This year brought top prospect showcases, awe-inspiring events and furry friends. Minor League Baseball is something else.
Here are 12 of the most memorable moments from the 2025 MiLB season.
Moon Mammoths burst onto the scene
After John Oliver announced that he and his team at Last Week Tonight wanted to rename a Minor League club, dozens of front offices applied. But thanks to an 11-point letter from Erie team president Greg Coleman, Detroit's Double-A affiliate won the competition. The late night team then created an alternate identity based off local Lake Pleasant lore and a prehistoric bone discovery by a man named George Moon. Thus, the Erie Moon Mammoths and mascot Fuzz E. Mammoth were born. The alternate identity made its debut on July 19 to a sold-out crowd. Oliver was on hand to rock the Moon Mammoth jersey, as were top Tigers prospects Kevin McGonigle and Max Clark. More »
Switch-pitcher arrives in pro ball
Ever since Jurrangelo Cijntje displayed his two-way glove at the 2022 MLB Draft Combine, anticipation had been building for his first professional start. In 2024, the Mariners selected the Mississippi State product with the 15th overall Draft pick, but they let him rest his arms the remainder of that season after a long college campaign. Earlier this year, Cijntje made an appearance at Spring Breakout, registering two strikeouts before being assigned to High-A Everett to start the season. In his pro debut, the Netherlands native utilized both arms to strike out six in four one-hit frames in an outing that would make Pat Venditte proud. After 19 games, Cijntje was promoted to Double-A Arkansas, where he only got better. Overall, MLB’s No. 90 prospect registered a 3.99 ERA with 120 strikeouts in 108 1/3 innings. More »
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Identical plays, situations happen in same inning
A ground ball that bounces off the third baseman to the shortstop, who then makes the throw to first might not happen every game, but it’s not that wild. But how about if the exact same thing happens in the home half of that frame? But wait, there’s more. How about same pitch count, same number of outs, same pitch speed. It’s déjà vu all over again! Double-A Hartford and Portland exposed a glitch in the matrix when they repeated the exact same play in the fourth inning of their game on April 17. Perhaps Sea Dogs and Yard Goats have more in common than we thought. More »
Briceño meets cancer patient, mashes three homers
Prior to the May 29 game between High-A West Michigan and Dayton, 13-year-old Tigers fan Theo Price met with both teams and the umpires. Theo, who was diagnosed in 2024 with a type of bone cancer, handed out his #swings4theo yellow bracelets to coaches and players, including Josue Briceño. Sporting the aptly named band, MLB’s No. 33 prospect promptly homered in the first inning. With Theo on his mind, he hit another in the fourth. With teammates telling him he was “going to hit another one for Theo,” Briceño did just that with a third dinger in the seventh. On top of that, the Tigers prospect made a little more history by doubling and swiping home on a double steal. No Minor Leaguer since at least 2005 and no Major Leaguer since at least 1901 had accomplished a three-homer game and a steal of home in the same contest. More »
Bat dog swipes bat too early
Bat dogs are known for bringing joy and collecting bats across the Minor Leagues. But sometimes even a veteran can make a mistake. With Cubs No. 28 prospect Ty Southisene at the dish, Single-A Myrtle Beach’s Slider was ready to grab the bat once the plate appearance was over. Southisene knocked a fly ball to right field and tossed his bat as he waited to see if it would stay fair or foul. Seeing the bat was sprung free, Slider leapt into action and did his duty of snagging the lumber. The only problem? The ball went foul, so Southisene needed his bat back. The 8-year-old Labrador Retriever was already headed back to his trainer, who helped get the bat back to the Pelicans hitter. No harm, just foul.
Anthony launches 497-foot grand slam
This grand slam is our Roman Empire. On June 6, Roman Anthony, then-MLB's No. 1 overall prospect, stepped up to the plate with the bases loaded in the bottom of the eighth. The Red Sox outfielder absolutely demolished a 2-2 offering 115.6 mph, 497 feet for Triple-A Worcester. The ball left Polar Park and appeared to be headed straight for Fenway. The monster blast marked the farthest hit ball at any level this season, and only four Major Leaguers have hit a ball farther in the Statcast era. Anthony went on to make his Major League debut and have a memorable 2025, but we like to think this play still holds a special place in his heart. More »
Greensboro throws two perfect games in 10 days
The last time a full-season Minor League team spun a perfect game was in 2017 -- a year in which there were two perfectos in the Minors. Greensboro decided to change that in a fortnight. On July 4, Grasshoppers Khristian Curtis, Jake Shirk and Michael Walsh combined for a historically flawless night for the Pirates’ High-A club. Nine days later, Hung-Leng Chang, Joshua Loeschorn, Shirk and Jarod Bayless repeated the feat for an unprecedented two in a 10-day span. No Major League team has even thrown two perfectos in one season. More »
Pawol makes umpire history
Like prospects, Jen Pawol worked her way up the Minor Leagues, chasing that dream of making it to The Show. In 2023, she became the first woman umpire at the Minors’ highest level in 34 years, then got to call balls and strikes in the Triple-A National Championship Game that year. She even went to “top prospect finishing school” -- the Arizona Fall League. After working more than 1,200 Minor League games over 10 seasons, Pawol got "the call." On Aug. 9, Pawol became the first woman to umpire a regular-season MLB game. The next day she moved to behind the plate, putting an exclamation point on an inspiring weekend. More »
MiLB fans set record for World’s Most Autographed Baseball
This summer, an 8-foot round, 1,200-pound replica baseball made a 2,600-mile journey across the country, making stops at Minor League ballparks. At each stadium, hundreds of fans put their John Hancocks on the giant baseball, carving out their own piece of history. After visiting 15 clubs, the ball made its way to the MLB Headquarters in New York City. There, Commissioner Rob Manfred gave the sphere its 6,750th signature, and Guinness World Records adjudicator Andy Glass confirmed the record for most signatures on a single item of sports memorabilia was broken. The 2024 Cambridge United Football Club and their 2,146 autographs on a giant inflatable kit was now a distant second. America's founding fathers would be proud. More »
George hits century mark in stolen bases
Shohei Ohtani isn’t the only one with history-making speed in the Dodgers organization. This summer, Kendall George put his 80-grade wheels on full display as he raced for 100 stolen bases in 124 attempts for High-A Great Lakes. The Dodgers’ No. 24 prospect became the fifth Minor Leaguer -- and first in the organization -- to reach the century mark in steals since at least 2005. The last Los Angeles player to reach 100 swipes was Maury Wills in 1959. There was a point a which George got to 101 stolen bases, but then a previous swipe was changed to a balk. So it remained an even 100. More »
Yesavage checks off every level
Trey Yesavage started 2025 having never donned a professional jersey. He finishes it with a loaded collection. Like Cijntje, the Blue Jays’ 2024 first-round pick got his first taste at Spring Breakout before starting the regular season with Single-A Dunedin. From there, Yesavage dominated for High-A Vancouver, Double-A New Hampshire and Triple-A Buffalo before getting called up to Toronto. With that travel-filled summer, Yesavage became the 10th player since at least 2005 to play at all full-season Minor League levels and make his MLB debut in the same year. Tigers reliever Dylan Smith also accomplished the feat this year, though it was not his first pro season. Yesavage rode his historic campaign all the way to two World Series appearances for the Blue Jays. More »
Triple-A National Championship Game ends in mayhem
For most of the game, it seemed like Jacksonville was going to win its first Triple-A crown. But then the Las Vegas bats came alive in the ninth. Facing MLB’s No. 7 LHP prospect Robby Snelling in his first career relief appearance, 26-year-old Bryan Lavastida crushed a first-pitch homer to give his squad the lead and make the Las Vegas Ballpark faithful erupt in cheers for the “visiting team.” But the Jumbo Shrimp were ready to answer. Jack Winkler knocked a leadoff single and Jacob Berry provided the heroics with a two-run walk-off jack to clinch the championship. A Berry Blast reminiscent of Bill Mazeroski and Joe Carter. More »