November 7, 2026<\/a><\/p>\nThe name, while not overly creative, fits the team. The Yankees were originally named the New York Highlanders, largely because their home stadium Hilltop Park (aka \u201cThe Rock Pile\u201d) stood far uptown in Washington Heights. It\u2019s also an indirect nod to the Scranton area. The Highlanders\u2019 home stadium is in Moosic, part of the Appalachian Mountains\u2019 \u201cRidge and Valley\u201d area.<\/p>\n
Translation: It\u2019s a popular camping and hiking spot.<\/p>\n
Now, I don\u2019t mean to get all \u201cOld man yells at cloud,\u201d but what happened to minor league baseball? I remember taking summer road trips through New England and the names, while sometimes a little strange, made sense. The now-defunct New Haven Ravens rhymed. The Portland Sea Dogs play in a small coastal city. The Erie SeaWolves are a nod to Lake Erie and their original team affiliate, the Pittsburgh Pirates.<\/p>\n
But now? It\u2019s not like we don\u2019t love independent minor league baseball like the Staten Island FerryHawks or, bless them, the Savannah Bananas, but looking at today\u2019s minor league teams reads more like a list of teams trying to out-gimmick each other.<\/p>\n
Keeping in mind, Triple-A ball is still largely a group of respected old school squads. The Columbus Clippers, Iowa Cubs, Salt Lake Bees, and infamous Toledo Mud Hens among them. And don\u2019t forget the ever old-school Durham Bulls either, Meat.<\/p>\n
But even then, the Miami Marlins\u2019 affiliate in Jacksonville, Florida suddenly became the damn Jumbo Shrimp after over five decades as the Suns. <\/p>\n
And that\u2019s just the tip of the iceberg. Down in Double-A, the Akron Aeros suddenly rebranded to the Akron RubberDucks. The former Navigators\/Defenders of Norwich, Connecticut moved to Richmond, Virginia and became the Flying Squirrels. The New Haven Ravens moved to New Hampshire and became the Fisher Cats.<\/p>\n
As the Harrisburg Senators, Altoona Curve, and Reading Fightin\u2019 Phils hope their small old-school Pennsylvania contingent holds together, right?<\/p>\n
Until then, the rest of us will look at the Pensacola Blue Wahoos and long for the old Carolina Mudcats. Oh, and the old New Orleans Zephyrs? They\u2019re now the Wichita Turbo Tubs.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t look at Single-A ball. Just don\u2019t.<\/p>\n
Look, in the grand scheme of things, the Scranton\/Wilkes-Barre Highlanders is tame. It works for the Yankees.<\/p>\n
Except minor league ball is also supposed to be a nod to the home city. At least in some small way. And RailRiders worked for Scranton for so many reasons: the city\u2019s history as a railroad hub, Pennsylvania\u2019s long relationship with the steel industry, and more.<\/p>\n
But hey, it\u2019s fine. Because now there\u2019s a new name AND a bear.<\/p>\n
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