One team's beloved 'Peanut Guy' just completed any baseball fan's dream journey
Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This excerpt from the Baseball Traveler newsletter, presented by Circle K, is a mere taste of the smorgasbord of delights he offers every week. Read the full newsletter here, and subscribe to his newsletter here.
The Ontario Tower Buzzers hosted the Fresno Grizzlies on July 28, and Erik "The Peanut Guy" Mertens was in attendance. For him, this was more than just a Tuesday night California League ballgame. It was the fulfillment of a decades-long dream.
Mertens has now set foot in every active Major and Minor League ballpark, logging 237 visits total, and he has the hats to prove it. Walking through the gates at Ontario’s ONT Field -- one of five Minor League parks to open this season -- was a significant, albeit hard to categorize, milestone.
"It's a very special accomplishment, but it feels different than earning a degree. You know, I didn't do homework for four years,” said Mertens, speaking on MiLB.com's Show Before the Show podcast. "It was just a passion project of mine."
Mertens is already well known in the Minor League Baseball world. He's been employed by the Tri-City Dust Devils, currently the Angels' High-A affiliate, since the team's inaugural 2001 season. He was originally a peanut vendor, hence his nickname, and currently serves as director of fan experience and community relations while also handling on-field emcee duties. Along with mascot Dusty, he is a de facto face of the franchise. The Dust Devils' home of Gesa Stadium features a life-size Erik "The Peanut Guy" bobblehead on the concourse.
Mertens' "love affair" with the Minor Leagues quickly expanded from the Dust Devils to well, everywhere. The team used to sell posters in their team store showing the hats of all the Minor League teams, which then numbered 160. This proved to be a bonding experience for him and his dad, the late Ed Mertens.
"[We] would sit on the couch after a Dust Devils game and look at the cool hats and the cool logos," he said. "I just loved the look of them. But, but more importantly, I kind of recognized some of those cities. Some were from our local region. We had family who lived in Everett or friends who lived in Boise. But then all these exotic-sounding cities on the other side of the country, like Altoona, and Fort Wayne."
Mertens laughed when referring to Altoona and Fort Wayne as "exotic," but the comment speaks to the heart of what motivated his quest, and those of other ballpark travelers across the country: Minor League Baseball provides the context to visit parts of the country you might otherwise not think to visit. And once you're there, who knows what you might find or who you might meet?
Mertens’ first ballpark visits were incidental, taking place when other obligations, such as attending a wedding, allowed him to check out somewhere new. Travel companions included his best friend Puddy, his mom Mary Jo and his wife Cariña. The pace of his explorations accelerated as the years went on.
"My thing is I had to see the ballpark, even if it wasn't for a game. I had to get in the ballpark, buy a hat from the team store," he said. "About 10 years ago, I realized that, 'Hey, I have a big boy job. I could save up some money and do these road trips for the sole purpose of visiting ballparks.' … We'll get a rental car and visit as many ballparks as we can in those five or six days between homestands for the Dust Devils."
Mertens hat collection now numbers over 600, a monument to his baseball devotion. It has not been the cheapest, or most space-conscious, approach.
"I've met some great ballpark travelers too, especially working for the Dust Devils," he said. "Every week, we will get multiple people on their own baseball journey, and I always ask them, 'What do you collect?' and most of them will say stickers or lapel pins. And I was like, 'Dang it!'"
The most important collection, however, is the memories. Whether it's your first ballpark or your 237th, there's always something special about being in a new place.
"For me, it's cresting the concourse or going through a tunnel. Like the Spokane Indians have perfect tunnels you walk through, and then the field just lays out in front of you," he said. "It brings me back to being a kid when my mom and dad would take my sister and me to the Kingdome to watch Ken Griffey Jr. play in the '90s."
Mertens acknowledged the futility of choosing a favorite ballpark -- "Is it the actual edifice of the building or the game experience or the people?" – but ultimately said that, if he had to choose, that honor would go to the Asheville Tourists' historic home of HomeTrust Park (a recently renovated 102-year-old facility previously known as McCormick Field).
ONT Field now has a special place in his heart as well. Mertens attended the game with his wife, Cariña, and while there they were surprised by a variety of friends and coworkers from his long career in Minor League Baseball. It was a surreal and emotional experience, one that allowed him to reflect on why he's pursued these ballpark adventures.
"The best part for me," he said, "has been the people."