Minor League Baseball nurtures future big-league talent, sure. But it’s also home to some of the quirkiest, most imaginative fan experiences in all of sports. With looser rules, local flair, and a whole lot of creative freedom, MiLB teams have become masters of turning a simple baseball game into something way more memorable. Let’s look at five recent or ongoing promotions that show just how weird and wonderful baseball events can be.
Taco Truck Throwdown – Fresno Grizzlies
What started as a fun food festival in 2011 has become a full-blown community tradition in Fresno. The Taco Truck Throwdown is a citywide celebration of one of California’s most beloved street foods. During the event, dozens of taco trucks line up outside Chukchansi Park, serving everything from classic carne asada to Korean fusion tacos.
The Grizzlies even rebrand themselves as the “Fresno Tacos” for select games, complete with taco-themed uniforms. It’s become one of the most iconic promotions in all of Minor League Baseball, drawing thousands of fans and serious local pride. By 2023, the event had expanded to include a music festival, luchador wrestling, and a taco-eating contest, and it is still one of the locals’ favorite events.
“Ozempig” mascot – St. Paul Saints
The St. Paul Saints have always leaned into chaos. Their promotions often walk the line between funny and controversial, and “Ozempig” is no exception. Introduced in 2023, Ozempig is a pig mascot whose name riffs on the popular diabetes drug Ozempic, often associated with weight loss.
Naturally, the idea sparked some backlash, but the team stood by it, pointing to its long history of using pigs as ball-delivering mascots and making light of current events. The pig trots baseballs out to the umpire during games and, in a bizarre running gag, “gains weight” as the season progresses. Like it or not, fans show up—and talk about it.
Copa de la Diversión – League-wide
Launched in 2018 and expanded each year since, Copa de la Diversión (“Fun Cup”) has become one of the most successful and culturally meaningful initiatives in MiLB history. The campaign celebrates Latino communities through on-field rebrands, with teams adopting new names, logos, and uniforms inspired by local Hispanic heritage.
In 2024, the program featured a record 98 participating clubs, including returning favorites like the “Mariachis de Nuevo México” (Albuquerque Isotopes) and newcomers like the “Los Quesos Fundidos” (El Paso Chihuahuas). Teams often coordinate music, food vendors, and in-game announcements to reflect the community they celebrate.
Roto-Rooter toilet row – Lake County Captains
Yes, it’s real. In 2024, the Lake County Captains (High-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians) installed a “toilet row” directly behind home plate. These aren’t just seats shaped like toilets — they are toilets. Eight of them. Plumbed? No. Hilarious? Absolutely.
Marketed in partnership with Roto-Rooter, each $16 ticket includes a seat on the porcelain throne and access to a luxury attendant named Horatio who provides everything from breath mints to moist towelettes. It’s absurd, but it works. The seats often sell out, and the team has embraced the promotion as a signature talking point for the 2024 season.
Trenton Goldens – Trenton Thunder
Trenton Thunder fans already love their bat dogs, but in 2024, the team took things further by launching an entire alternate identity: the Trenton Goldens. The team donned new uniforms with gold-and-black branding, paid tribute to their canine companions between innings, and leaned into a brand that resonated with both animal lovers and longtime fans.
The response was so positive that the Thunder announced plans to keep the Goldens brand as a permanent alternate. On Goldens’ nights, the team hosts dog-related activities, special giveaways, and bat-retrieving demos from the franchise’s beloved golden retrievers.
Conclusion
While Major League Baseball focuses on big contracts and playoff races, the minors are where the fun lives. Promotions like these are a reminder that baseball, at its best, is a community experience.
At the same time, you can have fun and bet on baseball games purely from a technical perspective (who wins), and have fun by enjoying the love for the sport itself. So next time you hear someone say minor league games are just about the prospects, remind them: it’s also about pigs, tacos, and toilets. And that’s kind of the point.
