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.

Looking for a Minor League Baseball team to cheer for this coming season? Why not root for the underdog?

There are 120 Minor League teams and, of those, 12 are currently slogging through a title drought of 25 years or more. These franchises, scattered across six leagues and four levels of play, need your support as they attempt to purge the losing demons of decades past. Isn’t it time they won it all?

Minor League Baseball is a world in flux, so the teams on this list may have changed their name, affiliation, league or level of play over the course of the drought in question. What didn’t change was their continuous operation within a particular city, nor the quest for glory that has thus far eluded them.

Onward!

Syracuse Mets (Triple-A affiliate of the New York Mets since 2019)
Last title: 1976 (as the Chiefs)
The Syracuse Mets, primarily known as the Chiefs from 1934-2018, won eight International League titles between 1935 and 1976. That ’76 squad was a Yankees affiliate managed by Bobby Cox, who often deployed Ron Guidry out of the bullpen. Forty-nine years later, Syracuse’s baseball faithful are still waiting for their team’s next championship.

Las Vegas Aviators (Triple-A affiliate of the A’s since 2019)
Last title: 1988 (as the Stars)
Las Vegas first fielded a Pacific Coast League franchise in 1983. In that time, the only Sin City teams to win it all were the Padres-affiliated Stars in ’86 and again in ’88 (a stacked squad that featured Roberto and Sandy Alomar, Bruce Bochy and Bip Roberts). Subsequent affiliations -- the Dodgers, Blue Jays, Mets and, since 2019, the A’s -- haven’t been able to get lucky in Vegas.

Iowa Cubs (Triple-A affiliate of the Cubs since 1982)
Last title: 1993
The Iowa Cubs have played in the International League since 2021; prior to that they spent 22 years in the Pacific Coast League. Their lone title occurred in yet another Triple-A circuit, the defunct American Association. The 1993 I-Cubs, buoyed by a strong pitching staff that included Turk Wendell in a starting role, triumphed over the Nashville Sounds in a 7-game Finals series.

Salt Lake Bees (Triple-A affiliate of the Angels since 2001)
Last title: None (established 1994)
Salt Lake City has a long professional baseball history, and previous iterations of the Salt Lake Bees have indeed won it all. But this iteration, established in the Pacific Coast League as the Buzz in 1994, has yet to come out on top. The Bees are moving into a new ballpark this season; perhaps that will change their luck.

Beloit Sky Carp (High-A affiliate of the Marlins since 2021)
Last title: 1995 (as the Snappers)
Beloit’s Midwest League franchise was established in 1982 as the Beloit Brewers. In 1995, though still a Milwaukee affiliate, the team changed its name to the Snappers. This inaugural Snappers season ended in glory, with the team sweeping the Michigan Battle Cats in the Finals. Beloit changed its name to the Sky Carp in 2021, their first season as a Miami affiliate, and have yet to make the postseason while utilizing this high-flying moniker.

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Rochester Red Wings (Triple-A affiliate of the Nationals since 2021)
Last title: 1997
The good news is that the Red Wings, the longest continually operating franchise in Minor League sports, have won 19 championships throughout the course of their 126-year history. The bad news is that their last one came in 1997, which was the team’s debut season in their current home of Innovative Field. Rochester’s first title came in its inaugural 1899 campaign. Will the Red Wings one day become the first Minor League team to win it all in three different centuries?

Charlotte Knights (Triple-A affiliate of the White Sox since 1999)
Last title: 1999
The Carolina Panthers have never won a Super Bowl, the Charlotte Hornets have never won an NBA title and the city’s baseball team, the Knights, are in a drought of their own. Their last title came in 1999, the Knights' first season as a White Sox affiliate, back when they played in a ballpark that was located across state lines in Fort Mill, S.C. Win one for Charlotte!

Harrisburg Senators (Double-A affiliate of the Expos/Nationals since 1991)
Last title: 1999
The Senators’ 1999 Eastern League title, which capped a four-peat, was magical. In the decisive Game 5, Milton Bradley hit a two-out, full-count grand slam to give Harrisburg a 12-11 win, ending the season in literally the most dramatic fashion possible. Since then, Senators fans have been waiting for the magic to return.

The 2000 Club

Rounding out this list are four teams who have gone 25 years without a title.

Dayton Dragons (High-A CIN) -- The Dragons, established in the year 2000, have been slayed by their Midwest League foes in all three of their postseason appearances.

Delmarva Shorebirds (Single-A BAL) -- The Shorebirds won two South Atlantic League titles in their first five seasons as a franchise. Since then, nada. The O’s affiliate switched to the Carolina League in 2021.

Indianapolis Indians (Triple-A PIT) -- Established in 1903, Indianapolis has won 14 titles over the course of its existence. Their current drought is the longest in franchise history.

Round Rock Express (Triple-A TEX) --Round Rock won its lone title in its inaugural 2000 season, as members of the Double-A Texas League. They switched tracks to the Triple-A Pacific Coast League in 2005.

Finally, a nod to two teams that almost made the list. The Dunedin Blue Jays (Single-A TOR) were established in 1986 and have never won an outright championship, while the Reading Fightin Phils (Double-A PHI) haven’t won an outright championship since 1995. Both, however, have won a co-championship during a season in which their league’s Finals series was canceled (Dunedin in 2017, Reading in 2001).