MLB Uniform Power Rankings: Part 3
By Gideon Turk
Part 3 everybody! I reveal my top 10 MLB jerseys in this post. There are some surprises(Texas,Cincinnati),but there is also the normal top teams(St. Louis,Philadelphia), so don’t think I’m completely crazy. Part 1 can be viewed here, and Part 2 can be viewed here.
10. Baltimore Orioles- All 4 Orioles jerseys are nice (even the black), and as ESPN said, the scripts are beautiful. My favorite jersey out of the 4 is the Orange alternate, but I also like the Black alternate. The new/old cap logo reminds me of the early 2000 Blue Jays logo…Not a compliment at all. I like the retro “B” that they used in 1963, and wouldn’t mind at all if that were to be brought back. The only problem with that is it would clash with the modern jerseys, so you have to be willing to sacrifice something.
9. Oakland Athletics- The resurgent A’s always feature a nice jersey because of their scripted name that looks so good on all of their jerseys, but it’s the yellow/gold jerseys that stand out. They aren’t my favorite of the A’s selection, but they definitely are easy on the eyes. My favorite of their uniforms is the green 1st alternate, for the obvious reasons. That gold lettering on the green is just awesome!
"Picture via wikipedia.org"
8. Texas Rangers- Another big difference between my rankings and the ESPN ones. ESPN has the Rangers at 20, saying that:
"“There are too many layers (blue outlined in white, outlined in red, with a black shadow), and the letters and numbers have too many spikes and bumps. It looks fine on the front of the jersey, where the letterforms are spread out, but the back is a jumbled mess.”"
I think that only applies to the back of the home and road jerseys,as it isn’t apparent on the 2 alternates jerseys, which happen to be the ones I like. Both the red and blue are awesome, and it’s a shame that they can’t be the official home and road jerseys.
7. Cincinnati Reds- The white Reds’ jerseys are incredible. They got rid of the black sleeves a long time ago and ever since, I think they have been a top team when it comes to uniforms. I could do without the block letters on the road greys, and a scripted Cincinnati might actually look nice if it is done right. I also think a 2012 World Series Patch is necessary, but that should be added soon!
6. Los Angeles Dodgers- It’s rare that a team only has 2 jerseys with no alternates, and I’d like that to change for the Dodgers. A blue jersey wouldn’t be so bad if it was designed to avoid the faults of other blue jerseys. Maybe have a throwback jersey that dates back to the Brooklyn days? They had some nice Blue jerseys. Dodger Blue shall reign once again?
5. Kansas City Royals-Most underrated jersey in the MLB? I think so. The home white’s with the blue “Royals” script on the front is as clean and crisp as any other jersey in the league, and the dark blue alternate is a great counterpart to the powder blue. After they got rid of those horrid black jersey that they wore a few years ago, it has all gone uphill for KC (well jersey wise, not team wise).
4.Detroit Tigers-Another case of a team with only two jerseys, but this time I don’t mind. The Tigers home jerseys are so plain and simple, yet so nice, something a lot of teams struggle with (Miami!). The road greys are average, and I can’t say I would do anything different to these jerseys. Maybe add an orange alternate? The fans seem to like the orange shirts, so I don’t see why not.
3. Philadelphia Phillies- Extra points for having “Phillies” on all 3 uniforms, and not writing “Philadelphia” on the road greys like most teams do. The Phillies know what looks good, and they take advantage of that. The pinstriped whites with the awesome Phillies watermark logo…Amazing. The road greys without the aforementioned city name…also amazing. The cream alternates that make you feel like you’re watching old time baseball with their awesome classic look…Best single jersey in the MLB.
2. St. Louis Cardinals- To go along with arguably the best logo in the MLB, the Cardinals spot the exact same jersey for both Home and Away. That’s the reason they weren’t a top 2 team by ESPN for all north American Sports, and that’s why I don’t have them as one. It is the exact same jersey, and in this case, I wouldn’t mind seeing the bat/bird logo on top of the words “St. Louis”. I would also like a red alternate, but with the Bird logo in the top left corner, and numbers on the right. It would be nice for the city of St.Louis to see a change, and a red jersey outside of the BP one could work for them.
1. Toronto Blue Jays-Now there is definitely some hometown bias here, but you have to love what the Jays did when they revamped
their style last off-season. They got rid of the horrible jerseys we have been suffering through ever since the start of the Rogers regime, and have gone back to the logo/uniform that was present when this team was the best in baseball. You don’t see a fan at any Blue Jays games that doesn’t have a piece of the new merchandise. It will allow the Jays to spend more on payroll, and it looks like the Astros will be following in the Blue Jays footsteps when they announce their new uniforms later this year.
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