A hotly-debated naming contest seemed to be the apex of the birth of the Houston Astros’ new A-Advanced affiliate. Sunday, November 4, the Astros made the move official, as the team unveiled the Fayetteville (NC) Woodpeckers at a fan fest celebration that included a visit by the Astros’ 2017 World Championship trophy.

Beginning in April 2017, the organization launched a contest, and received 1,300 name suggestions, choosing 40 possible names that passed the standard trademarking clearance, before whittling it down to the final five, including the Fly Traps, Jumpers, Fatbacks, and Wood Dogs. Woodpeckers won out.

The Trip From Coast to Coast

Sunday’s announcement was just shy of two years in the making. After the Astros’ player-development contract (PDC) expired with the Lancaster JetHawks (CA) at the end of the 2016 season, the club had been in the market for a new home. Settling in Buies Creek, NC (using the field at Campbell University) for the 2017 season before moving to Fayetteville (36 miles south of Buies Creek), the Houston front office has certainly laid down roots.

The Astros have signed a 30-year lease with Fayetteville, home of a $37.8 million state-of-the-art sports complex, still under construction. The team has already sold 1,500 season tickets for a stadium that features a 5,200 capacity. The first home game will be April 18, following 14 road games to begin the season, should the new stadium need any finishing touches beyond their March deadline.

Related: Astros Readying Class A-Advanced Move to Fayetteville

The Fayetteville Community and Cumberland County

“The Houston Astros have found the perfect location for our Class A-Advanced affiliate in Fayetteville, North Carolina,” said Astros’ president of business operations, Reid Ryan. “The All-American feel of the city, its support of our nation’s military and its economic development make it a great environment for the championship-caliber baseball we will bring to the Fayetteville community.”

Adding to the city’s growth is the eventual building of the Campbell Soup Company’s new distribution center, with many other projects and partnerships underway.

Woodpeckers’ president, Mark Zarthar, echoed the community’s pride: “Fayetteville is proudly recognized as the nation’s ‘Most All-American City,’ making it the perfect home for America’s pastime. The Woodpeckers are honored to reside alongside Fort Bragg, the world’s largest military installation, and couldn’t have asked for a better community to call home.”

From a marketing perspective, Zarthar touched on the popularity of other bird-related names and logos: “Birds are very well received by baseball fans in other markets, Zarthar said, “such as the Cardinals, Orioles and Blue Jays.”

He said the red and black colors of the woodpecker fit well with a military community, noting that they are the colors of the US Army Special Operations Command at Fort Bragg.

“We often felt like the colors black and red made so much sense for this community with it being a tough city,” Zarthar said. “They are tough colors. People will want to wear our merchandise around town because it is reflective of the community.”

The Astros’ Woodpeckers entry marks Fayetteville’s first taste of pro baseball since the old Class A Cape Fear Crocs affiliate left in 2000 for Lakewood, NJ (now the Phillies’ South Atlantic League Class A Lakewood BlueClaws), and has prompted more than $100 million in public and private investment toward downtown development.

What’s the Deal with the Woodpecker?

“Woodpeckers are small but resilient. They’re considered to be a tough bird, and an important part of the ecosystem,” Zarthar told MiLB.com, switching the talk to the endangered bird. “They control the insect population and assist other birds finding places to nest. Those traits match Fayetteville, which is vital to the protection of our country, with Fort Bragg located here.”

Zarthar also said there were many reasons for picking Woodpeckers, noting that the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker has a long history with Fort Bragg.

“The city and Fort Bragg have the second highest population of the bird in the entire country,” Zarthar continued. “The protection of this bird has actually had a major impact on Fort Bragg on its expansion efforts and on its training exercises.”

From a Woodpeckers press release: “The bird is small in size but vital to the Long Leaf Pine ecosystem, fighting extinction and embodying the resilient nature that the Fayetteville Woodpeckers will show with their play on the field. The same can also be said of the City of Fayetteville: Though small, Fayetteville is tough, proud and vital to this country’s protection.”

The Fayetteville Woodpeckers now join the El Paso Chihuahuas, the Hartford Yard Goats, the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp, the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, and the New Orleans Baby Cakes as one of the most delightful and entertaining names in MiLB.

“I’m looking forward to great things from the Astros and their franchise in this city,” Fayetteville mayor Mitch Colvin said.