BREAKING: The Braves’ new Double-A affiliate name has officially been announced.
Atlanta Braves supporters in Mississippi were naturally outraged when it was announced that the Braves’ Double-A affiliate would no longer be based in Pearl, Mississippi. The Braves chose not to renew their lease and instead established a new affiliate in Columbus, Georgia.
For the Braves, the move made sense as it would make it where all of their full season minor league affiliates be in Georgia where both the bulk of their most rabid fans are as well as where it is easier/less expensive for the team to monitor prospects’ development closer to Atlanta. Still, it felt pretty bad to bring an end to an era of minor league baseball in the community of Pearl and hopefully another team chooses to call Trustmark Park home again.
The formation of a new team results in fresh minor league branding, which can be a lot of fun. The reception to the shift to the Gwinnett Stripers was divided, as they initially let the public to vote before ignoring the finalists nearly completely. The newly minted Rome Emperors were first derided by supporters who wanted them to remain the Braves indefinitely, but the team has done well to make the identity their own. The Columbus Clingstones will now join the Braves’ minor league ranks, which doesn’t sound as snappy as we had anticipated.
Columbus Clingstones announced as the newest Braves minor league club.
So, there is a bit to unpack here and we will focus on the positives first. One, “clingstone” is a variety of peach which certainly has a strong Georgia connection and the initially artwork for the branding does look good. The name is also alliterative which at least helps it roll off the tongue a bit.
However, this moniker feels a little too “inside baseball” and represents a squandered opportunity for something more catchy or hilarious. For example, in the Southern League, the Rocket City Trash Pandas were debuted to enormous praise and likely a slew of merchandise sales. Instead, the team chose a variety of peaches, which could lead to some clever marketing chances but will also likely generate a lot of “what is a clingstone?” questions, which isn’t the best marketing strategy.
Ultimately, what matters is how the team executes on the marketing side. There are plenty of minor league teams with questionable name choices (the Down East Wood Ducks come to mind), but it is the team connects with the community in Columbus and Braves fans that will determine if the move will be a successful one. Given that there is a history of minor league baseball in Columbus, they certainly have a fighting chance.
