Copa de la Diversión: ¿Qué hay de nuevo?
With 90 participating Minor League teams, the Copa de la Diversión program is larger than ever in 2023. This season, eight clubs have joined Copa for the first time, four returning members have adopted a new identity and one -- Lehigh Valley -- has added a second logo to the
With 90 participating Minor League teams, the Copa de la Diversión program is larger than ever in 2023.
This season, eight clubs have joined Copa for the first time, four returning members have adopted a new identity and one -- Lehigh Valley -- has added a second logo to the fold. While common questions surrounding Copa as a whole have been answered, the individual identities have their own backstories.
Here are the stories behind the 13 new identities in Copa, sponsored by Nationwide as the official insurance partner.
Pavos Salvajes de Augusta (Augusta GreenJackets)
Some Copa identities pay homage to a local fixture, while others honor a creature of Hispanic lore. Augusta was able to hit both categories with this colorful depiction of a wild turkey. Not only is it South Carolina’s official state wild game bird -- yes, the GreenJackets play on the north side of the Savannah River in the Palmetto State -- but the blue-headed bird is indigenous to Mexico and Central America. The club has plans for local Hispanic restaurants planning to take over the ballpark grill cart during its three Copa nights. See more »
Paletas de Beloit (Beloit Sky Carp)
By embracing Hispanic and Latin American culture, Copa lends itself to many food- and drink-based identities. Beloit pays tribute to a frozen dessert that traces its origins back nearly a century to Tocumbo, Michoacán, Mexico. A paleta is similar to a popsicle, but takes it up a notch with natural ingredients – as illustrated by the lime slices inside the pop – and creative flavors. For the 2023 season, the featured logo displays a lime paleta, but the club has future plans for other already announced logos featuring different flavor paletas: strawberry and guava. These alternate looks are on ice for now, but they’ll be available soon. See more »
Cóndores de Binghamton (Binghamton Rumble Ponies)
With wingspans reaching more than 12 feet, the condor seems more like a creature of myth, similar to the chupacabra. But this logo finds a unique way to represent Latin America and the home of the Andean condor. The bird’s feathers are red, yellow and blue, which honor the flags of Venezuela, Colombia and Ecuador -- the three countries at the northern end of the Andes Mountains, where the last few remaining Andean condors patrol. The Andean and California condors are both currently endangered species. Also, a local tie-in, scientists have found fossils of California condors that are more than 12,000 years old in upstate New York. See more »
Granos de Cedar Rapids (Cedar Rapids Kernels)
Many Copa identities are direct translations of the original name, and Granos is a version of that. The fun here is in the look of the logo, in which a corn kernel flexes its husk-y muscles. The sombrero is another twist on the original Kernels logo, which features a corn cob baseball bat wearing a red baseball cap. The Copa jersey will feature a lot of purple, yellow and orange reminiscent of the varying colors of corn kernels from different seasons. See more »
Rumberos de Daytona (Daytona Tortugas)
The Copa de la Diversión banda is really coming together. While the logo is the fourth in Copa to depict a musical instrument, Rumberos actually references the result of folks hearing the sounds of the “barriles de bomba,” as it directly translates to “partygoers.” The green and pink colors are inspired by the colorful dresses with frilled skirts typically worn by bomba dancers. While the bombas are the main characters in the logo, it should be noted that this is the second Copa logo to feature maracas. The other is more out there than a set of anthropomorphic drums. See more »
Toros Bravos de Durham (Durham Bulls)
Durham was an original Copa club, and this season, the team brings an updated look to its identity from the program’s first year in 2017. Once the directly translated Toros, Durham did more than just strengthen the name with the addition of Bravos. The new logo features a snorting bull, an homage to the club's iconic ballpark feature in left field. The bull is also decorated in the Calavera or sugar skull style from Mexican traditions. The red, blue and gold colors are a reference to the City of Durham’s flag. See more »
Wallpaper Wednesday, Fundadores edition! 💚 🧡
— Fredericksburg Nationals (@FXBGNats) March 29, 2023
Update your lock screen with the FredNats' new copa identity! pic.twitter.com/5pRzY07fFT
Fundadores de Frederickburg (Fredericksburg Nationals)
The FredNats have used George Washington imagery for their alternate looks, similar to Frisco’s Teddy Roosevelt gear. In this logo, our first president gets the Calaveras treatment in his one-dollar bill portrait, with the full frame and nameplate. Their jersey also makes reference to money with FUNdadores written in the same font as ONE DOLLAR on the bank note. The border designs on the dollar bill stretch across the front and back of the jerseys. Fredericksburg, where Washington spent his childhood, capitalized “FUN” on the jersey for a reason. See more »
Lehigh Valley Mamajuana (Lehigh Valley IronPigs)
Lehigh Valley is actually the first team to use two Copa identities in the same season, with Mamajuana joining Coquís in 2023. Club president and GM Kurt Landes joined The Show Before the Show Podcast in March to discuss the idea. The two identities are nods to two specific countries with Coquís being a reference to the frog that is Puerto Rico’s unofficial “state animal” and Mamajuana being a spirit that originated in the Dominican Republic. The drink was created by the native Tainos and has since become the nation’s official beverage. See more »
Limonadas de Hill City (Lynchburg Hillcats)
This identity is an appreciation of all things lemon. Another logo with skull imagery, this thirsty, sombrero-wearing fella even seems to have a name: Señor Agrio (Mr. Sour). The club honors migrant workers who planted the seeds for lemon trees across the Americas. There is also a deeper significance to the lemon, and it’s a refreshing take on a classic. This is one of the few Copa identities that also changed the city name. See more »
Pensacola Pok-Ta-Pok (Pensacola Blue Wahoos)
When the new identities were announced in March, MiLB.com took a more in-depth look at the Pok-Ta-Pok identity, Pensacola’s homage to the almost 4,000-year-old Mesoamerican ball game. Like Mamajuana, the Pok-Ta-Pok identity honors a pre-Columbian aspect of Latin American culture. See more »
Micheladas de Reno (Reno Aces)
The Copa bar is getting a little crowded. Reno had an interesting take on the beer and tomato juice-based cocktail. The specs for a good Michelada are different based on who you ask -- some say tomato, some say clamato. But the club liked how that range of recipes could represent the cultural diversity in baseball and in Reno. See more »
Lunaticos de Rocket City (Rocket City Trash Pandas)
For Copa, and really every day, Rocket City encourages fans to take a walk on the wild side. The club is still building the lore behind the actual creature depicted in its Lunaticos logo, but there are two things for certain: it’s from outer space and it’s crazy for baseball. See more »
Dulces de Sugar Land (Sugar Land Space Cowboys)
The City of Sugar Land is aptly named, so the club chose a moniker that references the local sugar industry. Dulces roughly translates to candies or sweets and is fairly non-specific. But the logo used here displays a watermelon candy, dipped in chamoy and dusted with Tajín before being topped with a flame. See more »
Gerard Gilberto is a reporter for MiLB.com.