Minors Madness, the quest for the top team name in MiLB: Round 2

Thirty-two teams remain in Minors Madness.

Yesterday, we wrapped up the first round of voting to determine the top team name in Minor League Baseball, and we had four upsets, all of them squeakers. They were:

• No. 9 Timber Rattlers over No. 8 Quakes, 52.6 to 47.4 percent
• No. 10 Nuts over No. 7 Storm Chasers, by just 10 votes
• No. 9 TinCaps over No. 8 Dust Devils, by five votes
• No. 10 IronBirds over No. 7 Barons, by three votes

Three votes! That’s the good stuff right there, a half-court shot made at the buzzer. When I checked on the voting midway through the day, the Storm Chasers and Dust Devils held narrow leads. Now, they’re eliminated. Let’s take a look at who survived:

Today, we really get down to business. What’s left is the cream of the minor-league crop, the top quarter of team names in MiLB. We’ve lost three of four No. 8 seeds and all but one No. 7 seed, and more upsets may be in the offing. I have no idea how to handicap No. 4 Jumbo Shrimp vs. No. 5 Mighty Mussels, or the similarly seeded No. 4 Chihuahuas vs. No. 5 River Bandits. Will we say goodbye to a No. 1 or No. 2 seed for the first time? All I know is it will be a shame to lose one of the Biscuits and Smokies. Biscuits and smokies sound delicious.

As always, weigh in with your votes and your comments. Polls will close at midnight ET. Results will be revealed Thursday, when Round 3 starts.

(On mobile, use two fingers to scroll down the poll. If you have trouble with the embedded poll, click here to vote. If you’re running into frequent redirect notices when opening links in the poll on mobile, try opening the poll in a separate window.)

 

(Photo illustration by Eamonn Dalton / The Athletic; Photos: Cliff Welch, Jeremy Drey, Michael Chang / Getty Images)