Rangers announce new minor-league affiliate and identity for 2025 season

Minor league teams are the backbone of every MLB organization. It's where teams can allow their prospects to grow and develop as they try to make the major league roster. The Texas Rangers have four minor league teams, and one of them has a cool name: the Down East Wood Ducks.

However, it was announced on Saturday that the Ducks will be no more after the current minor league season. Here is where they are moving and what the new team identity will be next year.

It was announced that the Rangers will move their Single-A affiliate to Spartanburg, South Carolina, and will be named the Hub City Spartanburgers. Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reported that the move was finalized in May of 2023, and not all the financial information was disclosed. Since the finalization last year, the Rangers have been silent on the move until everything was unveiled Saturday.

Since 2022, Major League teams can only have four teams per organization. There is a Single-A, High-A, Double-A, and Triple-A level. Before this rule was established, some organizations had multiple teams at different levels. Forty affiliates were let go, and the 120 teams received ten-year licenses.

The Rangers plan on keeping their three other minor league teams where they are. There were some rumors that the Hickory Crawdads would be moved to Louisiana, but that looks unlikely with the announcement on Saturday. Wood Ducks fans will still get to cheer on their team one last summer before they move to South Carolina.

The Rangers' minor league affiliates have helped develop familiar names. Ian Kinsler, Neftali Feliz, Elvis Andrus, and others have come up through the minor league system before making their MLB debut with the franchise. Prospects like Johnathan Ornelas, Dustin Harris, and Emiliano Teodo are rising through the Rangers minor league ranks, and they could be future players for the organization. It will be exciting to see which prospects are the first to wear Spartanburger jerseys next season, so stay tuned!