Our Facebook page has been keeping up with the news of the possible changing name for the Staten Island Yankees. Early in 2016, the minor league baseball team affiliated with the New York Yankees announced that they wanted to change the team name that they had since 1999. However, the name change has been put on hold!
The Staten Island Yankees are Staten Island's minor league baseball team, nicknamed the "Baby Bombers" being affiliated with the New York Yankees, play in the New York-Penn League at the Richmond County Ballpark situated along the waterfront in St. George.
Over the summer, in June 2016, the team announced they wanted to change the team's name in hopes that the rebranding will spike popularity and raise the sales of tickets. They even turned to the public and Staten Island residents for suggestions on the new name.
In September, the club narrowed the suggestions down to the top 5 names to be voted on and polled online by fans. The names were the Staten Island Bridge Trolls, Staten Island Heros, Staten Island Killer Bees, Staten Island Pizza Rats and Staten Island Rock Pigeons. While Pizza Rat was a favorite early on, there were still people who were not happy with any of the potential choices, given additional suggestions such as the Staten Island Navigators and Staten Island Generals. Councilwoman Debi Rose took to Facebook, posting that she was disappointed with these suggestions and pitched the "Captains", "Commodores", or, being that the stadium will be next to the New York Wheel, the "Big Wheelers", aiming for names that can spotlight Staten Island in a positive title.
However, on December 19th, 2016, it was announced that the name will remain the same for the 2017 season due to delays in getting a new moniker and logo approved.
The team president, Will Smith, stated that they had a name, logo, and branding plan ready to go but encountered obstacles that lead to the delay of the process that goes further than just industry deadlines.
The new season will begin on June 19th, 2017, versing the Brooklyn Cyclones at Richmond County Ballpark, keepings their name, the Staten Island Yankees, for the time being.
