Minor league baseball teams in Ohio are Columbus Clippers, Akron RubberDucks, Toledo Mud Hens, Dayton Dragons, Lake County Captains and Lake Erie Crushers.
The state of Ohio is home to eight major and national league teams in the field of baseball, soccer, football, basketball, and ice hockey.
MLB teams Cincinnati Reds and Cleveland Guardians have brought seven World Series titles; Reds - 5 and Guardians - 2 to their home state.
Reds play their home games at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati, while the Guardians are based in Progressive Field, downtown Cleveland.
In addition to the above-mentioned affiliate baseball teams, Lynchburg Hillcats and ACL Guardians are another two minor league teams under the Cleveland Guardians farm system. However, the two teams are not based in Ohio.
Hillcats play in the Carolina League and are based in Lynchburg, while ACL Guardians compete in the Arizona Complex League and play their home games in Goodyear, Arizona.
Columbus Clippers
Columbus Clippers are Triple A baseball team in Ohio. The Triple-A affiliate of the Guardians plays in the International League of the MiLB.
Named after Clippers, a kind of merchant sailing vessel, the minor league team was founded in 1977. They started out as a Triple-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates in the International League, playing their home games at Franklin County Stadium, now called Cooper Stadium.
The Clippers then became affiliated with the New York Yankees in 1979, and their affiliation lasted for 28 years till 2006. They won seven IL Championships during that time.
After the end of the deal, the Clippers operated under the Washington Nationals for two seasons from 2007 to 2008. Since 2009, they have been a part of the Cleveland Indians/Guardians.
They have been playing their home games at Huntington Park, Columbus, since then. With the Guardians, the Clippers have won two IL titles and two Triple-A championships.
Their official mascots are Krash and Lou Seal. Krash is a parrot, and the first mate of the Lou seal since 2004.
Toledo Mud Hens
The current Toledo Mud Hens franchise was founded in 1965 under the initiation of Ned Skeldon. They are a Triple-A associate International League team of the Detroit Tigers.
Despite its long history in the minor league, the Mud Hens have been unable to lift any class title so far. However, they are the 1968, 2005, and 2006 International League champions.
Their official mascots, Muddy and Muddonna, cheer for them at their home park of Fifth Third Field, located in Toledo, OH. Their previous park was the Ned Skeldon Stadium from 1965 to 2001.
Regarding the Mud Hens' history, the team played in the Interstate League from 1896 to 1900. They then shifted to the Western Association in 1901, the American Association from 1902 to 1913, and the Southern Michigan League in 1914.
The team did not play in 1915 but then returned to the American Association in 1916 and played until 1952. After that, the Mud Hens then moved to Charleston and became Charleston Senators till 1960.
The Mud Hens took different names, like the Toledo Sox and Wichita Braves, throughout the 1960s until the Richmond Virginians moved to Toledo and restored the former Mud Hens.
Akron RubberDucks
Akron RubberDucks are the Double-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. They play in the Eastern League and are based in Akron.
The nickname "RubberDucks" cites Akron's rich history in the rubber industry. Rubber giants including Goodyear, Firestone, B.F. Goodrich and General Tire were founded there.
In terms of the RubberDucks' playing history, the team was established in 1923 as the Binghamton Triplets in the New York–Penn League. They bagged ten titles over the next 46 seasons and became Manchester Yankees in 1968.
From 1972 till 1997, the Yankees changed their names to West Haven Yankees, Lynn Sailors, Lynn Pirates, Vermont Reds, Vermont Mariners, Canton-Akron Indians, and Akron Aeros.
The Aeros changed its name to RubberDucks on October 29, 2013. Since then, the RubberDucks have won two league titles so far, first in 2016 and recently in 2021. Homer has been their official mascot since 2011.
Dayton Dragons
Dayton Dragons are the High-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds in the Midwest League. Their affiliation with the Reds has continued since 1999.
They were previously known as Rockford Reds in 1999 but changed to their current name in the 2000 season. The Dragons have not won any league titles so far but have bagged six division titles in 1988, 1993, 1994, 2001, 2011, and 2021.
Similarly, they play their home games at Day Air Ballpark, previously known as Fifth Third Field, based in Dayton, Ohio.
Dragons hold the record for the most consecutive sellouts by a professional sports team when they sold out their 815th consecutive game in 2011. The previous record was held by the Portland Trail Blazers.
Regarding the team's history, the Dragons were first founded as Rockford Expos in 1988. The team became Rockford Royals in 1993 and Rockford Cubbies from 1995 to 1998.
Palisades Arcadia Baseball LLC owns the team's ownership since 2014. Three dragons, Heater, Gem, and Wink, are their official mascots.
Lake County Captains
Lake County Captains are another member of Minor League Baseball Teams Cleveland. Lake County is a High-A level team in the farm system.
The Captains play in the Midwest League against the Dragons. They are based in Eastlake, while their home ballpark is Classic Park.
The team was founded in 1991 as Columbus Indians playing in the South Atlantic League. From 1992 to 2002, they played in Class A of the Midwest League. Starting the 2021 season, they moved to the High-A class. Their previous ballpark was Golden Park from 1991 to 2002.
Skipper, Skippy, Captain Clipper, and Captain Kenny are the team's official mascots with an aim to represent the county's maritime heritage.
The Captains are the winners of the 2010 Midwest League champions. The team honors their players and alumni in the Lake County Captains Call-Up Club at Classic Park.
With a history of three decades of existence, Lake County Captains are some of the new Minor League Baseball teams in the current scenario.
Lake Erie Crushers
Lake Erie Crushers is currently the only independent baseball team in Ohio. They play in the Frontier League as a part of their West Division.
As the league is not affiliated with MLB, they do not have any major pro team representing them. The Crushers are best known as the 2009 Frontier League champion.
They had won the tournament in their inaugural season. Meanwhile, they have been the division champions on two occasions, in 2013 and 2019.
Meanwhile, Lake Erie Crushers have reached the Frontier League postseason in 2011, 2013, 2014, and 2019. The Crushers play at their home ground of Mercy Health Stadium in Avon, Ohio.
The stadium has a capacity of 5,000 seats, and their official mascot, Stomper, does not miss a chance to appear to support them. After the 2022 season, the Crushers registered a record of 603 wins and 545 losses, with a winning percentage of .525.
Lake Erie Crushers conclude the list of Ohio minor league baseball teams. Accordingly, Tennessee also boasts some of the notable MiLB teams.
