Trenton Thunder reveal fate of famous bat dogs after Yankees betrayal

The Yankees may have ditched the Trenton Thunder for 2021, but don’t worry. A certain institution isn’t going anywhere.

Without any warning (apparently), the Yankees ended their long affiliation with the Double-A Trenton Thunder this offseason, citing next to no public disagreements or reasons for being dissatisfied.

Needless to say, the whole situation was strange and off-putting, and involved the promotion of the Somerset Patriots to affiliated ball (likely as a reward for letting MLB tinker with their rules back when they were in the independent Atlantic League). The Yankees put forth myriad reasons for ditching their Staten Island affiliate, like improper upkeep and unsafe conditions (very valid!). But for the Thunder? Not really a valuable peep.

This sudden change in direction left Yankees fans with a million questions: What was going to happen to Trenton’s giant stadium and brand moving forward? Would another MLB team step in? And for goodness sake, what was to become of the team’s long line of famous bat dogs?!

Luckily, Trenton was scooped up in MLB’s new expansion into the “MLB Draft League,” a wood bat showcase circuit featuring six teams made up of top collegiate talent in a pre-draft cycle. As for the dogs? They’re not going anywhere.

As the Thunder themselves put it, quelling worries across the tri-state area, “Rookie will be back to retrieve bats and Dash will make his debut in 2021 here at ARM & HAMMER Park!”

According to the team, the MLB Draft League will still feature a chunky home slate and a lot of work for those doggies. Trenton will host 34 home games from late May/early June through mid-August, and Rookie and Dash will be lugging the hardware of 2021 draft-eligible prospects from home plate back to the dugout.

It’s been a star-studded and friendly road for Trenton’s bat doggies over the past two decades, with Chase That Golden Thunder starting the tradition in 2002. From 2008-2018, his son Derby also took over some of the mid-game fetch duties, and now that baton has been passed to Rookie and Dash, who is making his debut in ’21.

The baton is also covered in slobber, but that’s to be expected.

Luckily for fans in the region, although Yankees baseball will be missed in this particular enclave, there will still be impressive pups to bear witness to.

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