MiLB Unveils Merchandise Best-Sellers

In the world of a minor league front office, success isn’t measured by what the team does on the field. Their wins are counted through the turnstiles, at the concession stands and in the team store. A winning team doesn’t hurt, but franchises are selling much more than that night’s game. They’re selling an experience, an atmosphere and an option for a relatively cheap night away from home.

So while all of last year’s minor league champions were crowned last fall, the big winners were announced Monday, when Minor League Baseball officially announced its top 25 moneymakers in terms of merchandise sales. The leaders, in alphabetical order, were:

• Albuquerque Isotopes (Triple-A Rockies, Pacific Coast League)
• Biloxi Shuckers (Double-A Brewers, Southern League)
• Charlotte Knights (Triple-A White Sox, International League)
• Columbus Clippers (Triple-A Indians, International League)
• Dayton Dragons (low Class A Reds, Midwest League)
• Durham Bulls (Triple-A Rays, International League)
• El Paso Chihuahuas (Triple-A Padres, Pacific Coast League)
• Fort Wayne TinCaps (low Class A Padres, Midwest League)
• Frisco RoughRiders (Double-A Rangers, Texas League)
• Indianapolis Indians (Triple-A Pirates, Midwest League)
• Lake Elsinore Storm (high Class A Padres, California League)
• Lakewood BlueClaws (low Class A Phillies, South Atlantic League)
• Lehigh Valley IronPigs (Triple-A Phillies, International League)
• Louisville Bats (Triple-A Reds, International League)
• Nashville Sounds (Triple-A Athletics, Pacific Coast League)
• Oklahoma City Dodgers (Triple-A Dodgers, Pacific Coast League)
• Pawtucket Red Sox (Triple-A Red Sox, International League)
• Reno Aces (Triple-A Diamondbacks, Pacific Coast League)
• Sacramento River Cats (Triple-A Giants, Pacific Coast League)
• Salt Lake Bees, (Triple-A Angels, Pacific Coast League)
• San Antonio Missions (Double-A Padres, Texas League)
• South Bend Cubs (low Class A Cubs, Midwest League)
• Tacoma Rainiers (Triple-A Mariners, Pacific Coast League)
• Toledo Mud Hens (Triple-A Tigers, International League)
• Trenton Thunder (Double-A Yankees, Eastern League)

From this list, it’s easy to see that Triple-A baseball is the clear king in the merchandising game. Fifteen of the 25 highest-earners are from either the IL or the PCL. The Padres are the only organization to place all four of its affiliates (El Paso, San Antonio, Lake Elsinore and Fort Wayne). The Phillies (Lehigh Valley and Lakewood), A’s (Nashville and Sacramento) and Reds (Louisville) each placed two teams on the list.

Of the eight leagues included (the short-season and Rookie-level teams were left out), just the high Class A Florida State and Carolina Leagues were left without a representative. The only high Class A team to place was the Lake Elsinore Storm, which continually wins high marks for its innovation and creativity and over the past year has hosted both an NCAA regional (for UC Santa Barbara) and in a week’s time will host the California-Carolina League all-star game.

In the announcement, MiLB noted that online merchandise sales have increased 9.4 percent over the last year.

“Minor League Baseball team names and logos are quirky, fun and contemporary, but they are also incredible marketing tools for the clubs they represent,” Sandie Hebert, Minor League Baseball’s director of licensing, said in a statement. “Each year, we see familiar logos on the Top 25 list, and some newcomers, showing both the longevity and modern appeal of our trademarks. It’s interesting to see how clubs choose to brand their identities, and how that translates into merchandise sales.”