Sod Poodles burrow into Texas Panhandle
In 2019, the Amarillo Sod Poodles will be standing on mounds and roaming the fields. The Sod Poodles' name and logo were unveiled Tuesday afternoon, ending months of speculation regarding the identity of Amarillo's new Minor League team. The Sod Poodles will be the Double-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres,
In 2019, the Amarillo Sod Poodles will be standing on mounds and roaming the fields.
The Sod Poodles' name and logo were unveiled Tuesday afternoon, ending months of speculation regarding the identity of Amarillo's new Minor League team. The Sod Poodles will be the Double-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres, formerly the San Antonio Missions in the Texas League. The new team will play at a ballpark currently under construction in downtown Amarillo.
Per the team, Sod Poodles is a "pioneer's nickname for 'Prairie Dogs.'" This moniker emerged victorious in a "Name the Team" contest, triumphing over a quartet of other selections rooted in Amarillo's Texas Panhandle location: Boot Scooters, Bronc Busters, Jerky and Long Haulers.
"We wanted something different, something authentic to Amarillo that's never been done before," said Tony Ensor, Sod Poodles president and general manager. "Early on, we looked over a lot of different areas, and we were really focused on the beef industry. ... But obviously prairie dogs are prevalent in West Texas, and once we discovered the uniqueness of the Sod Poodle, the minute that name came out, everyone's eyebrows were raised. There was just something special to it from the very beginning."
Shop for Sod Poodles gear »
Ensor said research into the Amarillo market revealed the locals to be "genuine, open, friendly and having a pioneer spirit."
"Everything's about family in Amarillo and that's what Minor League Baseball is all about," he continued. "So doing research into sod poodles, there are a lot of similarities. In the life of a sod poodle, family is the most important and protection of that family. That pioneer spirit and never getting beaten down, that underdog character that withstands everything. That said a lot about the people of Amarillo. ... The ability to take on the world and come out on top."
Sod Poodles was the choice of the front office and also finished first in the fan vote. This was no surprise. In the four-and-a-half months since the "Sod Poodles" name was announced as a possibility, it's become something of a grassroots phenomenon in Amarillo. Perhaps most notably, Sod Poodles have been the subject of two original songs: Carson Leverett's "Sod Poodles Anthem" and Ed Montana's "What is a Sod Poodle?" According to Ensor, these tuneful tongue-in-cheek tributes represent just the tip of the dirt pile.
"We had [our local] Chick-fil-A putting up on their marquee 'Chicken tastes better than sod poodle,'" he said."You'd go in and around town, and there were stores selling sod poodle cookies and popsicles and three or four different brands of T-shirts. A lawyer in town made it part of his marketing campaign ... and there's a church on Polk Street that made 'Sod Poodles and Mind Boggles' the topic of a sermon. Everywhere you turn, people were embracing it -- it created its own energy. The community created this buzz, so even aside from the fan vote, we got the sense that this was the direction everyone wanted to go."
The Sod Poodles' identity was crafted in conjunction with Brandiose, a San Diego-based design company whose work is prevalent throughout the Minor League landscape. Ensor said once Sod Poodles was decided upon as the team name, it was imperative that the logo "have some Western grit to it. A John Wayne Sod Poodle attitude."
"[The Sod Poodle's cowboy] hat is very Texas, and we have the state colors of Texas within elements in the logo itself," he said. "And [the Sod Poodle's] yellow, and 'amarillo' means 'yellow' in Spanish. You throw in the grass seed poking out of his mouth, that stands for the sod. Also, with the lighter, retro blue, Route 66 was part of the inspiration. Route 66 runs through the heart of Amarillo."
The unveiling of the name and logo marked a significant offseason benchmark for Amarillo. Future milestones scheduled to occur prior to Opening Day include a uniform unveiling, the announcement of the ballpark name and the mascot reveal.
"It's been an amazing journey, one that the community has been with us on all along," said Ensor. "What has made this such a fun ride is that everyone is pulling the wagon in the same direction."
Benjamin Hill is a reporter for MiLB.com and writes Ben's Biz Blog. Follow Ben on Twitter.
Phillies' Moore, Fausnaught join MiLB podcast
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
Red Sox prospect rips double THROUGH Fenway-esque scoreboard
Red Sox No. 4 prospect Franklin Arias, an infielder for High-A Greenville, REALLY didn’t want to let visiting Asheville score any runs in the top of the eighth inning on Friday night. With runners on first and second base in the bottom of the fourth, Arias showed he apparently held
April's hottest hitting prospects -- one for each organization
The Minor League season is a month old and several of the game's best hitting prospects are off to fast starts. Red Sox outfielder Roman Anthony is tearing up Triple-A (just like he did at the end of last year), Padres shortstop Leo De Vries is leading the High-A Midwest
Check out the best -- and wackiest -- Minor League promos happening in May
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.
Orioles' Honeycutt joins The Show Before the Show
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
MiLB podcast coming LIVE to a Somerset this June
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
New ballparks highlight 2025 MiLB road trip stops
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.
Minor League Baseball partners with TruGreen
FRANKLIN, Tenn. -- TruGreen, the nation's leading lawn care treatment provider, is proud to announce a groundbreaking partnership with Minor League Baseball that includes activations across all 120 clubs, a makeover of the home dugout in each market, sponsorship of select MiLB team grounds crews, and a new initiative called
Podcast explains why the Syracuse Mets are looking for Jim Morrison
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
Dash im-prom-tu promo and Mets' Suero joins the podcast
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
Minor League Baseball partners with Circle K
Minor League Baseball announced a new national partnership with Circle K, which will see the convenience store giant become the “Official Convenience Store of Minor League Baseball.” During the 2025 season, the Circle K brand will be integrated into the MiLB in-stadium experience through in-game video board assets at most
These 15 moments led to season No. 15 of Minor League road trips
Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This excerpt from his newsletter is a mere taste of the smorgasbord of delights he offers every week. Read the full newsletter here, and subscribe to his newsletter here.
MiLB podcast crew makes Opening Day predictions
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
Everything you need to know for Triple-A Opening Day
First, there was big league Opening Day. Now it's Triple-A's turn to take the spotlight. The Minor League season opens Friday when the Triple-A International League and Pacific Coast League seasons get underway for the first of MiLB’s two Opening Days. And right out of the gates, several of baseball's
Top prospects to watch at Triple-A -- one for each organization
It’s Triple-A’s turn up to bat on Friday. The regular season begins for the Minor Leagues’ highest level one day after the action starts on the Major League side. Fun fact: it’ll be the earliest start to a Minor League season since 1951 (March 27). Double-A, High-A and Single-A will
Here's where every Top 100 prospect is expected to start the season
The 2025 Opening Day prospect roster announcements began last week when the Cubs informed Matt Shaw (MLB No. 19) he was making the trip overseas to compete in the Tokyo Series. Roki Sasaki (No. 1) also received the good news, but his assignment was much less of a surprise. Now
Nationals prospect King joins MiLB podcast
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
Here are the 2025 All-Spring Breakout Teams
Fifteen games, several jersey swaps and countless highlights later, the second edition of Spring Breakout has officially concluded – and it lived up to its billing. Of the 16 contests sprinkled across four days, only one game (Dodgers vs. Cubs) was rained out. Coincidentally, the Cubs were one of two
Rox young sluggers aim to bring pop back to Coors Field
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Coors Field may provide the best run-scoring environment in Major League Baseball, but the Rockies haven’t taken advantage of it in recent years. Even without adjusting for Coors, they have fielded offenses worse than the league average the past three seasons, and they scored the fewest runs
Astros brass sees potential in consistently 'underranked' farm system
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- The last time the Astros landed in the top 10 of MLB Pipeline’s farm system rankings was before the 2019 season. Since those rankings expanded to all 30 teams ahead of the 2020 season -- 11 lists in total -- they’ve never ranked higher than
Complete results and highlights from Spring Breakout
The second edition of MLB Spring Breakout is complete, and there was no shortage of highlights from the future stars of Major League Baseball over the four-day showcase. Here's a complete breakdown of the 16-game exhibition:
Southpaw Spring Breakout: White Sox future on display with Schultz, Smith
GLENDALE, Ariz. -- If all goes as planned for the White Sox, left-handers Hagen Smith and Noah Schultz won’t spend much time following each other to the mound in a single game. Schultz, the No. 1 White Sox prospect and No. 16 overall, per MLB Pipeline, and Smith, who is
In first pro game, Rainer offers pop, promise to Tigers fans
NORTH PORT, Fla. -- Bryce Rainer’s pro career consisted of workouts and batting practice until Sunday.
'Me and Brady on the dirt again': House, King reunite at Spring Breakout
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- The 2025 Spring Breakout was a flashback for Brady House and Seaver King. Over 10 years ago, the infielders were travel ball teammates in Georgia who shared the dream of making it to the Major Leagues. Now, they are top prospects in the same organization,
Lambert -- 'an adrenaline guy' -- hoping to be next Mets bullpen gem
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Ryan Lambert loves throwing hard. He relishes the idea of getting to two strikes and blowing hitters away. “Get me in a game,” Lambert said, “cool things will happen.”