I would be lying if I started this by saying how little I have thought about this. I have thought about this entirely too long: days, weeks, months, even years. I have had this in the drafts since at least February. I think this might be the most important blog series I will ever post. It has been a long excruciating process of examining each team and each option said teams have to offer. I’ll say this right off the bat, there are much too many options. Each team should have three, MAYBE four at most: home, road, throwback (if applicable), and fine, an alternate.
There are some SWEET threads in our game today. I think baseball has the best combinations of uniforms by far over the other top four leagues. Plus, I’m biased, so I think baseball is the best regardless. There are also some horrible ones I am very eager to point out.
The rankings are now finalized based on this criteria (in no particular order):
- Number of options (less is more)
- Team Colors
- Relevancy
- Historic Value
- Best uniform boost
- Worst uniform deduction
A great uniform can boost the whole group, while a bad one can weigh all options down to the bottom. Again, keep in mind this has been thoroughly investigated. But, your opinion does count, and I would love to hear feedback.
I give you, in four segments, the official MLB Uniform Power Rankings Countdown..
30. Miami Marlins
- Best: Road Greys
- Worst: Alt 2 Blue Jersey
When the Florida Marlins became the Miami Marlins and they completely changed their look, I did not think it could ever get worse than what that was. Boy was I wrong. It starts with the horrible logo you cannot see on the hat. It ends with looking like an adult travel team bouncing around looking for amateurs to help them live out their glory days just a little while longer. These are hideous. Why there ever changed from the original teal and pinstripes is something I will never understand.
29. Arizona Diamondbacks
- Best: Home Whites
- Worst: Alt 2 Reds
I really want to say the best in this batch are the Alt 1’s with the teal, but the hat. That logo is a child’s team logo. I do not understand this either. I will give the Diamondbacks credit though, they did get rid of those geo-print looking necks they had sublimated in their jerseys. But I still do not like the darker grey than everyone else in the league. Are you noticing that I don’t much like change?
28. Houston Astros
- Best: Road Greys
- Worst: Alt 2 Blues
Can’t cheat your way out of this one, Houston. I was not much of a fan of the Astros’ uniforms pre-change to these, but I might argue they were better. The Alt 2 blues are the main cause of the significantly low ranking. I know what they are going for here, but it jut is not working here. Maybe instead of banging on trash cans, they should be throwing these away.
27. Tampa Bay Rays
- Best: Home Whites
- Worst: Alt 1 Navy Blues
This is another ranking that really starts with I just do not like the logo. I don’t like that the road uniforms do not show the city name. Tampa Bay is not a club that can get away with that. Additionally, they really had an opportunity to show they want to belong in the league by doing a full-powder blue uniform, not just the tops. I just need some work to be done here.
26. Cleveland Indians
- Best: Home Whites
- Worst: Alt 2 Blues
I know Cleveland is going to be making some changes here very soon to their franchise’s look, so I don’t want to be too picky on them here. But I will say the road letters could be script, matching the primary team name logo. Consistency is nice.
25. San Diego Padres
- Best: Home Whites
- Worst: Both Camo Options
I am just as excited as anyone that the brown look is back in San Diego, trust me. I really am. I do wish they added in some of the orange to make it even uglier, but this will do. The problem is the camo looks. I really understand the cause with them here, but they hurt me visually. I would also make the Alt 1 the primary road uniform because grey (or in this case, light brown) should always be primary on the road.
24. Kansas City Royals
- Best: Road Greys
- Worst: Alt 1 White/Gold
I really like the lineup provided here by the Royals. I just have a couple of problems. Initially, the gold trim. The Royals won the World Series in 2015. The winner of the World Series will sometimes use gold in their uniforms their following year at one point or another. I know you’re the Royals, but I’m sorry, KC has not sniffed a playoff run since them. It’s time to lose the gold. Also, could go with the full length powder blues like the 80s and it’d be rockin’.
23. Seattle Mariners
- Best: Home Whites
- Worst: Alt 2 Teals
I really don’t like Seattle being this low on the list, but I just did not know where to put them. Simple and elegant really. A unique color combo, consistency in fonts, and a nice throwback. My only complaint is one too many alternates. Again, Seattle, my apologies for the low rankings.
22. Minnesota Twins
- Best: Alt 1 Powder Blues
- Worst: All other Alts
If you take away 3 of these options, Minnesota is making a case for the top spot. That is how much these alternates are holding the Twins back. The powder blues are incredible. I wish they would where them for forever. Consistency in the fonts. I do not understand the subtle gold though. I wish the home whites were just red, white, and blue and the two alts with gold just did not exist. So close, yet so far from the top. Too many options, people.
21. Baltimore Orioles
- Best: Away Greys
- Worst: Alt 2 Blacks
When Baltimore switched from the full bird on the hat to just the old school face, I wanted one immediately. This is the logo it should have always been. I have absolutely zero complaints about the home and away uniforms. They’re borderline perfect. The problem is obviously the alternates. more specifically the hat for the alt 2 blacks. I do not like the O’s. They are not the A’s. And when you have a logo like they do, they should never switch from that.
20. Colorado Rockies
- Best: Home Whites
- Worst: Alt 1 Purples
I love what the Rockies has to offer. Classic pinstripes, matching fonts for Colorado on the road, even the homage to the old vest look in the Alt 2’s, which they wear quite often. The complaint with Colorado is having 2 alternates and both of them being for home. Don’t they wear black on the road? I don’t know, but also, just stick to home whites and road greys.
19. Washington Nationals
- Best: Road Greys
- Worst: Alt 3 Whites
Washington made a change a few years ago that paid homage to the old school Senators look, and I think it looks magnificent. This is another team that could be/should be sniffing the top 10, really even the top 5. But they have six different uniforms, and six different hats… Absolutely not, Nationals. That is absurd. Plus, I don’t care if you play in the capital city, the Stars and Stripes look is for 4th of July and it is for every MLB team for one day.
18. Texas Rangers
- Best: Alt 1 Powder Blues
- Worst: Alt 3 Reds
From the clouds, the Rangers dropped new threads to go with their new home last season, prior to the world shutting down. I was floored, I was flabbergasted. The day they dropped the powder blues I debated going out on a limb and saying right then and there they were number one. If they got rid of Alts 2 and 3, they would be pretty darn close. I like that the road greys are simple, and I love the Texas flag on the sleeve. I just wish they would pick between the script font on the homes or the bold font on the roads and use them all around. But, powder blues man…. That’s what the fans deserve for sure.
17. New York Mets
- Best: Home Whites
- Worst: Alt 2 Blues
Fun fact about the Mets, I’m sure some of you already know. The colors blue and orange represent the blue of the Dodgers and the orange of the Giants, who both used to play in New York. An homage to history, in addition to pinstripes, gets you bonus points. But those bonus points are immediately taken away and then some because of the Alt 2 grey lettering on the jersey AND hat, and putting the skyline on your socks across the board. Stop it immediately. You should be ashamed of yourselves. Give me some blue socks or some stirrups or almost anything else. I did hear there will be a return of their black alternates sometime this year. I’m fine with that so long as they get rid of the Alt 2s. And the socks. Please the socks.
16. Atlanta Braves
- Best: Road Greys
- Worst: Alt 1 Creams
I grew up in Atlanta, so I grew up on these uniforms. I think they are one of the more classy and classic uniforms in the game. I like the road greys the best, keeping the matching tomahawk with the city name is beautiful. I think the red jerseys originally came out in 2005ish (?), Braves used to only wear those on Sunday home games. So back then, they had white homes, grey roads, and red alts that were designated for a specific day. That’s it, stop it there. That’s all you need. Then the blues came, fine, road alternate, whatever. Then the creams, absolutely unnecessary. There’s too many. Braves had it perfect and just added too many options. I do like the touch up to the blues in making the letters and numbers red, and I really like the striped socks. But again, too many options.
I encourage you to like this post and share it with others via social media. Even better, come after me on Twitter (@Tom_E_Exp) with your complaints and submissions. This is a conversation that needs to be had by all. It’s time we care about these important things. I would love nothing more than to banter!
The countdown continues tomorrow.
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