Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This excerpt from his newsletter is a mere taste of the smorgasbord of delights he offers every week. Read the full newsletter here, and subscribe to his newsletter here.

Jan. 7 is National Bobblehead Day, a hallowed occasion that demands commemoration. Below, please find an expertly curated list featuring 11 of the best bobbleheads given away by Minor League teams in 2024.

Why 11? Because that number is odd, and so are bobbleheads.

Slugger the Sea Dog Golden Bobblehead
Portland Sea Dogs (Double-A, BOS), April 5
Aug. 12, 2023, was a huge day for the Portland Sea Dogs organization, as Slugger the Sea Dog became the first Minor League mascot inducted into the Mascot Hall of Fame. This well-deserved honor -- Slugger performs a unique skit every game, and he can do backflips -- called for a special bobblehead. A golden bobblehead, as it were, which the team gave away on Opening Night. It¡¯s worth its weight.

Bryson Stott Playoff Grand Slam bobblehead, with walk-up song
Reading Fightin Phils (Double-A, PHI), April 9
Bryson Stott enjoyed the defining moment of his career in Game Two of the 2023 Wild Card Series, hitting a grand slam to propel the Phillies to victory. Reading¡¯s Stott bobblehead immortalizes the bat spike that followed this prodigious blast, and also features audio accompaniment. A button on the base of the bobblehead plays a snippet of his beloved (in Philadelphia) walk-up song, ¡°A-O-K¡± by Tai Verdes.

Scott Hennessey bobblehead
Tulsa Drillers (Double-A, LAD), April 11
In June of 2023 Drillers skipper Scott Hennessey took a leave of absence after being diagnosed with Stage 3 squamous cell carcinoma cancer. The following December he was declared cancer-free, clearing him to return to Tulsa. The Drillers honored Hennessey with a bobblehead in April, the start of his seventh and final season with the team. In 2025 he¡¯ll be at the helm of the Dodgers¡¯ newly renamed Triple-A affiliate, the Oklahoma City Comets.

Paul Skenes Bobblestache & Head
Altoona Curve (Double-A PIT), April 13
Paul Skenes pitched all of 2 2/3 innings as a member of the Curve, in 2023, but within the span of those eight outs he made an impression as regards both pitching and mustache acumen. Altoona¡¯s Skenes Bobblestache was given away as part of the Curve¡¯s larger celebration of ¡°Great Mustaches of History,¡± although Skenes possesses the only mustache great enough to be immortalized in ballpark giveaway form.

Babe Ruth on a Bike bobblehead
Fayetteville Woodpeckers (Single-A HOU), April 27
In a March 1914 exhibition at Fayetteville's Cape Fear Fairgrounds, as a member of the Spring Training-bound Baltimore Orioles of the International League, Babe Ruth hit his first professional home run. While in Fayetteville, Ruth also spent time racing up and down the main street on a bicycle.110 years later, this bit of local baseball ephemera inspired a bobblehead and now all is right with the world.

Sprocket Pen Holder Bobblehead
Rocket City Trash Pandas (Double-A LAA), June 5
Bobbleheads usually exist only for their aesthetic appeal, but the Trash Pandas combined form and function with their Sprocket Pen Holder giveaway. Sprocket, the living embodiment of the Trash Panda lifestyle, emerges from a garbage can and is ready, willing and able to live among however many pens you are able to place alongside him.

Ronald Acu?a Sr. & Luisangel Acu?a Bobblehead
Binghamton Mets (Double-A NYM), June 16
The sight of Ronald Acu?a in a Mets uniform may seem odd, but note that the Acu?a in question is Ronald Sr. He was a member of the Double-A Binghamton Mets in 2003-04, and his son Luisangel (Ronald Jr.¡¯s younger brother) played for the Binghamton Rumble Ponies in 2023. Fittingly, this familial dual bobblehead was given away on Father¡¯s Day.

Chas McCormick Wall Flip Bobblehead
Corpus Christi Hooks (Double-A HOU), June 22
In 2019, while playing for the Hooks, Chas McCormick flipped over the wall after making a homer-robbing catch. The bobblehead depicts him suspended sideways in the air, ball in glove, with the flip in question just about to happen. An exhilarating moment forever frozen in time.

Sister Ros Bobblehead
St. Paul Saints (Triple-A MIN), Aug. 10
Sister Ros, the massaging nun, is legendary in St. Paul. She¡¯s given untold thousands of massages to Saints fans over the years, but many consider her to be the real saint. Her bobblehead depicted a scene from the 2019 All-Star Game at St. Paul¡¯s CHS Field: Sister Ros was presented with an award, and Saints manager George Tsamis and Bill Murray then lifted her onto their shoulders. (Yes, that Bill Murray; he used to be the Saints' ¡°Director of Fun.¡±)

Sasquatch-Pasquatch Bobblehead
Northwest Arkansas (Double-A KC), Aug. 15
Strike, the Naturals mascot, is a sasquatch. In 2021, one of the team¡¯s top-performing players was Vinnie ¡°Pasquatch¡± Pasquantino. Those two really hit it off, being so similar and all. The Naturals¡¯ bobblehead celebrates this duo¡¯s brief but memorable time together.

LaMichael Mitchell Bobblehead
Charlotte Knights (Triple-A CWS), Sept. 12
LaMichael Mitchell is the Charlotte Knights¡¯ biggest fan and has been for decades. He keeps score at every game and is known throughout the organization (and the city of Charlotte) for his enthusiasm, loyalty and kindness. Prior to a game this summer, the Knights surprised Mitchell with the announcement that Sept. 12 would be ¡°LaMichael Mitchell Night¡± at the ballpark. He deserved it.