New ballpark dogs ready to play in 2020

Bat dogs stole the baseball spotlight last spring after Finn, of Triple-A Las Vegas, had to work overtime to fetch a bat thrown by a Pacific Coast League umpire. Finn's video went viral and inspired us to track down all the other hardworking dogs of baseball. (You should also probably check out this very important story about bat dogs from MLB.com.)

The pack is getting even bigger this year as four new dogs are getting ready to roam the fields of Minor League stadiums. Get to know the 2020 rookie class!
Turbo, the Class A Bowling Green Hot Rods' new pup, is already promoting custom phone wallpapers on his very own Twitter account.

Napping my way through Friday pic.twitter.com/y4HUwPYwJg

— Turbo (@HotRodsTurbo) January 17, 2020

I already got this bat dog thing down pic.twitter.com/sMggJTPbJ7

— Turbo (@HotRodsTurbo) January 2, 2020

Cooper joined the Double-A Tennessee Smokies' staff in December and wasted no time jumping on the field. It's unclear if Coop, a bloodhound, will have bat-fetching duties or will just watch the action:

It's official! Say hello to the newest member of our Front Office, Cooper! #MiLBIsFun #GoodBoy #TwitterMomentsOfDecade pic.twitter.com/gaf6KxUQMi

— Tennessee Smokies (@smokiesbaseball) December 5, 2019

Henley is off to a fast start, already rolling around in the grass at Class A Columbia:

Shoutout to our groundskeeper for getting a puppy 🐶

Meet Henley! pic.twitter.com/ESklmnec7u

— Columbia Fireflies (@ColaFireflies) January 29, 2020

The Class A Burlington Bees hired Ozzie to take over as the team's "director of fur and canine relations."

Today, we welcome the Bees new Director of Fur and Kanine Relations...Ozzie. Ozzie looks forward to spending his days in the Bees office and roaming Community Field for pupper romps. pic.twitter.com/6v95adMtiE

— Burlington Bees (@BurlingtonBees) January 13, 2020

We wait for Fridays like Ozzie waits for his bowl to be filled at lunchtime...and we’re both saying “where ya at?” pic.twitter.com/Spprbjkkbg

— Burlington Bees (@BurlingtonBees) January 29, 2020

Classic Canines

Finn the Bat Dog has more than 27,000 followers on Twitter thanks to his fame in Las Vegas. (Josh Holmberg)

Might be the loudest boo in the history of umpire’s. I still love you guys though!! ⁦@MiLB⁩ ⁦@SportsCenter⁩ ⁦@MLB⁩ ⁦@AviatorsLV⁩ ⁦@LVBallpark⁩ ⁦@notthefakeSVP⁩ #umpire pic.twitter.com/ACsm88seKi

— Finn The Bat Dog (@finnthebatdog) April 10, 2019

Ollie the Bat Dog worked many summers in New Hampshire before his retirement in 2018. He's the brother of former Trenton bat dog Derby and the uncle of current Trenton bat dog Rookie, and he occasionally comes out of retirement for special appearances. (Kevin Pataky/MiLB.com)

We also have a very special guest today. Ollie the bat dog will be joining us! pic.twitter.com/iJWvcq3Cxq

— Lansing Lugnuts (@LansingLugnuts) July 8, 2018

Here's Rookie, Trenton's current bat dog, who follows in the pawprints of his grandfather Chase and father, Derby. He was promoted to Triple-A in 2018, but was quickly sent back to Double-A after getting confused by the home dugout being on the third base side. (Christopher Shannon)

Oh boy. Rookie struggling (adorably) again at Triple-A.

Honestly, what he does up here is better than if he actually grabs the bat. pic.twitter.com/FVg7WnPksJ

— Conor Foley (@RailRidersTT) August 16, 2018

And in 2019, Rookie made it to Yankee Stadium for the ALDS!

Last night's Game 1 of the ALDS was so great. I loved watching all my friends on the @Yankees in action and getting the 10-4 win. I'm hoping for more of that tonight in Game 2 @yankeestadium. pic.twitter.com/QjrH0ROa3Z

— Rookie (@BatdogRookie) October 5, 2019

Umpires probably don't want to mess with Tech, a Belgian Malinois, who serves as the bat dog each Thursday for the Lexington Legends. (Jeff Moreland/MiLB.com)

Layla drops in on Clearwater Threshers games during their Dog Days of Summer promo nights. (Mark LoMoglio/MiLB.com)

Greensboro's Master Yogi Berra had an accident on the field in 2009, prompting him to be ejected (yes, really) by an umpire. (Dano Keeney/MiLB.com)

Jake the Diamond Dog (the name has been passed down) has been entertaining Minor League fans for more than 20 years. (Emily Jones/MiLB.com)

Deuce, who replaced Dinger, was a familiar site for a decade in Myrtle Beach. He retired in 2018, and the Pelicans have since welcomed Slider.

Since 2008, Deuce has greeted fans in the Pro Shop, run the umpires fresh baseballs, and circled the bases after each Bird's win. Tonight, after 10 years, we celebrate the best known dog in Myrtle Beach and wish this very good boy a happy retirement.

Thank you, Deuce. pic.twitter.com/fiBKxvr3yR

— Myrtle Beach Pelicans (@Pelicanbaseball) August 30, 2018

We have! Meet Slider 🐶 pic.twitter.com/h1HowkaUBD

— Myrtle Beach Pelicans (@Pelicanbaseball) April 10, 2019

Titus is the spokesdog for Canines for Veterans of Charleston. He helped fetch bats on Fridays in Charleston for the RiverDogs. (Cliff Welch/ MiLB.com)

Greensboro's bat dog, Miss Babe Ruth, seen in 2013. (Kevin Pataky/MiLB.com)
Miss Babe retired and Little Jackie Robinson currently holds the position in Greensboro:

"Put me in, Coach! I'm ready to play!" - Little Jackie Robinson pic.twitter.com/v9yPmO2lXr

— Greensboro Grasshoppers (@GSOHoppers) July 19, 2018

Trenton's former bat dog, Derby, seen here in 2014. (Kevin Pataky/MiLB.com)

Brooks, who was originally trained as a guide dog, is the current bat dog for the Double-A Frisco RoughRiders. Clearly, he's part of the team. (RoughRiders)
And we can't forget Chase, another in the long line of Trenton bat dogs:

On #NationalDogDay I have to tweet my favorite picture of Chase. He was so happy to have made it to the Majors at Yankee Stadium. #BatDog pic.twitter.com/KeqpUZFMca

— Eric Lipsman (@E_Lipsman) August 27, 2017