Chesapeake Performance: Orioles affiliate changes name, expands parameters

The Bowie Baysox, established as the Baltimore Orioles' Double-A affiliate in 1993, have always referenced Chesapeake Bay in their name. Today, during an unveiling event at Annapolis's Chesapeake Bay Foundation, this connection was made explicit: The Bowie Baysox are now the Chesapeake Baysox.

The Baysox have an updated name and a new look, but will continue to operate out of Bowie's Prince George's Stadium. The switch to Chesapeake as the team's geographical signifier reflects the expansion of its fan base. Bowie is located approximately 20 miles west of Chesapeake Bay, with the Chesapeake Bay region including parts of six states as well as Washington, D.C.

"Chesapeake Baysox highlights the sense of pride in the region and a larger family of fans that are now supporting the team," said team owner Greg Baroni, CEO of Attain Sports. "While our new name reflects the broader fan base, we're honored to hold on to the local traditions and spirit of the Bowie name. We like to refer to it as Bowie, the home of the Chesapeake Baysox."

Attain Sports purchased the Baysox prior to the 2022 season and its portfolio also includes a Maryland team one rung below Bowie in the Baltimore system, the High-A Aberdeen IronBirds. The Orioles farm system also includes the Single-A Delmarva Shorebirds and Triple-A Norfolk Tides, in Maryland and Virginia respectively. No other MLB organization has all of its affiliates clustered in such close proximity to the parent club.

"The nice thing about having access to digital data, now we can actually understand who our fans are and where they're coming from," Baroni said. "The 2024 season, for example, we welcomed fans from 378 zip codes all of Maryland's 23 counties. Beyond that, we welcomed fans from 1,733 zip codes, from 42 states."

The Chesapeake Baysox logos were created by Baltimore-based Younts Design, whose clients over the years have included a variety of professional baseball teams (including the Orioles). The new primary logo features a blue crab waving the Maryland state flag, which is affixed to a baseball bat. Separate wordmarks for both Chesapeake and Baysox depict rolling waves, while an alternate "B" logo" also features rolling waves.

"It was intentionally designed to include the things that relate to this region," said Baroni. "The Bay-inspired waves, the audacious crab, the bat. Everything that embraces the region is how Younts and our sports marketing came up with this branding identity."

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Friday's unveiling marked the start of a new era for the Baysox, with Baroni hinting at more changes to come.

"The [ballpark] experience is not only going to reflect the new team identity, but also strengthening the fan connection," he said. "Great baseball, affordable family entertainment, deepening our partnerships with the community. Those kind of themes are going to resonate, and [fans] are going to see visual connection with those strategic priorities for us."