The Origins Of MLB Team Names, Ranked By How Well They Fit Their City

Location: Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Mascot(s): Bernie Brewer, Barrelman, Hank the Ballpark Pup, Famous Racing Sausages 

How They Got Their Name: Initially based in Seattle and called the Pilots, the future Milwaukee Brewers moved to their current home in 1970. After only one year on the West Coast, the Pilots's sub-par stadium and financial woes prompted Allan “Bud” Selig to buy the team and bring it to his hometown. In the process, he renamed the franchise and called it the Brewers after several previous baseball teams with the same name.

The reason Brewers was so commonly used in Milwaukee had to do with the city's brewing history. From the 1840s forward, beer brewers like Pabst, Schlitz, and Miller made Milwaukee home. Baseball teams named the “Brewers” began to play as early as the 1880s. 

For the first half of the 20th century, a minor league team called the Brewers - one Selig liked as a child - played in Milwaukee. When the Boston Braves moved to Milwaukee in 1953, the Brewers left. The arrival of baseball in 1970 meant a rebirth of the name and a welcomed return to the sport.

Location: Denver Colorado

Mascot: Dinger the Triceratops

How They Got Their Name: Denver has been home to several minor-league baseball teams and even had a team in the short-lived Continental League established during the mid-20th century. It wasn't until 1993, however, that Denver's MLB team played its first game.

Two teams were added to MLB in early 1991, one in Miami, and one in Denver. Once Denver secured a team, choosing a name didn't involve the city's baseball history. Rather, the name came from a National Hockey League franchise that had come and gone from the city.

"Colorado Rockies” had been used by the hockey team of the same name from 1976 to 1982 and was already somewhat known to the region. When fans were asked to chime in on the name of the new baseball team, many wanted the Denver Bears (a former minor league team.) But, echoing the name was ideal for the new team. Having “Colorado” in the name opened up the fanbase to a larger audience, as did the inclusion of “Rockies” - a nod to the mountain range. 

Location: Houston, Texas

Mascot: Orbit the Alien

How They Got Their Name: Houston's minor league baseball team, the Buffaloes (or Buffs) was purchased by the Houston Sports Association in 1961. This was so the franchise could be shifted over to the major league. A new league and level of play meant a new name for the Buffs - the Colt .45s.

After playing as the Colt .45s until 1964, the team again changed its name. This time, according to the Astros's website, the new name is an homage to the “Houston-based NASA-manned Space Center and the local astronauts.” The new domed stadium, which opened in 1965, was also called the Astrodome. 

Location: Baltimore, Maryland

Mascot: The Oriole Bird

How They Got Their Name: After moving from Milwaukee to St. Louis and then to Baltimore, the team that became the Orioles arrived in Maryland in 1954. Previously called the Milwaukee Brewers and the St. Louis Browns, Baltimore's new team essentially filled a gap left by four former baseball teams that had come and gone over the years. All of those groups were called the Orioles so adopting that name made sense.

But, the connection to the bird doesn't stop there. Baltimore orioles are commonly found in the North Eastern and Mid-Atlantic parts of the United States. The bird was named because its orange and black (for males) coloring resembled those on the coat-of-arms of Lord Baltimore, the 17th-century lord who received the charter for Maryland from King Charles II.The Baltimore oriole is also the state bird of Maryland.

Location: Arlington, Texas

Mascot: Rangers Captain

How They Got Their Name: The Texas Rangers were established when the Washington Senators (an iteration that entered Washington, DC, after the first one moved to Minnesota) relocated in 1971. 

The Senators, established in 1961, left the nation's capital under the leadership of owner Robert Short. The move was not well-received and fans stormed the field during the last game in Washington. The team did relocate, however, and announced its new name in November 1971. 

The Rangers are named after the Texas-based law enforcement agency of the same name that was established in 1823. It was Short who reportedly decided to adopt the name. 

Widespread calls for the Rangers to rename themselves in 2020 as the Black Lives Matter movement grew were rebuffed by the team. A statement from the Rangers read:

While we may have originally taken our name from the law enforcement agency, since 1971 the Texas Rangers Baseball Club has forged its own, independent identity… he Texas Rangers Baseball Club stands for equality. We condemn racism, bigotry and discrimination in all forms.

Location: Seattle, Washington

Mascot: Mariner Moose

How They Got Their Name: The Mariners aren't the first MLB team to call Seattle home, and there is a connection to their predecessor, the short-lived Seattle Pilots. The Mariners were established in 1977 after Seattle, King County, and Washington state sued the American League for breach of contract. Those three parties alleged massive financial losses as a result of the Pilots's exit in 1970.

Seattle got a new team as condition for dropping the lawsuit. The name of the franchise was decided by Robert Szmodis after he won a contest for the honors. Szmodis, one of over 15,000 submissions, wrote,

I've selected the Mariners because of the natural association between the sea and Seattle and the people, who have been challenged and rewarded by it.

Szmodis won season tickets and a trip to the first game. Mysteriously, Szmodis disappeared before he could collect. It was later determined he had relocated, and to make up for the first prize that he never claimed, the Mariners offered to send him a bunch of memorabilia.