Minor League Baseball and its 160 clubs in the U.S. and Canada combined for a record $85.7 million in licensed merchandise sales in 2019, according to data recently compiled by MiLB and shared with its teams.
That’s up 16% from 2018’s $73.9 million and marks the category’s 10th consecutive annual increase. The only time the league saw a bigger year-over-year surge was in 1994, when Michael Jordan’s stint with the Birmingham (Ala.) Barons helped drive sales up 50% over the previous year.
Rocket City Trash Pandas
Overall merchandise numbers, with each club keeping what it sales after expenses, have doubled since 2005. The entire 2020 MiLB season has been canceled because of the pandemic.
The 2019 top-25 list is stocked with clubs that have made the list at least 20 times: the Durham Bulls, Sacramento River Cats and Toledo Mud Hens (all Class AAA); and the Portland Sea Dogs and Trenton Thunder (both Class AA).
Amarillo Sod Poodles
But it was new or rebranded clubs that drove last year’s sales.
The Class AAA Las Vegas Aviators ditched their longtime “51s” moniker (a nod to the nearby alien-friendly Area 51), moved into the new $150 million Las Vegas Ballpark in the area’s affluent Summerlin community and became the first MiLB team since 2015 to draw more than 650,000 fans in a season.
Similarly, the Class AA Amarillo (Texas) Sod Poodles, a new club in a new ballpark in a market that hadn’t hosted affiliated baseball since 1982, made the list. A new town, logo and ballpark helped spur the Fayetteville (N.C.) Woodpeckers to a reported $1.2 million in merchandise sales.
There was also rebrand success without a new ballpark. The Class A Wisconsin Timber Rattlers — a favorite logo among youth leagues — hired San Diego-based Brandiose to design a 25th season logo, helping the club make the list for the first time since its 10-year streak ended in 2015. Brandiose also did a makeover for the Class AAA Fresno Grizzlies, which returned to the list following a two-year absence.
Other highlights from the data:
■ The Class AA Rocket City (Ala.) Trash Pandas were one of the top sellers in 2019, but did not officially make the list because they have yet to play a game. It was announced prior to the 2018 season that the Mobile (Ala.) BayBears would move five hours north to Madison, Ala. Their new moniker was revealed, giving the club nearly two years of sales opportunities before the first pitch was scheduled to be thrown in the new $46 million Toyota Field. As of July 20, the club had sold more than $2.8 million in merchandise, said Ralph Nelson, the club’s president and CEO. “I have no real gauge but have been told over and over that this is by far the most merchandise ever sold by a team that has never thrown a pitch,’’ he said. “I have no idea how you can confirm this, but the people who have told me this know this business.”
■ New Era reported retail sales of more than $20 million, becoming the first licensee to generate $1 million in royalties in a single year. The headwear category represented 42% of MiLB’s licensed sales and saw a 10% growth in sales.
■ Plush toy maker Mascot Factory saw its sales rise more than 40%, helping boost the hard goods category by 20% overall.
