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MiLB teams with MLB-caliber identities


coco1997

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The title speaks for itself. There are a lot of (some intentionally) ludicrous MiLB identities, but many are really sharp and have stood the test of time. This list can include teams that are now defunct.

 

The original Zephyrs had a great uniform and name.

65839-4438506Fr.jpg

Greg Seher designed a really nice set for a New Orleans Zephyrs expansion team with Mardi Gras colors on his blog but has since taken it down. 

 

The Jordan-era Birmingham Barons had a really classy identity. Add a dash of red and you're golden:

michael-jordan-baseball-barons-birmingha

 

The Hawaii Islanders had some wonderful uniforms over the years, but this one from the '90s might be my favorite:

71Dtvg9CoEL._SY450_.jpg

 

The Salt Lake Bees have a strong identity, albeit a bit derivative of the Pirates. Just put 'em in pinstripes and I think you'd avoid a lot of those comparisons.

d31050cb935467271e1eff5ee73124cb--salts-

 

What are some other MiLB identities that you feel could hold their own in the Majors? 

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2 hours ago, Brandon9485 said:

IMO this is the standard answer for this topic. 

 

Dillon-DJ-Lobatoncropped.jpg

I'm biased because I live near Durham and have been to a metric ton of Bulls games, but yeah they're my choice.

Close second are their cross-state rivals in Charlotte. I wish MLB had a black/gold (not black/yellow) team.

knights.png?itok=CEEphXBe

ibgsr9.jpg

san_diego_destroyers_player_sig___qb_wal

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1 hour ago, ChicagoOakland said:

Close second are their cross-state rivals in Charlotte. I wish MLB had a black/gold (not black/yellow) team.

knights.png?itok=CEEphXBe

 

Agreed, the Knights have great uniforms. I really dislike their current cap logo, though. I wish they'd use this instead. 

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4 hours ago, coco1997 said:

 

Agreed. I'm not a fan of those sleeveless jerseys, though. I prefer this look:
 

Hilly1.jpg

What bothers me about this look, though, is the drop shadow on the logo, but not on the numbers. It looks uneven. Either have a drop shadow on both, or none at all.

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20 hours ago, coco1997 said:

 

The Hawaii Islanders had some wonderful uniforms over the years, but this one from the '90s might be my favorite:

71Dtvg9CoEL._SY450_.jpg

 

 

That's not the Triple-A Hawaii Islanders (who moved in '87), that's the U. of Hawaii Rainbows - it even says so on the card.

 

The Reno Aces and Quebec Capitales have MLB-quality looks:

Reno-Aces-Pictures.jpg

1467673-artilleur-karl-gelinas-34-ete.jp

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1 hour ago, eastfirst107 said:

That's not the Triple-A Hawaii Islanders (who moved in '87), that's the U. of Hawaii Rainbows - it even says so on the card.

 

Ah, good catch. Not sure how I missed that. In that case, this is probably my favorite of the Triple-A Islanders looks:
 

attachment-4.jpeg

 

And I definitely agree with you on the Aces. 

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17 hours ago, kimball said:

What, no mention of the Baby Cakes yet?

 

new-orleans-baby-cakes-unis-2.jpg?w=583

While it's not a bad look, I think you're missing the point of the topic. 

 

Much like the Modesto Nuts or Montgomery Biscuits, the Baby Cakes have a perfect "minor league" identity. They don't take themselves too seriously, and have injected a lot of local flavour into the brand. It's great, but isn't "MLB caliber".

 

I do think though that if Nashville were to ever get an MLB team, they could easily adopt the Sounds identity (maybe with a couple of tweaks here or there):

 

Nashville-Sounds-Baseball-18.jpg

 

Nashville-Sounds-No.-22-pitcher-615x400.

 

220px-Steve_Scarsone_Nashville_Sounds.jp

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1 hour ago, spartacat_12 said:

I do think though that if Nashville were to ever get an MLB team, they could easily adopt the Sounds identity (maybe with a couple of tweaks here or there):

 

How could I forget the Sounds?! One of the all-time great minor league identities that fits its city perfectly. Their original look was their best, IMO:

 

CiwDWj-XAAARuc9.jpg

 

2 hours ago, Victormrey said:

They're obviously heavily inspired by the Cardinals, but I just love the Memphis Redbirds look:

 

Agreed on the Redbirds. Clearly derivative of the Cardinals but can also stand on their own. Those wordmarks are fantastic, even without the "glow."

 

4 hours ago, Shumway said:

Despite the cartoony logo, this is an incredible look.

 

daytona-tortugas-uni-designs.png?w=500&h

 

Another good one. Hunter green and powder blue is such a great color combo, and those wordmarks are just awesome.  

 

Keep 'em coming!

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14 minutes ago, Gothamite said:

The last Portland Beavers uniform was very worthy of the majors.

 

Oh, absolutely. That home uniform is perfection save for the double outlines on the script, which seems to be a problem with a ton of MiLB uniforms for some reason. 

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