Orioles Double-A affiliate unveils incredible new alternate logo

Minor league baseball teams are known for, among other things, their wild uniforms and unique team names. Doing weird stuff is a great way to differentiate yourself in a very crowded marketplace and these types of announcements always drum up a bunch of conversation about the franchise. At the end of the day, it's all about getting fans to the ballpark, and making a bunch of noise can be a great way to do so.

Well, the Orioles Double-A affiliate, the Chesapeake Baysox (formerly Bowie) have done just that. The Baysox have announced an alternate uniform, actually an alternate identity, that they'll take on during a handful of games later this summer. And it's a doozy, in a good way.

The Baysox will occasionally go by the moniker "Chesapeake Oyster Catchers", which is of course a reference to the Oyster Catcher, a species of bird found in the Chesapeake Bay area. The logos themselves are stunning. The mean looking bird perched on an orange bat, highlighted with a teal glow around the edge. They're going to sell a ton of merchandise with that logo on it.

Chesapeake Baysox unveil excellent new alternate logo

In a bit of a laugh, they also released a second logo as part of the announcement. It was a glove catching an oyster, and the pearl of the oyster was a baseball. It was a unique looking logo that appeared innocent enough to most. However, some fans took exception to the mockup, instead seeing something different in the design.

The Baysox decided to repost the initial announcement without the glove logo. However, several hours later they decided to walk it back and try to make light of the situation. They're currently doing a promo where 10% of all merchandise sales during Women's History Month (the rest of March) will be donated to I Am Cervivor, a foundation focused on cervical cancer awareness.

The decision by the Baysox to donate proceeds to the foundation was a great decision, and a fun way to turn what was a viral "yikes" moment into something meaningful. Hats off to the Baysox and their decision here.

Not all fans were thrilled when the Baysox decided to rebrand themselves. They'd built a following going by the Bowie moniker and it can be difficult for people when your hometown team changes its name like the Baysox did. However, Chesapeake has a nice ring to it and overall the transition has been solid so far. Add in the new Oyster Catchers look and it's easy to say that things are going well for the organization.