The Double-A Erie SeaWolves will play four games as the Flagship City Kitties in 2026, celebrating 25 years as an affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. The identity, created by Dan Simon of the Louisville-based design firm Studio Simon, centers around a kitten character, recognizing that minor league baseball players in the Detroit farm system some day grow up to be full-grown Tigers.
The Kitties brand connects directly to the Major League Tigers identity through the font used in the script “Kitties” and the blue and orange color palette, but the nickname and the kitten character are unique to Erie. While the character featured in the logo is undeniably adorable, with its big eyes, tiny nose, and diminutive body, even kittens need a certain edge if they’re going to be baseball logos.
“Kittens are cute, but if you make it sweet it’s too cute,” Simon said. “This is supposed to represent the young prospects of the Tigers, so I wanted to make it look like a kitten, but it had to be a tough kitten, like a little kid trying to be tough.”
“Flagship City” is a nickname for Erie, Pennsylvania, a moniker it earned because it is home to the USS Niagara, which was built in Erie’s shipyards and led the U.S. to victory in the Battle of Lake Erie in the War of 1812. Additionally, there’s a further, more compelling reason for the choice of geographic signifiers.
“Flagship City Kitties sounds cool because of the rhyme,” Simon said.
The SeaWolves, who have been an affiliate of the Tigers since 2001, will play as the Kitties June 12–13 and August 7–8.