'Big Apples' alternate identity makes Yankees' affiliate New York to the core

The Hudson Valley Renegades, seeking to celebrate core aspects of their home state, planted a seed that has now borne fruit. At a gala event on Friday morning, the New York Yankees' High-A affiliate unveiled their "Big Apples" alternate identity.

New York state is the second-largest producer of apples in the nation, and the Hudson Valley region is home to a preponderance of apple orchards. In this regard, Big Apples is a natural complement to the Renegades' prior local food-themed identity, the Cider Donuts. Of course, Big Apples is also a tribute to the Big Apple itself, New York City, located approximately 100 miles south of the Hudson Valley. The Renegades' affiliation with the Yankees began in 2021, further solidifying the connection between the two locales.

• Pick your own Big Apples merchandise

"Where Cider Donuts was very Hudson Valley-focused, this gives us an opportunity to branch out," said Joe Vasile, the Renegades PR director and broadcaster. "This is more of a broad celebration of the state of New York. ... We wanted to find something that would tie together all these different parts of the state, and Big Apples seemed like the perfect thing for that."

The Renegades will play as the Big Apples on three occasions in 2025 -- July 26, Aug. 15 and Sept. 4 -- modeling logos and uniforms designed by San Diego-based Brandiose. The Big Apple depicted in the primary logo is named Empire, referencing New York's nickname as well as a variety of apples first derived within the state. Empire carries the Statue of Liberty's torch in his left hand and wears a giant foam finger on his right. The logo is incorporated into a blue and gold color scheme modeled after the colors of the New York state flag.

"We were really intentional about when we wanted the first [Big Apples] game to be," said Vasile. "July 26 coincides with the date in 1788 when New York signed the Constitution and officially became a state. ... The New York ratifying convention took place in Poughkeepsie at the Dutchess County courthouse. So, just 25 miles north of the ballpark is where that happens."

Friday morning's Big Apples unveiling, held at the Renegade's home of Heritage Financial Park, featured representatives from apple orchards throughout the region. The team also announced a continuation of their partnership with Hudson North Cider, who previously worked with the Renegades on a Cider Donuts-inspired beverage.

"They're going to do a special Big Apple cider and it's going to use New Paltz apples, which is a town not that far from us," said Vasile. "So, another local tie-in with that."

Big Apples merchandise is now on sale, at the ballpark and online. While the Renegades gained notoriety for its scented Cider Donuts merchandise, the Big Apples offerings are currently aroma free.

"We talked about it, but couldn't figure out what we wanted the smell to be," said Vasile. "Apple-scented would probably be too close to what we had with Cider Donuts and then it's, well, what kind of smell would make it smell like New York?"