The Savannah Bananas was just another baseball team, established in 2016 as a member of the summer collegiate Coastal Plain League, but it was not to remain normal for long. In 2018 team owner Jesse Cole developed new rules for a faster-paced game with the focus on action and fan engagement, which he dubbed Banana Ball. Among the rules changes were a strict 2-hour time limit, no bunting, no walks, and foul balls caught by fans counted as outs.

In 2020, while still a member of the CPL, the Bananas played Banana Ball at home games while still playing traditional baseball on the road. The game became so popular that the team left the CPL and became a full-time barnstorming team in 2023. The team still plays some “home” games in Savannah, Georgia, but also travels across the country from February through September, bringing Banana Ball to baseball fans everywhere.

The primary focus of this site is professional leagues and while the Bananas are not in a league at all, pro or otherwise, the players do get paid. Plus it’s such a cool idea and is enjoying such overwhelming success that I had to find a reason to include them.