#527: Red Sox prospect Nelly Taylor, Salt Lake’s Derek Amicone, Halloween identities

October 31, 2025·1 hr 32 min·5 clips

Trey Savage struck out 12 in Game 5, setting a rookie record last held in 1949.

This episode of the official Minor League Baseball podcast features hosts Tyler Maun, Sam Dykstra, and Benjamin Hill discussing Halloween-themed team identities and a new ballpark. They begin with a segment on Ben's Biz Banter, focusing on recently released alternate team brands. The Beloit Sky Carp introduced the "Eerie Wearies" identity, inspired by the spooky Weary Road in Evansville, Wisconsin. The Worcester Red Sox unveiled three new alternate identities for 2026, including a throwback to their Pawtucket "Hot Wieners" brand. The hosts also discuss the Rochester Red Wings' "Grim and Depressing" merchandise line, born from a New York Post columnist's description. Memorable Halloween identities like the defunct Casper Ghosts and the Asheville Tourists' glow-in-the-dark hats are highlighted. The Erie SeaWolves' "Howling Dead" skeleton logo and the Medicine Hat Blue Jays are also mentioned as notable examples. The Beloit Sky Carp are giving away a batting practice tunnel, termed a "batting turtle," through a social media contest. A key insight is the Worcester Red Sox reviving a Pawtucket identity after relocating, which the hosts call a unique "throwback alternate identity." The "Eerie Wearies" logo depicts a vintage car on a haunted road with animated trees. The "Kelly Squares" identity features an anthropomorphic, stressed-out strip of asphalt driving a car. The hosts note the cultural phenomenon of Weary Road, where locals tell supernatural stories about its eerie atmosphere. They find humor in the self-referential stress of the Kelly Square logo, relating it to their own driving anxieties. The episode includes an interview with Salt Lake Bees Senior Director of Operations Derek Amicone. Amicone discusses growing up around the Bees, with his father serving as general manager for two decades. He shares memories of taking ground balls from future Major Leaguers like Howie Kendrick as a teenager. The conversation covers the operational challenges of the old Smith's Ballpark versus the new Ballpark at America First Square in Daybreak. Amicone highlights the new facility's player amenities, including a locker room praised as better than some Major League spaces. He describes the unique fan experience of field suites located only 50 feet from home plate. The tone is conversational and humorous, filled with inside jokes and personal anecdotes about minor league life. The style is educational for fans interested in team branding, ballpark operations, and obscure baseball history. Listeners who enjoy deep dives into Minor League Baseball's quirky alternate identities and behind-the-scenes operations will love this episode. Those seeking analysis of on-field play or major league news might want to skip it.

As heard by us

Halloween-week banter and ballpark logistics make this a warm, digressive Minor League Baseball hangout.

Halloween week gives the episode a playful edge, and the early banter leans into that mood before the conversation settles into the show’s usual rhythm.

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Why you'd press play

For a Halloween-week baseball hangout that starts with banter and turns into Smith's Ballpark memories.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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