Independent pro baseball team 'Milwaukee Milkmen' to begin play at Franklin complex
The newest baseball team in town is taking its place in America's Dairyland to heart.
For the first time, Wisconsin will have an entrant in the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball, with the arrival of the "Milwaukee Milkmen," which will begin building a roster for its first season this spring and will ultimately play its home games at the new Ballpark Commons in Franklin.
The team's new name and logo was unveiled Monday morning.
ROC Ventures, the sports and entertainment management firm that has been the driving force behind the new baseball team, invited fans to submit ideas for the nickname in February. The top 10 names were selected and narrowed to five, then opened up to fan voting.
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The new stadium, already planned to host the UW-Milwaukee baseball team, is part of a $125 million development and includes a 4,000-seat stadium.
The Milkmen will join 12 teams as part of the AAIPB, and ticket sales have begun. The league, which has existed since 2005, recruits former Major League and minor league players and has teams in Chicago, Indiana, Iowa, St. Paul, the Dakotas, Texas, Kansas, Nebraska and Canada.
The league counts a number of current MLB players among its alumni, most notably three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer, who played in Fort Worth in 2007 after initially being unable to reach a deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks when the Diamondbacks drafted him in 2006. Scherzer pitched in three games.
Current Brewers pitcher Junior Guerra pitched in Wichita for two years, and former Brewers pitcher Brandon Kintzler played for St. Paul in 2009. James Paxton, who threw a no-hitter earlier this year for the Seattle Mariners, played for Grand Prairie in 2010 after being ruled ineligible for his college team.
Aaron Wilkerson, who pitched with the Brewers this season, played for Grand Prairie in 2013 and 2014.
Tickets and merchandise can be purchased at milwaukeemilkmen.com.