Ranking MLB’s All-time Greatest Uniforms

Let’s forget home runs and fantastic warning track catches for just a moment because, in this post, we’re celebrating the look of our hardball heroes and the baseball uniforms they have worn. From classic pinstripes to bold color explosions, these sartorial gems aren’t just fabric and stitching; they’re time capsules of eras, teams, and the game’s very essence.

Ready to travel back in time? We’ll dig into the archives, unearthing iconic jerseys that made jaws drop and hearts soar. We’ll dissect the psychology behind bold choices, marvel at the evolution of team identities, and maybe even settle (or reignite) the age-old debate: Yankees pinstripes or Dodgers blue?

So grab your peanuts and Cracker Jacks because we’re about to witness a fashion parade of the best MLB jerseys. Get ready to tip your cap to legends, swoon over underdogs, and maybe even rediscover your favorite childhood kit. This is a journey through baseball’s fashion history, and we will do it with a few different categories.

The Cool Baseball Jersey Classics

This category is reserved for the adorned jerseys that speak of tradition, rivalry, and the game’s very essence. The traditional styles were canvases of the game’s legacy and shared heartbeat of generations of fans. The classic and iconic looks of the best baseball jerseys that when a traditionalist thinks about the game’s history, that is, what would be envisioned becoming symbols of the sport itself.

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The most classic jersey of the Giants is that 1958 look of a simple button-down off-white with orange and black piping with the word San Francisco across the player’s chest. The Giants kept the traditional look after their move West from the Big Apple by simply putting the word “San Francisco” in place of “New York” with the swap of “NY” with “SF” on the front of the team baseball caps.

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The Yankees and their pinstripes are about as iconic a baseball look as possible. The word “pinstripes” has become synonymous with the ball club and the many legends that have worn the colors over the years. A favorite is the button-down white unis with thin blue stripes and an interlocked “NY” on the left chest area of the player. Picture the greats like Gehrig and Mantle suited up in these beauties.

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The plain white pullover that the Boston Red Sox wore in the mid-1970s, with the word “Red Sox” portrayed front and center in red with a black outline, was simple and very representative of a classic look. That uniform ensemble popped when the players sported the red cap that positioned a black bill on its front.

So, Brash, They Are Beautiful

Step into the batter’s box with the polar opposite of the classic baseball gear just discussed, and witness the most brash, striking, and downright outrageous uniforms ever to grace the diamond. We’ll travel through time zones and tunnel through decades, uncovering ensembles that dared to ask: “Where did that come from?”

From psychedelic swirls to technicolor tributes, these uniforms weren’t mere threads and fabric; they were statements, challenges, and, sometimes, hilarious mishaps. Prepare to be blinded, bewildered, and maybe even slightly charmed by the most outrageous fashion statements ever seen on a baseball field.

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The Expos made a statement in the 80s that burned an indelible mark in the game’s history. Montreal had some fantastic players, but the powder blue uniforms with the large, colorful “elb” logo set them apart. This style was a statement and a sartorial spectacle celebrating baseball and the traditions of Montreal while pushing boundaries and becoming a legend in the annals of baseball fashion.

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The Pirates went on a run in the late 1970s, winning the World Series 1979 with a look that will be forever remembered. The jerseys were not the stars of the uniform show of this era of Pittsburgh; the caps were. With a tip of the hat (pun intended), the Pirates produced a retro look of a “pillbox” of “flat top” style cap with three orbiting pinstripes around its circumference. To make it even more unique, the team adopted to sew on stars to the caps for outstanding feats by each player handed out by team leader Willie Stargell. “Pops” gift for symbolic acknowledgment of a player’s positive contribution to the team unified a lackluster squad of the mid-decade and bonded them into a “Family ” of Champions.

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The biggest fashion statement of them all in the annal of sports uniforms was the disco-era jerseys of the Houston Astros. The franchise’s space-age name rocketed them out of this world with a so-ugly iconic look. The tequila sunrise of orange, yellow, and red across the mid-section of the players with a big dark blue Star offset to the left gut area was about as bold as a uni can get. Astros’ sunrise color scheme was far from the traditional norm and lives on in baseball lore with visions of Nolan Ryan sporting the look inside the Astrodome.

Bright Lights

Bright colors can attract the masses with ensembles that redefine “eye-catching” and push the boundaries with psychedelic swirls and neon colors that dazzle, amaze, and wake up a ballpark. The following team uniforms burned onlookers’ retinas the most and endeared the looks to hardball enthusiasts.

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The Bay area was lit up not only by great pitching, colorful managers, and long balls of the Oakland Athletics in the ’70s but also with some eye-popping color. The yellow pullovers with green and white piping ensembled with a green cap and white knickers make fans think of the era’s great Athletics teams and players. Who doesn’t formulate an image of Billy Martin chewing out an Umpire or Reggie Jackson launching a ball into orbit with these classic duds?

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The Chisox created a contemporary look on a plain white pullover at the end of the Cold War. A dark blue banner encircled the player’s torso with some adorning red border stripes and the word “SOX” plastered on the front in a modern-day font. Opponents knew who they were playing with the look of this cool baseball jersey.

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It would be hard to talk about the best baseball uniforms in history without discussing one that created a new phrase in the English language. The LA Dodgers uniform designers and their colorful former Manager, Tommy Lasorda, coined the phrase “Dodger Blue” to rename a shade of the color blue. With their plain whites with the script written “Dodgers” front and center of the jerseys and bright red player numbers, LA jumps out of the blue caps and accessories.

Conclusion

These are just a few of the uniforms that have set trends and won championships that have become classics of the great look or from being so different they are memorable and revered by fans. Is your favorite mentioned? If not, what is your favorite?

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 31st, 2024 at 5:31 pm and is filed under Greatest of All Time Lists. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.