhood, that often includes fresh fruit. The Honey Dripper in question is depicted holding a spoon as a bat, because that’s just something an anthropomorphic dessert on a baseball hat should do.
New Hampshire Space Potatoes
New Hampshire Fisher Cats, Double-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays
What happens when you take two disparate facts about your home state and cram them into a single identity? Well, in this case, you have the New Hampshire Space Potatoes. The Granite State was home to a widely reported (alleged) alien abduction, the Barney and Betty Hill incident, which took place in the White Mountains in 1961. New Hampshire is also an avid producer of potatoes, the state’s official vegetable. Mash potatoes and extraterrestrials together and you have an alien spud who is improbably ready to play ball despite its recent adjustment to Earth’s atmospheric conditions.
Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, High-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers
Did you know that Tombstone Pizza was founded by a pair of Wisconsin brothers who ran a bar called the Tombstone Tap? That’s just one of the state’s many claims to frozen pizza fame; several of America’s largest frozen pizza companies are based in Wisconsin, and local supermarkets are renowned for their vast frozen pizza selection. The Timber Rattlers paid tribute via a cheese-laded identity featuring a Brewers-esque color scheme. The iced-out primary logo, featuring a pizza-twirling toaster oven, is complemented by a grimacing slice toting a baseball bat pizza cutter. Call them legends of the thaw.
