After spending their first two years in Amarillo (after relocating from San Antonio) as the Double-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres, the Sod Poodles became the D-backs affiliate at the same level in 2021. But I guess we should first address the... er, Sod Poodle in the room. The odd name is a reference to prairie dogs, and was picked out of five finalists: they could have become the Boot Scooters, Bronc Busters, Jerky or Long Haulers instead.
But now we’re at the AA point in proceedings, it’s perhaps time to start paying real attention. Because some of the names mentioned below are potentially going to be helping the Diamondbacks at the major-league level in 2022.