The play on the baseball field has always been the focus of fans for as long as baseball has been around, but some teams have been able to spice up the game by the antics of their team mascots that represent them off the field and in between innings. Mascots such as the Philly Fanatic and the Padres' Friar have been fan favorites at the Major League level, but Minor League Baseball has been able to beat out their mainstream counterparts.
Almost every team in the minor leagues has a mascot that entertains fans during the games, attends local functions on behalf of the team, and stars in viral videos to boost the awareness of their team's promotional nights. Because of their unique mascots, many minor league fans believe that their favorite minor league teams possess a more entertaining mascot than their big league counterparts.
With this in mind, here are the top mascots in Minor League Baseball.
1. Thunder (Lake Elsinore Storm): The green dog from Southern California is the most entertaining mascot in the minors, let alone in the California League. Thunder can often be seen dancing on the dugouts, giving high-fives to fans before the game, and finding himself distracted while running the bases against kids. The Storm feature multiple mascots that also include Jackpot the Rabbit and Ace the Fastest Squirrel in the World, but Thunder is definitely the head honcho of the Padres' Single-A team. You can tell just by the large shoes he wears.
2. Cosmo (Las Vegas 51s): Cosmo's storyline says he's an alien from the planet Koufaxia who survived a spaceship crash. Since 2001, he has taken over as the mascot for the Mets' Triple-A team and has remained a fan favorite while the wearer of Cosmo's costume grinds it out inside the costume in the Las Vegas heat. To entertain fans, Cosmo has even raced a cow (well a person in a cow costume).
3. Sandy the Seagull (Brooklyn Cyclones): Another Mets' minor league representative, this Single-A team plays in the New York-Penn League and in 2014, Sandy was a finalist for top mascot in Minor League Baseball. Sandy is often found taking pictures with pretty girls and dancing with the team's cheerleaders. The Cyclones are also notorious for their promotional nights that celebrate pop culture successes such as TV's Seinfeld and Curious George from children's books. Sandy becomes a fan favorite for pictures on these nights, taking pictures with people who have dressed up for these special nights.
4. Ferrous (Lehigh Valley IronPigs): This Triple-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies features a pig wearing a baseball jersey with the number 26 on his back (26 is the atomic number for iron). This mascot is perhaps one of the most helpful in the minors. He can occasionally be seen shining the shoes of an umpire between innings. Ferrous has also participated in the famous ALS Ice Bucket Challenge with his girlfriend FeFe, starred in a video teaching people CPR, and even has participated in a homerun derby featuring minor league mascots.
5. Kazoo (Pensacola Blue Wahoos): It's said that aquatic creature took an interest in the Pensacola baseball stadium that was built on the bay in 2012. Kazoo instantly fell in love with the Reds' Double-A franchise in the Southern League and has been their mascot since. Full of energy, Kazoo has been in fights with the Pensacola Ice Flyers' mascot, Maverick, in the middle of a hockey game.
Photo taken by Daniel Millhouse on 7/28/2015
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