On the Road: Trenton's Pork Roll era begins
"The Jersey staple."That's Jeff Hurley's succinct description of pork roll, the salty, grilled (or fried) processed meat product that has a fanatical following throughout the state of New Jersey. As president and general manager of the Trenton Thunder, Hurley has been an integral part of a years-long campaign to celebrate
"The Jersey staple."
That's Jeff Hurley's succinct description of pork roll, the salty, grilled (or fried) processed meat product that has a fanatical following throughout the state of New Jersey. As president and general manager of the Trenton Thunder, Hurley has been an integral part of a years-long campaign to celebrate pork roll at the ballpark. The Thunder -- Double-A affiliate of the New York Yankees -- have a concourse "Pork Roll Paradise" concession stand exclusively devoted to items containing pork roll and host an annual "River Fest" at the ballpark highlighted by a pork roll eating contest.
But in 2018, the Thunder have made pork roll part of their identity. Literally. Every Friday home game, for the remainder of the season, the team is suiting up as the Thunder Pork Roll. This writer was in attendance May 18 for the Thunder Pork Roll's debut, a cool and cloudy but nonetheless historic evening at Arm & Hammer Ballpark.
New Jerseyans are united in their love of pork roll, but deeply divided when it comes to the specific terminology. Those in the northern portion of the state generally refer to it as "Taylor ham." This is a reference to the Taylor Provisions company, a prominent pork roll manufacturer. Those in the south simply call it pork roll. The Thunder, located in central New Jersey, are clear about where they stand.

|
"In Jersey you've got the Taylor ham and the pork roll argument," said Hurley. "And we're team pork roll all the way."
The Thunder serve Case's-brand pork roll, a Trenton-based company with whom the team has a longstanding relationship. Tom Dolan, president of Case's, was in attendance for the Thunder Pork Roll's on-field debut. Did he ever think he'd see such a thing? A professional baseball team wearing uniforms featuring an anthropomorphic pork roll logo?
"No, never. Never, never, never," said Dolan, perhaps still trying to wrap his head around the concept. "I mean, it's perfect. Twenty-five years of [the Thunder] being here and pork roll being a Trenton mainstay. It's a great relationship, you know? It works perfect."
In the world of Minor League Baseball, alternate team identities celebrating regional food items have become commonplace. In fact, the Thunder aren't even the first team to utilize such a moniker, as last season fellow Garden Staters the Lakewood BlueClaws suited up as the "Pork Rolls" for one game.
"I think we realized how much pork roll was such a delicacy here in Trenton," said Hurley. "So it just continues to grow and we try to be creative as possible every year and grow the pork roll somehow.... Obviously it's a perfect fit for us and we've always had a lot of fun with it, so we took the next step and worked with [design firm] Brandiose for the logo and the mascot and the wording. I basically sat in a meeting with them and said, 'If you can make pork roll into a mascot, I think we've got something.' And, you know, after a couple of drafts we had it and we were like, 'OK, this is it, we're going forward with it.'"
The Thunder now sell a preponderance of pork roll-themed hats and shirts in their team store. Dolan, despite having made a living in the pork roll business, was not sporting any gear.
"Nah, I don't think they make [the sizes] that big," he said with a laugh. "I eat too much pork roll. Just on the grill is the best way. I kind of like tangy the best, but the mild's very good too. On a sandwich, or even with a burger -- it's very good that way. But any way you make it, you can't go wrong."
"Pork roll, egg and cheese on a kaiser bun," added Hurley. "Or on a bagel. That's good too."
The Thunder's pork roll offerings include a simple sandwich topped with cheese, available for $1 on select evenings. But they offer nearly a dozen other items, including the Thunder Dog (a hot dog topped with pork roll and cheese), the Swine Sandwich (pork roll, pulled pork and bacon bits on a kaiser roll) and the Sticky Pig (pork roll, bacon, egg, cheese and red pepper jam served on a glazed donut).
This latter item was the creation of food and beverage director Kelly Kromer, a native of Nazareth, Pennsylvania, who had never eaten pork roll prior to taking a job with the Thunder.
"It was just one of those things, you wake up at 2 a.m. and there it is," said Kromer, who added that after a brainstorming session to name the item, "The Sticky Pig just stuck."
Also in attendance on this evening was Jim Weigand, a native of nearby Hamilton, New Jersey, and a self-professed pork roll fanatic who eats it for "breakfast, lunch and dinner." I had recruited Weigand to serve as the evening's "Designated Eater"; in this role it was his job to sample a variety of pork roll-based concession items. While Weigand offered high praise for all of the items he sampled, he was particularly eloquent when it came to the Thunder Dog.
"This is what baseball is in Trenton," he said. "You've got your traditional hot dog, then you've got pork roll. That's all you need: the tang of the pork roll, the bite of the hot dog and the creaminess of the cheese and it all comes together."
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.”