Atlanta Braves fans in Mississippi were understandably upset when it was revealed that the Pearl, MS would no longer be the home of the Braves' Double-A affiliate. The Braves decided not to renew their lease there and instead were going to be creating a brand new affiliate in Columbus, GA.
For the Braves, the move made sense as it would make it where all of their full season minor league affiliates be in Georgia where both the bulk of their most rabid fans are as well as where it is easier/less expensive for the team to monitor prospects' development closer to Atlanta. Still, it felt pretty bad to bring an end to an era of minor league baseball in the community of Pearl and hopefully another team chooses to call Trustmark Park home again.
With the creation of a new team, that means new minor league branding which can be a lot of fun. The reaction to the change to the Gwinnett Stripers was mixed as they initially let the public vote only to ignore the finalists almost entirely. The newly minted Rome Emperors were initially scorned because fans just wanted them to stay the Braves forever, but the team has done well to make the branding their own. Now, joining the Braves' minor league ranks will be the Columbus Clingstones which...does not sound quite as snappy as we would have hoped.
Columbus Clingstones announced as newest Braves minor league affiliate
So, there is a bit to unpack here and we will focus on the positives first. One, "clingstone" is a variety of peach which certainly has a strong Georgia connection and the initially artwork for the branding does look good. The name is also alliterative which at least helps it roll off the tongue a bit.
However, this name also feels like a bit too much "inside baseball" and feels like a missed opportunity for something catchier or more humorous. Just in the Southern League alone, the Rocket City Trash Pandas got revealed to widespread acclaim and presumably a ton of merch sales just as an example. Instead, the team went with a variety of peach which could create some cheeky marketing opportunities, but also is probably going to elicit a lot of "what is a clingstone?" questions which isn't an ideal marketing move.
Ultimately, what matters is how the team executes on the marketing side. There are plenty of minor league teams with questionable name choices (the Down East Wood Ducks come to mind), but it is the team connects with the community in Columbus and Braves fans that will determine if the move will be a successful one. Given that there is a history of minor league baseball in Columbus, they certainly have a fighting chance.