Vote NOW for Minor League Baseball's best new alternate identity
What do the Amarillo Calf Fries, the Jersey Diners and the Barkansas Dizzys have in common? The answer, of course, is that they have all won an MiLB award for Best New Alternate Identity. Now it's time to determine who will join their vaunted company in 2026.
Before we begin, a quick explainer: An alternate identity is when a team temporarily sets aside its primary name and logos in favor of a different persona, one that is often related to local culture and/or cuisine. It's a long-running promotional trend that began in earnest in 2015, when the Fresno Grizzlies played a game as the Tacos. Since then nearly every Minor League team has adopted at least one alternate identity, with some employing three, four or more over the course of the season.
2026 saw the debut of nearly 50 alternate identities, running the gamut from the Akron Cream Stick Donuts to the Central Valley Sir Loins to the Southern Tier Scoop Scoundrels. Narrowing them down to seven finalists was a difficult task, and now YOU have been called upon to determine the best of the best.
Voting for the Best New Alternate Identity is now open -- with no limit on the number of times you can vote -- until midnight ET on Sept. 22. The winning identity will be announced during the fourth annual 2026 MiLB Awards Show airing on MLB Network on Sept. 28.
A rundown of the finalists can be found below. Choose wisely, and choose often.
Columbus Scrambled Dogs
Columbus Clingstones (Double-A ATL)
The Clingstones honored their West Georgia hometown's culinary specialty with the Scrambled Dogs, a hot dog dish in which the frankfurter and bun are chopped up and mixed together with chili, cheese, onions, pickles and more (don't forget the oyster crackers). Dinglewood Pharmacy, a classic lunch counter, began serving them up in the 1940s and remains Columbus's premier practitioner. Shop »
Las Vegas Headliners
Las Vegas Aviators (Triple-A ATH)
Headliners is a tribute to Las Vegas's status as an entertainment epicenter, going back to the days when the Rat Pack were the kings of the desert. The primary logo features the silhouette of a cool-as-a-cucumber crooner singing into a baseball-shaped microphone. On the stage or on the diamond, it's like Sammy Davis Jr. once said: "You have to learn the rules of the game. And then you have to play better than anyone else." Shop »
Louisville Humidity
Louisville Bats (Triple-A CIN)
All together now: It's not the heat, it's the humidity. That Bats embraced Louisville's uncomfortably sticky summer weather by suiting up as such, taking the field in jerseys that featured built-in sweat stains. At least the players looked cool wearing them. Shop »
Palm Beach Frozen Iguanas
Palm Beach Cardinals (Single-A STL)
Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's an iguana plummeting toward the ground! This sight is more common that you might imagine in the state of Florida, home to a robust iguana population. When the temperature drops below 50 degrees, these invasive reptiles stiffen up and fall from their elevated perches. The Palm Beach Cardinals paid tribute to this bizarre phenomenon by playing as the Frozen Iguanas for every Saturday home game. Shop »
Reading Iced Coffees
Reading Fightin Phils (Double-A PHI)
The Reading Fightin Phils played as the Cream Chipped Beef in 2024 and as the Flapjacks in 2025. This year, however, their breakfast identity assumed liquid form. The Iced Coffees took the field for Reading's annual morning game, providing a jolt to those who needed one. Shop »
Tulsa Ranch Dippers
Tulsa Drillers (Double-A LAD)
Ranch dressing is beloved across America but its popularity is particularly pronounced in Oklahoma and especially in Tulsa. (Mazzio's, a regional pizza chain renowned for its ranch, was founded in the city.) The primary logo features an anthropomorphic slice of pizza happily submerging itself in ranch, as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Perhaps it is. Shop »
Utah Dirty Sodas
Salt Lake Bees (Triple-A LAA)
The people of Utah are known for clean living, but that doesn't extend to their carbonated beverages. Dirty Sodas is an homage to fizzy drinks that are supplemented by creams and syrups, an innovation which originated in Utah before taking the country by storm. The Bees transformed into the Dirty Sodas for every Wednesday home game. Shop »