Yesterday, Brian had the stage to count down his top 10 logos. You can go back and compare his to mine here.

Minor league baseball teams are fixtures in their local communities. This usually lends itself to monikers that identify with their surroundings. The names and logos are among the most unique found in sports. So to conjure up some roundtable discussion, we decided to name our Top 10 logos in minor league baseball. This will be the first of a recurring series; throughout the course of the summer we’ll rank our favorite names, mascots, and ballparks as well.

CRITERIA:

Creativity: The effort and detail in the logo. A simple script logo was automatically eliminated from my consideration.

Identifiable: The image is recognizable and unique to the team. Animals are commonplace nicknames, so a simple picture of a bear isn’t going to cut it.

Appeal: Many logos across minor league baseball are unique and well done. To make the Top 10, a logo had to be attention-grabbing and memorable. Color scheme and pattern also factored into this category.

Once again, thanks to Chris Creamer and sportslogos.net for all of these great logos!

HONORABLE MENTION:

West Michigan Whitecaps:
Credit the Midwest League for some top-notch logos. I love the waves breaking and threatening to engulf the baseball. The logo could use a bit more white on the water to signify the waves breaking. But, the main detriment to this logo is the eyes. Waves don’t have eyes.

 

Fort Wayne Tincaps:
I love the contrast of the red apple against the gray and the homage to Johnny Appleseed. Ultimately, it’s a bit text-heavy. The apple and pot are well done, but it takes a special breed of logo to crack the Top 10.

 

Albuquerque Isotopes:
I’m going to get flack from Brian about this but I can’t put a logo in my top ten that looks like a Jimmy Neutron ripoff. It is unique but when I think Isotopes the first thing that comes to mind is the one in Springfield.

 

TOP 10:

10 – Hickory Crawdads:
It looks simple at first, but the Crawdad’s subtle peeking out from behind the “H” makes this logo pretty captivating. I’m still trying to figure out if the horizontal bar of the “H” is also supposed to double as a mustache for the Crawdad (Seriously, take a look).

 

9 – Carolina Mudcats:
With Brian’s love for the slothful and content manatee, I’m very surprised he didn’t have this one. The Mudcat takes lazy to another level with his body and agape mouth just kind of hanging out through the “C”. I also like the red/gray color scheme.

 

8 – Montgomery Biscuits:
Of course the Biscuits make the list but I have a few reasons that might seem a little strange as to why they are so low. It’s a talking biscuit–yeah that’s awesome–but after a while that doesn’t become so special. The color scheme is a bit plain (yes I realize biscuits aren’t red or gray) and a biscuit is a pretty ordinary item to see.

 

7 – Quad Cities River Bandits:
The connotation of bandit seems to conjure up an image of a man with a bandana covering his face. Quad Cities went the alternative route and went with the bandit of the animal world. You rarely see a raccoon in a logo, let alone one who is swiping a baseball.

 

6 – Erie SeaWolves:
The Eastern League has some very good logos, but the SeaWolves separate themselves with a simple touch of the crossed bats. Many other logos simply put the creature draped around or atop the team name. The crossed bats allows the focus to be on the wolf…and let’s be honest, who doesn’t like a wolf dressed in pirate regalia?

 

5 – Modesto Nuts:
This is perhaps the most unique logo in minor league baseball. It fits with the organization and gives life to objects most commonly tossed under the seats. High points were awarded for creativity and identifiable characteristics of the team/region. Plus, Al and Wally have the confident smirks of knowing they combine for a pretty sweet logo.

 

4 – Richmond Flying Squirrels:
A flying squirrel itself is cool. A flying squirrel that looks like a superhero is awesome. The red trim adds a great visual to the superhero costume it appears the squirrel is wearing. I agree with Brian that what makes the logo top notch is that it’s just the squirrel. There are no words or text save for the small “R” on the chest.

 

3 – Lakewood BlueClaws:
Light blue is a great color, and that fact earned this logo high points. And maybe it’s just me, but it appears there is a darker shade of blue acting as a beard on the visage of Mr. BlueClaw. I like the attention to detail.

 

2 – Batavia Muckdogs:
I can’t look away from this logo, mainly because I’m terrified the dog will burst over that fence and come running after me. (Side note: I can’t really see this selling well with the young kids, unless they like to have nightmares that involve snarling dogs). But, credit Batavia for being unique. It is a captivating logo, and in a day where most seem to be overly friendly, this one certainly is not.

 

1 – Rochester Red Wings:
Take a good look at the regal nature of the bird, staring you down with a look of calm confidence. The casual pose with the bat and in full baseball uniform is a great touch. Plus, the symmetry of muscles and wings tie the whole logo together well. It is unique without being wacky and identifiable to baseball and the organization.

We had four teams (Batavia, Modesto, Montgomery and Richmond) who made both of our lists, and that is quite an honor. Thanks for counting down with us, and let us know if you want to see any other baseball-related countdowns!

- Mike