A lot of Major League Baseball teams have released promotional schedules, but so have their lesser-known counterparts in the Minor League system. Minor League baseball teams are known to sometimes have interesting names (see Toledo Mud Hens or Akron Rubber Ducks).
With these off-kilter names, Minor League teams also have a history of original and out-of-the-box promotional ideas. In 2006, the Altoona Curve actually gave away a photo of the team manager’s gall bladder. One “lucky” fan got the real thing. If only we were kidding. Though it looks like there are no organs on the list this year, here are a few interesting promotions coming from Triple-A and Double-A baseball.
The Richmond Flying Squirrels, the Double-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants, will celebrate “Free Shirt Friday,” with a different Squirrels-themed shirt given out to fans. Also on the list are a Squirrels wine stopper for Mother’s Day and grill spatula for Father’s Day. The team will also have a handful of giveaways for children, with a pillowcase and toothbrush holder, both depicting Nutzy, the team’s mascot.
Up in Triple-A ball, the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs—the Philadelphia Phillies farm team—plan to give away T-shirts and hats, as do most teams. But the team also plans to give out bobbleheads of Pigs player Maikel Franco on a unicycle, soccer balls, hockey T-shirts, ice cream scoops and umbrellas.
Finally, just north of the Lehigh Valley, the New York Yankees’ Triple-A affiliate, the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders have a franchise-high 29 giveaways planned for the upcoming season. The team plans to give out T-shirts, a mascot pillow case, masks on “Superhero Night,” a Derek Jeter bobblehead and a Darth Vader-themed bobblehead for “Star Wars Night.” They will also hold “Princess and Pirate Night” in July.
