BY COLOR SCHEME:

Murciélagos
de Camuy

Arizona has mostly given up their purple-and-teal color scheme these days, but we haven’t forgotten how original it was.

Plus, if that’s not enough of an attractor, you get to cheer for an absolutely stacked team. No small thing, in such a large league!

BY REPUTATION:

Ilustres
de Barranquitas

You can’t blame them for trying. That’s been the main refrain of the Barranquitas front office as they take big swing after big swing, trading beloved local legends in hopes of landing a transformational figure who will lead them to the promised land—but it hasn’t been repeatable yet.

BY COLOR SCHEME:

Lobos
de Arecibo

Unlike Atlanta, the Lobos haven’t won a damn thing, which makes their use of gold highlights perhaps a bit optimistic—but the red and white stay the colors of that future championship, as of now a far-off dream.

BY REPUTATION:

Palomas
de Cidra

Despite becoming the sembraos of their division—guaranteed to win the banner even in their worst years—the Palomas, much like the Atlanta teams of years past, should have won far, far more than the one title.

BY COLOR SCHEME:

Arzobispos
de Aguada

Black and orange uniforms? In a storied old city? A city that’s considered especially important for its link to local Catholicism? Is this a match made in heaven or what?

BY REPUTATION:

Navegadores
de Naguabo

Whether it resulted in outrageous success or disappointing failure, the Naves bought into one approach: bring them in young, teach them the way, and hope for the best.

BY COLOR SCHEME:

Colmillos
de Aguadilla

Sure, we had to go to the City Connect uniforms to make this linkage happen, but would you really rather be one of the half-dozen navy-and-red teams? We humbly submit that this bright yellow, set off against two blues, is a much more unique set of threads by baseball standards.

BY REPUTATION:

Reyes
de Juana Díaz

Most baseball rivalries have space for a team whose job, through occasional upsets and reversals of fortune, is to give the older one a reason to reestablish dominance. That’s what the Reyes did for the Ingenieros in the 19th century—help keep them honestly enthroned.

BY COLOR SCHEME:

Fieles
de Lares

The grenadier isn’t quite the same red, and the blue isn’t quite the same as navy, but few other teams in the LNP have this straightforward a color scheme and a fan community notorious for their resilience.

BY REPUTATION:

Corsarios
de Quebradillas

Despite having many of the best players in LNP history pass through their roster, the Corsas have struggled to put it all together for decades; their occasional playoff berths seem a surprise even to them.

BY COLOR SCHEME:

Pepinos
de San Sebastián

You’d think a team named for hills that look like cucumbers, in both shape and color, would make more use of green. Apparently, the Pepinos prefer to be monochrome. Perhaps it shocks their opponents into thinking they’re playing against ghosts.

BY REPUTATION:

Acropolitanos de Manatí

All LNP fans know that the Acropolitanos were good, once upon a time, just like those same fans know that the Acropolitanos will be good again someday. Unfortunately, that day never seems to arrive, despite Manatí’s best efforts during the offseason.

BY COLOR SCHEME:

Cornúpetas
de Cayey

If the red and the silver don’t quite bleed Cincinnati for you, perhaps the old-fashioned “C” in its embossed glory will suggest the early days of professional baseball enough to approximate it.

BY REPUTATION:

Caciques
de Orocovis

In baseball, more than any other sport, it is exceedingly difficult to build true dynasties—consistent cores fueled by love as well as competitive passion. For Liga Betances, there’s just one example: the Caciques.

BY COLOR SCHEME:

Mulos
de Aguas Buenas

The red and blue-black of the Guards is perfect for the Mulos, a team that similarly likes to predicate its efforts on solid pitching and two thunderbats carrying an otherwise speedster-heavy lineup. Of course, the Mulos have yet to find as much success—or, in fact, any—with this philosophy.

BY REPUTATION:

Santos
de Adjuntas

Adjuntas was one of the first teams to stake its license, which earned it the right to such a grandiose name. That alacrity may explain how the Santos, despite investing mostly in the kind of player that does not win much individual acclaim, have become a postseason fixture in the fickle LNP.

BY COLOR SCHEME & REPUTATION:

Vejigantes
de Loíza

A misbegotten team that wears purple and black, keeps finding and losing talented players only to then watch as they succeed on other teams, and yet honestly believes it can continue to compete in a tough division despite insisting on an absurdly old-school approach to player development and training? Yeah, we think this might be the one.

BY COLOR SCHEME & REPUTATION:

Corsos
de Yauco

If the blaze-and-navy shoe fits—and it most definitely does here. The Corsos, once upon a time, were one of the most feared teams in the Liga Nacional Puertorriqueña, famous for finding ways to make it through challenging playoff matchups that should’ve cooked their geese. These days, they’re often surprised to discover they’ve made the postseason at all.

BY COLOR SCHEME & REPUTATION:

Taínos
de Gurabo

Beyond the distinctive orange-and-navy scheme both teams share, the obvious commonality here is Gurabo’s two favorite penchants: packing their phenomenal roster with international talent everyone else passed up, and finding ways to recreate, replace or even surpass the production of the talented players they allow to leave or trade away with younger versions.

BY COLOR SCHEME:

Termales
de Coamo

In embracing burnished gold, the Royals managed to stand out in a league that often embraces a tragic level of conformity. The Termales were not quite so bold in their adoption—but they weren’t boring, either.

BY REPUTATION:

Cafeteros
de Maricao

The Cafeteros had their glory days in the 1880s and 1890s, when they competed with many of the league’s best teams. They may seem a bit adrift at the moment—but they’re building something quite dangerous.

BY COLOR SCHEME & REPUTATION:

Cañeros
de Vega Baja

Like the Angels, the Cañeros have traditionally played second fiddle to a much better team in their own area; also like the Angels, the Cañeros have become notorious for some perplexing fumblings of the proverbial bag, as their refusal to spend properly on big-name players has hampered what success their rosters manage to slap together. The colors are almost too perfect.

BY COLOR SCHEME:

Picudos
de Ceiba

There aren’t many leagues where a blue and white kit makes you stand out, but the LNP is one of them—among its impressively-dense manifest, the simple scheme of the Picudos seems much more distinguished.

BY REPUTATION:

Telegrafistas
de Arroyo

Arroyo was a true powerhouse of the 19th century, building teams that often outranked their entire competition on both sides of the ball, and yet found itself repeatedly shut out of the deep postseason runs they deserved.

BY COLOR SCHEME:

Guardacostas
de Cataño

Black and blue describes both this team’s logo and, during most offseasons, the state of their roster, thanks to a front office with a rudimentary understanding of fielding dynamics and a weird reluctance to evaluate players based on anything but their immediate past year of production.

BY REPUTATION:

Soles
de Luquillo

Truly, bright suns once shone upon Luquillo—in the form of talented baseball teams that won a lot of games. The current Soles may find their situation a bit hopeless, but they know they could be in control of their destiny with just a couple more prospects to train into players of major-league caliber.

BY COLOR SCHEME & REPUTATION:

Marineros
de Barceloneta

Not only are they blue and gold, and use the same two letters for their initials, and are related to a team centered on the greatness of the sea—but despite establishing a reputation for consistent success in an otherwise undistinguished division thanks to their stockpile of multi-talented players, some of whom have even won real accolades in Barceloneta uniforms, the Marineros have similarly cultivated the art of the frustrating early-round playoff exit.

BY COLOR SCHEME:

Capitanes
de Mayagüez

Given how common navy and red are as team colors, the Twins must be praised for using theirs in a particularly stark way—which is what Mayagüez, fully aware of its strange position in the rainbow of the Liga Nacional Puertorriqueña, is trying to do.

BY REPUTATION:

Cítricos
de Las Marías

The Cítricos have capably managed one of the LNP’s toughest challenges: staying an excellent baseball team in a tough division, without getting so often or so far into the playoffs that your fans start expecting the pennant every year.

BY COLOR SCHEME & REPUTATION:

Fríos
de Aibonito

There are several orange-and-blue LNP sides, but only Aibonito has the brighter combination and the relatively cool climate that merits a comparison with the boys from Queens. If that doesn’t feel like solid enough ground to draw a parallel, consider this: the Fríos have seen some of the most talented players in the history of the Liga Nacional Puertorriqueña wear their colors and been to the playoffs more times than most teams ever dream of achieving—and yet have all of two pennants to show for it.

BY COLOR SCHEME:

Galanes
de Ciales

What? Not impressed? Look, it’s not our fault your team picked a boring color scheme. Take it up with their marketing department. At least the Galanes have sufficient courage in their convictions (and, let’s be fair, a significantly more badass font) to only issue their hats in navy.

BY REPUTATION:

Ingenieros
de Rincón

On the one hand, La Máquina hasn’t won a title since the 19th century. On the other, they did win eight, including four in a row, and through a combination of brilliant offseason signings and baseball luck, somehow keep finding their way into the postseason.

BY COLOR SCHEME:

Combatientes
de Cabo Rojo

The green-and-gold in the west have equally proficient representatives in Major League Baseball, thanks to the storied Athletics, and in the Liga Nacional Puertorriqueña, whose Combatientes hold down the southwest corner of the map.

BY REPUTATION:

Artilleros
de Maunabo

The Artilleros, founded on the heroism of a revolutionary campaign, apparently decided their legend meant they were liberated from the responsibility of winning ballgames. If that isn’t the case, one wonders how they manage to waste so many good players.

BY COLOR SCHEME:

Amigos
de Guánica

Whether in the Puerto Rico of the 20th century’s first decades or the Philadelphia of its middle, powder blue and maroon is a strong combo. We can’t help but honor that odd kinship here, especially given both clubs’ affection for bold, unique typography.

BY REPUTATION:

Tortugas
de Culebra

Culebra’s sponsors realized in the early 20th century that there was one surefire way to attract audiences: lots of runs, regardless of team. Their resulting roster approach has since prized explosive offense, sometimes at the expense of the other side of the ball.

BY COLOR SCHEME:

Señores
de Ponce

Even before the Señores went to an entirely black-and-gold color scheme like Pittsburgh, they had the whole career of the first Puerto Rican Hall of Famer. The fact that the LNP’s Hall of Fame (or Recinto de Inmortales, rather) happens to be mostly composed of Puerto Rican players does not in any way change this equivalence.

BY REPUTATION:

Chupacabras
de Canóvanas

Canóvanas fans, we must note, have had it rough. Their team engendered profound pride in them by being a constant contender in the 1870s, and like an especially heavy-handed fable, has spent the next several decades doing everything possible to destroy that pride, clearly certain that the fans will soldier on in sadness.

BY COLOR SCHEME:

Sanisalvos
de Morovis

Whatever you might think about brown and gold as a color scheme, you do have to admit it’s a bold choice for a product that’s supposed to go in front of an audience. Morovis and San Diego have both been willing to strike the odd note here.

BY REPUTATION:

Romeros
de Hormigueros

Much of the joy in baseball for Romeros fans comes from watching them do unexpectedly well against teams that should completely destroy them. Whether this will one day lead to a title is an open question, but it certainly lends spice to their labile seasons.

BY COLOR SCHEME:

Corceles
de Santa Isabel

Like with their mirror image in Aguada, the Corceles wear orange and black, and to boot, both towns are named after saints. That seems like the perfect combination to merit this assignment.

BY REPUTATION:

Pescadores
de Salinas

We don’t like to repeat teams here, but the Pescas are too perfect. In the 1880s and 1890s, they were the heaviest of heavies in Liga Betances, and even now, considerably tamed, their legacy nets them wide berth.

BY COLOR SCHEME:

Mercaderes
de Villalba

No one would confuse Villalba with Seattle, but their team’s decision to combine teal, navy and silver or white is close enough for private sector work—especially in a league that doesn’t otherwise feature either color.

BY REPUTATION:

Cotorras
de Río Grande

Like the Mariners, Río Grande’s front office has assembled some of the greatest rosters ever to wear the same uniform . . . and yet, even after decades, the Cotorras have one pennant to show for it. It’s maddening.

BY COLOR SCHEME & REPUTATION:

Quesiteros
de Isabela

You’d think yellow, given its unique combination of brightness and approachability, would be a more common color with baseball teams. Luckily for Cards fans, their team’s semi-unique branding choices mean they can cheer on one of the most impressive teams in the LNP—multi-pennant winners who present a legitimate threat year in and year out to upstart contenders. If that’s not convincing enough for you, check this out: they’ve both employed pitchers named Bob Gibson.

BY COLOR SCHEME:

Pescadores
de Salinas

While there are other teams that combine two blues and a coastal outlook, the exact shades the Pescadores chose immediately put us in mind of the . . . well . . . let’s be honest, the more boring Tampa Bay logo.

BY REPUTATION:

Güiristas
de Peñuelas

Whether all the young pitchers Peñuelas stockpiles pan out is the wrong question here. The right question is whether they can assemble enough of them to get back into the playoffs, where pitching is paramount.

BY COLOR SCHEME:

Canarios
de Hatillo

You might think the parallels end at the red/blue/white tricolor, or the ever-so-slightly-Western fancy capital, but thanks to its burgeoning cattle industry, Hatillo is basically the Texas of Puerto Rico.

BY REPUTATION:

Jinetes
de Toa Baja

They made fun of the Jinetes for paying one or two players a lot of money . . . and then it turned out that those players could light the entire baseball world on fire. Toa Baja will be staying at the top for a while.

BY COLOR SCHEME:

Menestrales
de Las Piedras

Not all of these comparisons are entirely apt, and the Menestrales—who use red rather than blue as their main color, and generally rewire the relationships between all the same shades used in the Toronto logo—are a paradoxically-perfect example.

BY REPUTATION:

Marcianos
de Lajas

The Marcianos could have won comparison to a different team with a couple more titles, but as things stand, they’re perfect here: a team that achieved its dominant era with an aggressive approach in the offseason, and is on the brink of doing so again.

BY COLOR SCHEME:

Metropolitanos
de San Juan

These teams, both from their respective national capitals and both swathed in the blue-red-white scheme of the creatively-exhausted tailor, have surprisingly extensive experience with lean years, despite showing consistent capacity to recognize and prepare top-end talent within the organization.

BY REPUTATION:

Macabeos
de Trujillo Alto

At some point, the Macabeos will win a title. No one knows when, or how, or who will do it, but everyone is sure of it, despite their equal conviction that the current edition of the Macas is horrible; they simply appear to be a team that will surprise everyone all the way to a national championship.