[MORE: Your Ultimate Guide to Summer Fun in New Jersey]
New Jersey baseball fans hungry to go to a game can catch a major amount of professional action at New Jersey’s five minor-league ballparks this summer. Teams range from independent-league squads to big-league affiliates. Stadiums are family friendly, and the hot dogs are plentiful.
Trenton Thunder
Trenton Thunder Ballpark · Trenton
Having been temporarily displaced from their Upstate New York home by their parent team, the Toronto Blue Jays, the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons are playing home games this season as the Trenton Thunder. The actual Thunder—for many years a Yankees affiliate—return to action in the fall as a founding member of the new MLB Draft League.
Somerset Patriots
TD Bank Ballpark · Bridgewater
Playing in pinstripes for the first time as the Double-A affiliate of the New York Yankees, the Patriots hit the field with such Bronx Bomber prospects as pitchers Luis Gil and Glenn Otto. The regular season, with 60 home games, runs through September 19.
Illustration by Annelise Capossela
Jersey Shore BlueClaws
FirstEnergy Park · Lakewood
The rebranded BlueClaws remain a Philadelphia Phillies affiliate, but climb to the new High-A league for the first time. That should mean an improved level of play for the Jersey Shore’s only professional baseball team.
New Jersey Jackals
Yogi Berra Stadium · Little Falls
Back for their 23rd season, the Jackals play in the independent Frontier League. The team plays 48 home games through September 12 in a season punctuated by plenty of promotions, including eight fireworks nights.
Sussex County Miners
Skylands Stadium · Augusta
The independent Frontier League team is managed by former New York Mets pitcher Bobby Jones, a product of Rutherford High School. The Miners were champs of the Can-Am League in 2018.