Friday night, the Florida Marlins officially completed their transition into the Miami Marlins, introducing their new logo and uniforms to fans and the media. The unveiling occurred in the Marlins new stadium located in Miami’s Little Havana.
Gone is the traditional Marlins’ logo that we’ve all known since their franchise originated in 1993. Because they are now the Miami Marlins, the F on their hats has changed to an M. The Marlin is no longer the main focus of the hat, transitioning from a more life-like picture on the previous caps to a smaller abstract representation on the new ones. The Marlin swirls around the top corner of the letter M, which is front and center. You can check out the logo here.
Also gone from the new logo and uniforms is the color teal. Instead, the new Miami Marlins will use a combination of orange, yellow, silver and blue on their caps and jerseys. What do these vibrant colors represent? Marlins’ owner Jeffrey Loria says the primary colors represent the citrus industry in Florida, the sky and the sea. Loria says the new Marlins “are unique” and now the team is “the colors of Miami”.
Miami also unveiled four new uniforms; a home white and orange and a road gray and black. Each uniform incorporates the new colors and logos but one of the other significant changes is what the road jerseys say across the chest. Loria told reporters that having the city name of Miami on the road jerseys was important to the organization because they are proud of their home town and “want to remind the world” of that when they take the field.
As with most unveilings, certain images managed to leak to the public before the logo and uniforms were officially introduced. At first, the franchise received much criticism about their new look, but Marlins’ players that helped with the showcase last night said they are in favor of the change.
Gaby Sanchez, a Miami native, noted that “all the players like” the new jerseys and that they “think it’s a cool uniform”. To Sanchez, the jerseys are “something different”, but he says if you are “going to have a stadium that’s going to be this grand, this beautiful, you’ve got to make the jerseys the same”.
Logan Morrison, one of the more outspoken members of the Marlins, originally had his doubts when he first saw the new jerseys. But now, Morrison says that he likes what he “didn’t like about them at first: the different colors, the simplicity of the fish”.
Now, armed with a new logo, jerseys, city and stadium, the Miami Marlins can focus on their offseason. Miami has been one of the most aggressive teams this free agency period, as it has reportedly extended offers to Albert Pujols, Jose Reyes and Mark Buehrle.
For more on the Marlins, be sure to check out Marlin Maniac.