Minor League Baseball’s Hub City Spartanburgers debut in 2025, following a relocation from Kinston, N.C. (where they were known as the Down East Wood Ducks). In conjunction with this move, the team switched classifications with the Hickory Crawdads. The Spartanburgers serve as the Rangers’ High-A affiliate in the South Atlantic League, with the Crawdads moving to the Single-A Carolina League.
The Spartanburgers’ arrival marks the return of Minor League Baseball to the city after a three-decade absence, as the last team to play there was the Single-A Spartanburg Phillies in 1994. Professional baseball in the Hub City dates back to the early 20th century, featuring teams such as the Spartans, Pioneers, Peaches and Suns.
The Hub City Spartanburgers moniker is unique in that it uses a city nickname as a place name while incorporating the city itself into the team name. Hub City, prevalent in signage throughout Spartanburg, refers to the fact that Spartanburg’s city limits used to be in the shape of a circle. Various railroad lines entered the city via tracks that, taken together, resembled the hub of a wheel.
Spartanburgers obviously lends itself to burger-based branding. The burger depicted in the primary logo wears a train conductor cap while sitting atop a wordmark that resembles vintage diner signage.
