Did you know? Pioneer League edition
When it comes to size, scope and longevity, few, if any, sporting bodies can rival Minor League Baseball. With 160 teams in nearly as many markets, there are innumerable nooks and crannies to explore. This marks the final installment in a 14-part series dedicated to such explorations, providing one unique,
When it comes to size, scope and longevity, few, if any, sporting bodies can rival Minor League Baseball. With 160 teams in nearly as many markets, there are innumerable nooks and crannies to explore. This marks the final installment in a 14-part series dedicated to such explorations, providing one unique, weird, poignant or otherwise memorable fact about each team or city in each of Minor League Baseball's admission-charging leagues. Remember -- it's about the journey, not the destination. To share your own favorite team or city facts, please reach out via email (benjamin.hill@mlb.com) or Twitter (@bensbiz). Previous installments: International League, Pacific Coast League, Eastern League, Southern League, Texas League, California League, Carolina League, Florida State League, Midwest League, South Atlantic League, New York-Penn League, Northwest League and the Appalachian League.
The Pioneer League, established in 1939, currently operates as an eight-team Rookie Advanced circuit. Its Rocky Mountain region locales are spread out over Montana, Utah, Colorado and Idaho, generally in small markets that are rich in open space and natural beauty. Of the league's current octet of teams, only one -- the Ogden Raptors -- is located in a city that fielded a team in the Pioneer League's inaugural 1939 season. But there are several other longstanding franchises, complemented by a few 21st-century arrivals. The league's newest team, of course, is the Colorado Springs-based Rocky Mountain Vibes. That Vibes, who replaced the Triple-A Sky Sox in Colorado Springs, relocated from Helena, Montana, following the 2018 season. Those desirous of more Pioneer League facts simply need to keep reading, as they follow forthwith.
Billings Mustangs
The Mustangs have the Pioneer League's longest affiliation (Cincinnati Reds, 1974) and oldest name (since 1948). That's a lot of history, but nonetheless: When it comes to the greatest season by a Mustangs player, there is absolutely no room for debate. That honor belongs to Gary Redus, who put up cartoon numbers in 1978 (his first professional season). Redus, who went on to play in the Major Leagues for 13 seasons, set an all-time Minor League Baseball record by hitting .462 as a member of the Mustangs. In 68 games, he collected 117 hits, scored 100 runs, stole 42 bases and drew 62 walks (while striking out 31 times). It all added up to an eye-popping 1.346 OPS, indicative of the sheer majesty of his record book-obliterating campaign.
Grand Junction Rockies
The Grand Junction Rockies debuted in 2012, marking the Pioneer League's first incursion into the great state of Colorado. But Colorado's gain was Wyoming's loss, as the team previously existed as the Casper Ghosts. The Ghosts were Wyoming's only Minor League team, and no team has operated in the state since. The Ghosts, originally named the Casper Rockies, existed from 2001 through 2011, and in that time, they never posted a winning record. The only winning mark ever posted by a Wyoming-based Minor League team was by the 1941 Cheyenne Indians, who went 59-44 in their sole season of existence.
Great Falls Voyagers
Prior to the 2008 season, Great Falls' longstanding Pioneer League team changed its name to the Voyagers. This moniker and corresponding extraterrestrial-themed logos are an homage to the franchise's primary role in one of the most famous UFO sightings of all time. The Mariana UFO Incident of Aug. 15, 1950, is named for Nick Mariana, who was general manager of the Pioneer League Great Falls Electrics. Mariana and his secretary were at Legion Field -- the same ballpark the Voyagers play in today -- when they spotted two bright silver objects in the sky. Mariana ran to retrieve his 16-mm camera and was able to capture 16 seconds of footage of the UFOs. This footage, which the Air Force went on to rigorously (and perhaps underhandedly) scrutinize, became a national news phenomenon. It is considered to be the first UFO sighting ever caught on tape.
Idaho Falls Chukars
Idaho Falls has hosted a team in every season since 1946, the longest uninterrupted stretch of any franchise in the Pioneer League. Over this time, the team has had a league-record 10 names; the current Chukars moniker -- pronounced "Chuckers" -- was adopted prior to the 2004 campaign. Chukars, a variety of pheasant, are game birds that can be found in the greater Idaho Falls area. The name was suggested by team broadcaster John Balginy, who pointed out that "chucker" also could be interpreted as a slang term for a pitcher.
Missoula Paddleheads
Missoula adopted the Paddleheads moniker prior to the would-be 2020 season. Before that, the longtime Arizona Diamondbacks affiliate had been named the Osprey. The name change resulted in Missoula losing its distinction of being the only Minor League team named after an animal that lives at the ballpark in its natural habitat. Actual osprey reside at the team's home of Ogren Park, situating themselves in nests located on man-made platforms towering just beyond the right-field fence. The osprey primarily subsist on trout from the Clark Fork River, located behind the ballpark.
Ogden Raptors
On Aug. 17, 1995, in their second year of existence, the Ogden Raptors set the record for the most runs scored by one team in a Pioneer League game. On this memorable evening, Ogden, then an independent team, defeated the Helena Brewers by a score of 33-10. A grand slam by Lawrence Scheffer provided the Raptors' record-breaking runs, breaking Great Falls' previous record of 32 (set in 1974 against Ogden). The Brewers, whose pitchers issued a league-record 21 walks, had won 15 straight games prior to the severely one-sided loss to the Raptors.
Orem Owlz
The Owlz mascot, Hootz, has been with the team since its 2005 inception. In 2009, Hootz met a female owl named Holly and married her after a whirlwind courtship. In 2012, after three years of what was presumably marital bliss, Holly surprised Hootz during a ballgame by revealing the results of her pregnancy test. Yes, she was with owl. This new arrival to the Owlz mascot family, a baby boy named Rowly, made his public debut on Opening Day in 2013.
Rocky Mountain Vibes
The Vibes, who played their inaugural season in Colorado Springs in 2019, previously existed in the form of the Helena Brewers. Prior to that, the franchise was based for 25 years in Medicine Hat, Alberta. The Medicine Hat Blue Jays, one of three Pioneer League teams to have been based in Alberta, operated from 1978 through 2002. In 1997 and 1998, the team enjoyed the rare distinction of fielding a Triple Crown winner in back-to-back seasons. Medicine Hat native Greg Morrison accomplished the feat in 1997, batting .448 with 23 home runs and 88 RBIs. The following year, Jay Gibbons followed suit by hitting .397 with 19 long balls and 98 RBIs.
Benjamin Hill is a reporter for MiLB.com and writes Ben's Biz Blog. Follow Ben on Twitter @bensbiz.
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