| Amarillo Sod Poodles | |||||
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| Minor league affiliations | |||||
| Class | Double-A (2019–present) | ||||
| League | Texas League (2019–present) | ||||
| Division | South Division | ||||
| Major league affiliations | |||||
| Team | Arizona Diamondbacks (2021–present) | ||||
| Previous teams | San Diego Padres (2019–2020) | ||||
| Minor league titles | |||||
| League titles(2) |
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| Division titles(2) |
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| First-half titles(1) | 2019 | ||||
| Second-half titles(2) |
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| Team data | |||||
| Name | Amarillo Sod Poodles (2019–present) | ||||
| Colors | Texas blue, Amarillo yellow, Route 66 retro blue, Texas red, white[1] | ||||
| Ballpark | Hodgetown (2019–present) | ||||
Owner/ Operator | Elmore Sports Group | ||||
| General manager | Tony Ensor[2] | ||||
| Manager | Javier Colina | ||||
| Website | milb.com/amarillo | ||||
TheAmarillo Sod Poodles, nicknamed theSoddies, are aMinor League Baseball team of theTexas League and theDouble-A affiliate of theArizona Diamondbacks. They are located inAmarillo, Texas, and play their home games atHodgetown in downtown Amarillo.[3]
On June 21, 2017, David G. Elmore, president of Elmore Sports Group, announced the relocation of theSan Antonio Missions Double-A franchise to Amarillo in 2019, with the team set to compete in the Texas League under a new nickname.[4] This move was part of a larger relocation wherein theTriple-AColorado Springs Sky Sox of thePacific Coast League relocated toSan Antonio in 2019, continuing the use of the Missions nickname at the Triple-A level, and theHelena Brewers of the rookie levelPioneer League moved to Colorado Springs.[5]
The organization officially states that team's name was decided in a name-the-team contest.[6] Five finalists were selected: "Boot Scooters," "Bronc Busters," "Jerky," "Long Haulers," and "Sod Poodles."[7] The names received negative feedback from locals over their absurd nature, but the team indicated their intention to adopt an unusual, family-friendly name.[8]Brandiose, a branding firm inSan Diego, were asked to create a new identity for the team. Their staff selected the Sod Poodles name after visiting Amarillo and researching its history.[9] The name "Sod Poodle" is a local term for theprairie dog, which is highly prevalent inWest Texas.[10] The name was meant to convey the values of sticking together, being family oriented, and self sufficient.[9]
Amarillo's home ballpark was namedHodgetown in honor of Amarillo pharmacist, businessman, philanthropist, and 26th Mayor of Amarillo Jerry Hodge.[11]
As the Double-A affiliate of theSan Diego Padres,[12] the Sod Poodles played their first game, a 5–2 loss, on April 4, 2019, against theCorpus Christi Hooks atWhataburger Field inCorpus Christi.[13] Their first win came the next evening when they defeated the Hooks, 7–5. The winning run was scored in the top of the seventh inning when Matthew Battentripled and later scored on aBuddy Reedsingle.[14] In their inaugural home opener on April 8, the Sod Poodles lost to theMidland RockHounds, 9–4 in 10 innings.[15] The opener was attended by 7,175 people.[16]
In the 2019 Texas League South Series, the Sod Poodles fell behind 2 games to none against the Midland RockHounds, before winning 3 straight games in Midland to advance to the Championship Series against theTulsa Drillers, who defeated theArkansas Travelers 3 games to 2.
In the 2019 Championship Series, Amarillo won game 1 by a score of 13-6 at Hodgetown, while falling 18-9 in game 2. As the series shifted to Tulsa, the Drillers took a 2 games to 1 in game 3 with a 2-0 win. The Sod Poodles battled back with a game 4 victory by a score of 3-0. In game 5, the Sod Poodles were down 3-1 in the top of the ninth beforeTaylor Trammell hit a grand slam to take a lead that the Sod Poodles would never relinquish, en route to a Texas League championship in their inaugural season.[17]
On December 9, 2020, theArizona Diamondbacks extended an invitation to the Sod Poodles to become their Double-A affiliate as a part ofMajor League Baseball's 2021 reorganization of the minor leagues.[18] In a further change, they were organized into theDouble-A Central.[19] In 2022, the Double-A Central became known as the Texas League, the name historically used by the regional circuit prior to the 2021 reorganization.[20]
In 2022,Veronica Gajownik coached for the Sod Poodles.[21]
In March 2023 the Sod Poodles won top team name in MiLB as voted by subscribers of The Athletic.[22] The franchise won the 2023Minor League Baseball Organization of the Year Award.[23]
| Season | PDC | Division | Finish | Wins | Losses | Win% | Postseason | Manager | Attendance | |
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| Amarillo Sod Poodles | ||||||||||
| 2019 † | SD | South | 2nd | 72 | 66 | .522 | Won First-Half Southern Division title Won Southern Division title vs.Midland RockHounds, 3–2 WonTL championship vs.Tulsa Drillers, 3–2 | Phillip Wellman | 427,791 | |
| 2021 | ARI | South | 3rd | 59 | 61 | .492 | — | Shawn Roof | 316,288 | |
| 2022 | ARI | South | 2nd | 68 | 68 | .500 | — | Shawn Roof | 379,039 | |
| 2023 † | ARI | South | 1st | 77 | 61 | .558 | Won Second-Half Southern Division title Won Southern Division title vs.San Antonio Missions, 2–1 WonTL championship vs.Arkansas Travelers, 2–1 | Shawn Roof | 355,440 | |
| 2024 | ARI | South | 4th | 58 | 79 | .423 | — | Tim Bogar | 340,033 | |
| 2025 | ARI | South | 2nd | 71 | 67 | .515 | Won Second-Half Southern Division title | Javier Colina | 319,647 | |
| * Division winner | † League champions |
| Players | Coaches/Other |
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Pitchers
Catchers
Infielders
Outfielders
| Manager
Coaches
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| Level | Team | League | Location | Manager |
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| Triple-A | Reno Aces | Pacific Coast League | Reno, Nevada | Blake Lalli |
| Double-A | Amarillo Sod Poodles | Texas League | Amarillo, Texas | Shawn Roof |
| High-A | Hillsboro Hops | Northwest League | Hillsboro, Oregon | Vince Harrison |
| Single-A | Visalia Rawhide | California League | Visalia, California | Javier Colina |
| Rookie | AZL D-backs | Arizona League | Scottsdale, Arizona | Rolando Arnedo |
| DSL D-backs 1 | Dominican Summer League | Boca Chica,Santo Domingo | Jaime Del Valle | |
| DSL D-backs 2 | Ronald Ramirez |
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