That’s why we reached out to Sporting News contributor TIm Hagerty, who not only serves as the radio play-by-play broadcaster for the El Paso Chihuahuas, but also is the author of " Root for the Home Team: Minor League Baseball’s Most Off-the-Wall Team Names ."
MORE: Best MiLB states | Best MiLB teams on Twitter | Odd MiLB trades
North Region: No. 8 Akron RubberDucks def. No. 1 Hillsboro Hops; No. 13 Toledo Mud Hens def. No. 5 Modesto Nuts; No. 6 Lansing Lugnuts def. No. 3 Great Falls Voyagers; No. 10 Quad Cities River bandits def. No. 7 Fort Wayne TinCaps
South Region: No. 9 Biloxi Shuckers def. No. 1 Chattanooga Lookouts; No. 4 Montgomery Biscuits def. No. 5 Albuquerque Isotopes; No. 2 El Paso Chihuahuas def. No. 7 Richmond Flying Squirrels; No. 3 Carolina Mudcats def. No. 6 Midland RockHounds
The second round will run from 11:30 a.m ET on Thursday, Jan. 15 until 11 a.m. ET on Friday, Jan. 16.
The explanation for Tim’s rankings can be viewed below the poll.
North Region Rankings:
- Hillsboro Hops (Diamondbacks’ affiliate, Short-Season Northwest League)
The Hops’ name brews Oregon’s craft beer industry with a bouncing baseball phrase. There weren’t any bad hops last year in Hillsboro; the Hops won the 2014 Northwest League championship.
- Fort Wayne TinCaps (Padres’ affiliate, Single-A Midwest League)
The TinCaps name was planted in Johnny Appleseed’s memory. Appleseed, who wore a cooking pot on his head during his travels, is buried in Fort Wayne. The city holds an annual Johnny Appleseed Festival.
- Great Falls Voyagers (White Sox’ affiliate, Rookie-level Pioneer League)
The Voyagers are the only team styled after a UFO sighting. Great Falls named its club “Voyagers” in 2008, decades after Nick Mariana videotaped flying saucers hovering over the ballpark in Great Falls. His recording is still cited as the “Mariana UFO Incident.”
- Vermont Lake Monsters (Athletics’ affiliate, Short-Season New York-Penn League)
For generations, Vermonters have mythologized a Loch Ness Monster-like creature living in the depths of Lake Champlain. There have been dozens of reported sightings over the years. The Lake Monsters’ name honors this piece of Vermont folklore.
- Modesto Nuts (Rockies’ affiliate, Single-A California League)
When Modesto announced its new team name in 2005, baseball fans thought it was nuts. Since then, the Nuts have grown to be one of the most recognized brands in the minors. The Modesto area is known for almond and walnut production.
- Lansing Lugnuts (Blue Jays’ affiliate, Single-A Midwest League)
The Lugnuts were named after Michigan’s automotive industry. Their ballpark stays consistent with the car theme when fans chant the official team slogan “Go Nuts” in seating sections like “Gasoline Alley.”
- Erie SeaWolves (Tigers’ affiliate, Double-A Eastern League)
A seawolf is not an animal; it’s a slang term for “pirate.” The SeaWolves chose their swashbuckling name because their original parent club was the Pirates.
- Akron RubberDucks (Indians’ affiliate, Double-A Eastern League)
The RubberDucks name splashes Akron’s standing as “The Rubber Capital of the World.” The city has a long history of tire production and Goodyear’s headquarters are still there.
- Beloit Snappers (Athletics’ affiliate, Single-A Midwest League)
The Snappers join the Daytona Tortugas as turtle-themed competitors in our minor league showdown. Beloit used to be called “Turtle Village” and its bordering town is Turtle, Wisconsin.
- Quad Cities River Bandits (Astros’ affiliate, Single-A Midwest League)
Any fan glancing beyond the River Bandits’ outfield fence will learn the meaning of this team’s name. The stadium is set on the Mississippi River and the Centennial Bridge provides a stunning right field backdrop. Their ballpark features a Ferris wheel behind the left field fence.
- Tri-City Dust Devils (Padres’ affiliate, Short-Season Northwest League)
When professional baseball came to eastern Washington in 2001, the community wanted the name “Rattlers.” But when the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers cited copyright infringement, Tri-City moved to a catchy backup brand – Dust Devils. A dust devil is a small twister of wind.
- Batavia Muckdogs (Marlins’ affiliate, Short-Season New York-Penn League)
There is no such thing as a muckdog. This name digs up a noted part of Batavia – its soil. Muck soil is known for being very fertile. Ricky Williams played for the Muckdogs in 1998, the same year he won the Heisman Trophy.
- Toledo Mud Hens (Tigers’ affiliate, Triple-A International League)
The Mud Hens deserve extra points for tradition. Their team name dates back to 1896, when Toledo’s ballpark was surrounded by marshland and mud hen birds. Toledoan Jamie Farr joked about the Mud Hens on the TV show MAS*H.
- Frederick Keys (Orioles’ affiliate, Single-A Carolina League)
The Keys take their name from famous poet and former Frederick County resident Francis Scott Key, who wrote the Star Spangled Banner. Key is buried right near the Keys’ ballpark. Fans sometimes jingle their car keys in unison at Keys games.
- Altoona Curve (Pirates’ affiliate, Double-A Eastern League)
The Curve’s moniker has nothing to do with a breaking ball. The club is named after Horseshoe Curve, a distinguished railroad loop near the Allegheny Mountains. The Curve’s ballpark has a unique name too – Peoples Natural Gas Field.
- Omaha Storm Chasers (Royals’ affiliate, Triple-A Pacific Coast League)
The Storm Chasers’ name hails Nebraska’s extreme weather. Their official mascots are “Stormy” and “Vortex.” Omaha’s first home game as the Storm Chasers was postponed because of, you guessed it, stormy weather.
South Region Rankings:
- Chattanooga Lookouts (Twins’ affiliate, Double-A Southern League)
The Lookouts play a few miles from Lookout Mountain in Tennessee, the site of a Civil War battle. Their name has been on alert since 1885 and the “Lookout Eyes” logo has been a famous minor league mark for decades.
- El Paso Chihuahuas (Padres’ affiliate, Triple-A Pacific Coast League)
El Paso is surrounded by the Chihuahuan Desert, which is part of how the Chihuahuas got their name. Team management also felt the feisty dogs represented the scrappy personality of the city. The Chihuahuas live their brand with seating sections titled “Big Dog House” and “Woof Top Deck.”
- Carolina Mudcats (Braves’ affiliate, Single-A Carolina League)
The North Carolina-based franchise swam from Columbus, Georgia in 1991 and brought the name “Mudcats” with them. The Columbus Mudcats’ name fit because their ballpark was next to the catfish-filled Chattahoochee River.
- Montgomery Biscuits (Rays’ affiliate, Double-A Southern League)
The Biscuits brought their brand out of the oven in 2003 as a tribute to southern cooking. Their official team slogan is “history in the baking” and their team colors are “butter and blue.”
- Albuquerque Isotopes (Rockies’ affiliate, Triple-A Pacific Coast League)
The Isotopes’ name has a cartoonish history. In an episode of The Simpsons, the fictitious Springfield Isotopes baseball team plots a move to Albuquerque. A few years after the episode aired, Albuquerque got Triple-A baseball and named the team “Isotopes.”
- Midland RockHounds (Athletics’ affiliate, Double-A Texas League)
A rockhound is not a type of dog. The RockHounds are named after geology’s “rock hounds,” a term for people hunting for minerals. The Permian Basin of Texas is a popular place to search for stones.
- Richmond Flying Squirrels (Giants’ affiliate, Double-A Eastern League)
There are actual flying squirrels in Richmond, but the region isn’t necessarily known for them. Team management admitted they picked “Flying Squirrels” mostly because of the potential for fun ideas like their nightly “Mixed Nut Race.” The Flying Squirrels have five mascots including a rally pig.
- Fort Myers Miracle (Twins’ affiliate, Single-A Florida State League)
The name “Miracle” dates back to 1989 when the franchise played in Miami. Team owner Stuart Revo told reporters “it would take a miracle” for the Single-A team to survive in Miami. He was right. They played at a college stadium, finished in last place and moved to Fort Myers a few years later.
- Biloxi Shuckers (Brewers’ affiliate, Double-A Southern League)
The Huntsville Stars’ 2015 move to Biloxi gave Minor League Baseball a nickname upgrade. The Shuckers’ name cracks open a reference to the area’s oyster history. Biloxi was once known as “The Seafood Capital of the World.”
- Daytona Tortugas (Reds’ affiliate, Single-A Florida State League)
The Tortugas’ name was hatched in early December. Tortugas is Spanish for “turtles.” Sea turtles are common in the Daytona Beach area. The Tortugas’ mascot is named “Shelldon.”
- Arkansas Travelers (Angels’ affiliate, Double-A Texas League)
Little Rock’s professional baseball team has been known as “Travelers” since 1901. The club is named after the Arkansas Traveler, a singer who roamed the Ozark Mountain region and stopped in towns to perform.
- Winston-Salem Dash (White Sox’ affiliate, Single-A Carolina League)
Winston-Salem’s jerseys contained a dash for decades but the club didn’t become the Dash until 2008. In the press release announcing the switch from Warthogs to Dash, team president Kevin Terry said the new name “brings Winston-Salem together.”
- Kannapolis Intimidators (White Sox’ affiliate, Single-A South Atlantic League)
NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt was born in Kannapolis, NC, and was part of the team’s original ownership group. The Intimidators and their late owner share a nickname.
- Nashville Sounds (Athletics’ affiliate, Triple-A Pacific Coast League)
The Sounds’ team name strikes a chord with Nashville’s country music history. When the Sounds debuted in 1978, country music stars Larry Gatlin, Jerry Reed and Conway Twitty were minority owners. Nashville’s new ballpark opens this year with a guitar-shaped scoreboard.
- Bowling Green Hot Rods (Rays’ affiliate, Single-A Midwest League)
The Hot Rods’ name was sparked by Bowling Green’s car industry. The city is home to the National Corvette Museum and all recent Corvettes are made at the Bowling Green Assembly Plant.
- Lakeland Flying Tigers (Tigers’ affiliate, Single-A Florida State League)
You won’t see any tigers with wings fluttering around Florida. The Flying Tigers name jets back to the famous Lakeland School of Aeronautics, where 8,000 pilots trained in the 1940s.
