R-Phils Become Reading Fightin Phils
The new name of Fightin Phils pays homage to the team's 46-year affiliation with the Philadelphia Phillies and references the big-league club's nickname during the Whiz Kids era of the 1950s. Affectionately, the team will be referred to as the Fightins.
"Our relationship with the Phillies is stronger than ever and the Fightin
Phils is a unique way to enhance our ties with Philadelphia even more," said
Fightin Phils General Manager
Scott Hunsicker. "The Fightin Phils reaffirms our bond with the Phillies in
a creative, unique way."
The Fightins' new name is highlighted by an ostrich logo that symbolizes the feisty bird that is now indigenous to Reading because of the Crazy Hot Dog Vendor. With its fists ready for battle, the new ostrich logo represents the fighting spirit of the franchise, both on and off the field. It will be the first time in the franchise's history that the team will feature an identifiable mascot. The logo is also the first in professional sports to feature an ostrich as its mascot.
"When we decided to look at our franchise, we felt that we needed a mark the spoke to families since being a family destination has been paramount to our success," said Fightin Phils General Manager Scott Hunsicker. "Our former mark didn't speak to those families and kids-something our new mark definitely does. Why an ostrich? Because if we were going to select an animal or creature, we wanted to pick something that spoke to the fun nature of a Fightin Phils baseball game. "
In
addition to the ostrich logo, Reading has rolled out unique symbols of an
"F-fist" logo, a historic feathered "R" logo, and several feathered
"Fightins" and "Fightin Phils" wording reminiscent of the fun,
flightless bird.
The Reading Fightin Phils identity set introduces Phillies Red, Nighttime Navy, Feather Gray, and Ostrich Flesh as the team's new official colors.
On top of its new name and logo, the team will have the most on-field wear in the minor leagues when they take the field in April. The Fightins uniform will also feature unprecedented sublimation technology from Wilson Sporting Goods and attributes that have never been done at the minor league level.
At home, the team will wear an exact replica of the 1950 Whiz Kids cream-colored uniforms with Fightin Phils emblazoned across the chest. With the help of historians, the Fightin Phils will wear a faux-flannel uniform with pinstripes that recreate those worn by Richie Ashburn, Del Ennis, and former Reading Phillies skipper Andy Seminick. The Fightin Phils will wear either the navy cap with the feathered "R" logo hat or the navy ostrich hat.
|
|
The team will also don an alternate navy jersey at home games with white inserts up the front of the jersey. White script displaying Fightins will read across the chest of this jersey. Fightins players will wear a separate navy cap with the "F-Fist" logo when they wear the alternate jersey.
"Even though most of our fans are Phillies fans, not all of them are," said Hunsicker. "The Fightins allows you to celebrate both the Phillies and the Reading franchise independently of the Phillies if you choose to do so."
The three navy home caps with three uniquely different logos on the front each are specifically designed to reach out to three different fan groups. With its cartoonish appearances, the ostrich cap is targeted toward the youthful at heart. The mighty "F-Fist" hat is aimed at young adult to middle-aged fan. Harkening back to Reading's past teams like the Indians and Red Sox, the feathered historic "R" hat is tailored for the baseball fans that have supported Baseballtown for years.
The Fightins will honor the legacy of Baseballtown by wearing a gray faux-flannel uniform on the road, a first for a professional baseball team. The gray jersey will display the Baseballtown script across the chest with a patch of Bunbino on the sleeve. Fightins players will wear a iris blue cap featuring the Bunbino logo.
On the road and at select home games, players will have the option to wear black Baseballtown jerseys with blue inserts up the front. The black uniforms mirror the same jerseys worn by Eastern League All-Stars during the 2012's Baseballtown All-Star Classic. When at home, the team will wear an iris blue hat with a yellow "B"; while on the road, the team will wear the Bunbino iris blue cap.
The completely different Baseballtown color scheme means that the team will also wear a slew of corresponding on-field wear. With both the home and Baseballtown color schemes, the Reading Fightin Phils will have the most on-field gear of any minor league team in history.
"Our
analysis showed us that Baseballtown resonated across all metrics," said
Hunsicker. "Our fans love Baseballtown and what it represents from a historic
standpoint. Fans in visiting cities are fascinated by the Baseballtown identity
and how it spoke to the baseball history of the entire region."
The Fightins look was brought to life at Brandiose in San Diego, where Jason Klein and Casey White make teams famous by celebrating their brand stories. Partners Klein and White invented the first glow-in-the-dark on-field cap for the Casper Ghosts and first on-field rally cap for the Altoona Curve. They also have dreamt up some of the most popular logos in baseball including the Richmond Flying Squirrels, Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs, and the Cincinnati Reds, America's oldest baseball club.
"Jason and Casey are the best in the world at what they do," said
Hunsicker. "Their practice of integrating themselves into the team and town
they are designing for has paid dividends for us. Working with two guys of their
caliber made our entire rebranding a smooth and exciting process."
The development process for the rebranding began 18 months ago when Klein and White met with front office staff, community members, and Philadelphia Phillies representatives to discuss how the franchise could further its brand while digging deeper into its heritage. Brandiose developed the logos, uniforms, and other enhancements for the 2013 season.
"There's no place in America like Baseballtown," said Brandiose's Klein. "It's one of the great sports and entertainment destinations and we're embracing all the elements fans have grown to love about America's Classic Ballpark while trying a few things that have never been done before."
Fans can purchase new Fightins merchandise, including official game caps and replica jerseys, online at www.ReadingFightins.com.
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
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.
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.”
Stewart embraces Spring Breakout: 'What's not to love?'
PHOENIX -- Sal Stewart was one fired-up Reds prospect. On Sunday in the first inning during the organization's 9-7 Spring Breakout win over Brewers prospects, Stewart lifted a 2-2 pitch that sailed over the center fielder's head to the wall. Already not known as a speedster, he stumbled running between