Ahead of the 2023 Major League Baseball season, Audacy Sports has ranked the uniform sets -- "City Connect" included for the 14 teams who currently have them -- of each club.
30. Cleveland Guardians
Jose Ramirez models the road uniforms of the Guardians.
(Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
When the Cleveland franchise changed nicknames ahead of the 2022 season, they had a chance to completely overhaul a tired look. Instead, the Guardians have nearly identical uniforms to what they did during their final seasons as the Indians, minus the indigenous iconography. Spiders was right there, it would have been a hit.
29. Miami Marlins
Sandy Alcantara models the black alternate tops of the Marlins.
(Eric Espada/Getty Images)
Miami's home, road and primary alternate uniforms -- introduced prior to the 2019 season -- are probably the worst in the league. The black alternate tops, which also feature black writing, are hard to read if you aren't standing right on top of a player. However, what keeps the Marlins out of the bottom spot is that they are one of the few teams that has nailed their City Connect uniforms. Additionally, as the Marlins celebrate their 30th season in 2023, they'll wear teal pinstripes and a teal cap for every Friday home game. Reincorporating teal on a more permanent basis probably wouldn't be a bad idea.
28. Arizona Diamondbacks
Christian Walker models the sedona red alternate tops of the Diamondbacks.
(Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
You would be hard-pressed to find many observers of the sport who believe the Diamondbacks upgraded when they ditched purple and teal for "sedona red" as their primary look in 2007. If they brought back pruple and teal on a full-time basis, the D-Backs would likely be in the top 10 of this list. Instead -- despite our fondness of the "Serpentines" City Connect uniforms -- the Diamondbacks have a uniform collection that largely looks more appropriate for Spring Training or Triple-A.
27. Tampa Bay Rays
Yandy Diaz models the road uniforms of the Rays.
(Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
2023 will be the 25th season of play for the Rays, and Marc Topkin of The Tampa Bay Times says that the franchise will celebrate by wearing "Devil Rays" throwbacks on Opening Day and for all Friday games played at the Trop. The current look of the Devil Rays, introduced in 2008, is dull. While they may not have been properly appreciated at the time, the gradient "Devil Rays" uniforms worn from 1998-2000 were unique and probably shouldn't have ever gone away.
26. Cincinnati Reds
Joey Votto models the Reds alternate red tops.
(Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
It feels like a team literally called "the Reds" should be able to pull off a red uniform top, but as the guys at Céspedes Family BBQ noted, the ones pictured above feel like something meant for a Spring Training game. And both the home white uniforms and road gray road uniforms are utterly forgettable. Historically speaking, the Reds have had some sharp looking uniforms. Right now, like with just about everything else in the organization, they are in a rut.
25. Houston Astros
Yordan Alvarez models the Astros alternate home uniforms.
(Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
When Yordan Alvarez hit the biggest home run in franchise history in Game 6 of the World Series a season ago, he did so while wearing the navy blue tops with "rainbow guts" on each side. We've suggested that some of the uniforms on this countdown are better fits for Spring Training, but these probably wouldn't even be a fit in the Cactus League, let alone the biggest stage in the sport. They also aren't that much different than the spacesuit City Connect uniforms that the Astros debuted last season. While Houston has been the best team over the last seven seasons, their uniform set is underwhelming.
24. Minnesota Twins
A year ago, we wrote that while there wasn't anything offensive about the Twins' current look, nothing really stood out about it. To their credit, the Twins have refreshed their uniforms for the 2023 season, and we'll give them a mixed review on it. The new home white home uniforms are clean, as are the "Twin Cities" alternates. However, as many have said, the "M" cap added to the rotation looks like what the Marlins wore on their hats from 2012-2018. And there's nothing especially appealing about either the road gray uniforms or the alternate navy blue tops.
23. Texas Rangers
Marcus Semien models one of the current uniforms of the Rangers.
(Tim Heitman/Getty Images)
The Rangers are one team that will be affected by Nike's "four-plus-one" rule, with Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News writing that the team has shelved their red uniform tops for 2023, with a City Connect look on the way. Of the Rangers four current uniforms, none are necessarily bad. But generally speaking you would like some -- pun not intended -- uniformity in your kit. The Rangers don't really have that.
22. Los Angeles Angels
Shohei Ohtani models the road uniforms of the Angels.
(David Berding/Getty Images)
The road uniforms that the Angels wear look especially sharp with red sleeves underneath, making them one of the few teams that looks best in gray. In 2022, the Angels unveiled their surfing inspired City Connect uniforms, a solid addition that feel like they have a chance of sticking around for the long haul. Overall, there's nothing bad about the four uniform options that the team has, although both the white home uniforms and alternate red tops probably wouldn't be missed that much if the Halos decide to refresh their look soon.
21. Washington Nationals
Keibert Ruiz models the City Connect uniforms of the Nationals.
(Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
There's quite a bit to like about the Nationals uniform mix, but almost just as much to criticize. First, their cherry blossom City Connect jerseys are pretty cool, but they would be better utilized as a road alternate than a home alternate, when the Nationals are often hosting a team wearing gray themselves. Secondly, for as sharp as the navy blue road alternates that the team made famous during their 2019 World Series run are, the matching white uniforms are brutal. Virtually everything about the future of the Nationals is up in the air, and they would be wise to find some focus in their uniform set as they rebuild.
20. Boston Red Sox
Rafael Devers models the road alternate uniforms of the Red Sox.
(Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
The Red Sox have very clean home and road primary looks, and we enjoy the occasional appearance of their red alternate tops. However, their navy blue alternate tops -- which look more like a t-shirt than an MLB jersey -- really drag down their uniform repertoire.
19. Kansas City Royals
Zack Greinke models the Royals powder blue alternate tops.
(Ed Zurga/Getty Images)
As they celebrate 50 seasons at Kauffman Stadium, the Royals plan to bring back powder blue pants to match their powder blue tops on Opening Day. The Royals wore powder blue on powder blue as their primary road look from 1973-1991, but have worn powder blue tops as a home alternate since 2008. This will be the second year of the road gray uniforms and road blue alternates, which say "Kansas City" instead of "Royals," as they previously had. While there's something to be said for having your city's name on your road uniforms, the updates made in 2022 were too simplistic for our liking.
18. Colorado Rockies
Ryan McMahon models the City Connect Uniforms of the Rockies.
(Justin Edmonds/Getty Images)
To say that the Rockies perfected the City Connect uniform would be an understatement. For as much as we've been critical of the fact that the Rockies still have black vests in their uniform mix, the Colorado license plate inspired uniforms are *chef's kiss*. For that matter, so are the purple alternate tops that were refined before the 2017 season. The home pinstripes perhaps aren't that creative, but there's nothing wrong with them. And the road grays have just enough purple in them to really pop. Over the years, we've gained an appreciation of what the Rockies have going. They would shoot up this list if they retired the black tank tops.
17. New York Mets
Francisco Lindor models the Mets alternate tops.
(Elsa/Getty Images)
Some may disagree with this, but one of the best things that the Mets have done since Steve Cohen has taken over as owner is reinstating the black jerseys and caps, which they wear for Friday home games. Eliminating the road blue alternates was probably for the best as well. Let's just hope that whenever the Mets unveil their City Connect uniforms, they aren't apple themed.
16. Chicago Cubs
Seiya Suzuki models the home uniforms of the Cubs.
(Quinn Harris/Getty Images)
The road grays that the Cubs wear are stale, and the navy blue "Wrigleyville" City Connect uniforms were a miss. With that said, they have one of the cleanest home pinstripe looks, and their solid blue road alternate tops are excellent. Describing the team at No. 16 as a mixed bag is probably a fair assessment.
15. Chicago White Sox
Tim Anderson models the black alternate tops of the White Sox.
(Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
We may not be as fond as the "Southside" City Connect uniforms that the White Sox debuted in 2021 as others, but they are hardly offensive when compared to some of the others that the program have produced. We are fond of the home pinstripes, road grays and alternate black tops. From here, the alternate logo picture above on Tim Anderson's left sleeve -- a sock inside a baseball diamond -- should be featured across all the team's uniforms, as it's a nice touch.
14. Milwaukee Brewers
Corbin Burnes models the road uniforms of the Brewers.
(Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
The Brewers upgraded massively when they refreshed their uniforms prior to the 2020 season, bringing back the iconic "ball-in-glove" logo on all their caps. We'd like to shine a light on the two road uniforms that are part of this kit. Both the road grays and road alternate navy blue tops feature a cool "M" logo on the left sleeve inside the cutout of their home state of Wisconsin. And the yellow/navy blue cap sounds like it would be a mess in theory, but it's pretty cool in reality.
13. Pittsburgh Pirates
Oneil Cruz models the alternate uniforms of the Pirates.
(Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
Let's start with the obvious: the Pirates should bring back the "We are Family" era yellow tops with a pillbox cap as an alternate in their uniform rotation. However, the decision by the Pirates to bring back the cursive "Pittsburgh" script on both the road grays and black alternates in 2020 was a tremendous one. While too many teams feel the need to have black alternate uniforms in sports right now, it makes sense for a team named after, well, Pirates.
12. Seattle Mariners
Julio Rodriguez models the Sunday home uniforms of the Mariners.
(Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
Beginning in 2023, the Mariners will be one of the few teams in the league without gray as their primary road uniform color. Gone are the gray uniforms as part of Nike's "four-plus-one" uniform rule, with navy blue slated to be the primary road top. While we thought the gray looked good with the "Mariners" script, it probably was the weakest link when the team was left with a decision of which current uniform to scrap. Navy blue works much better for the Mariners than some other teams -- see: Guardians, Cleveland -- and there was no question that both the home white uniforms and alternate "Northwest green" tops would remain. And, in our opinion, the Sunday cream uniforms pictured above are one of the best alternates in baseball right now.
11. Baltimore Orioles
Adley Rutschman models the Orioles black alternate uniforms.
(Cole Burston/Getty Images)
It's been more than a decade since the Orioles ditched the more realistic bird for the cartoon one on their caps, and that's proven to be a massive upgrade. On top of that, the Orioles get strong marks for their two alternate tops, the black ones pictured above and also an orange jersey.
10. Philadelphia Phillies
Bryce Harper models the Phillies alternate cream uniforms.
(Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
The aforementioned Nike "four-plus-one" rule may soon mean that the red uniform tops worn for "getaway days" on the road are headed to the chopping block, and that wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. All the other Phillies uniforms -- red pinstripes at home, road grays, home day game alternate creams and powder blue throwbacks -- are excellent. The Phillies probably don't need a City Connect uniform, but like every team in the sport, they will eventually have one.
9. Atlanta Braves
Ronald Acuna Jr. models the Braves home uniforms.
(Adam Hagy/Getty Images)
While we could do without the red tops that the Braves wear on Friday home games, their primary home and road uniforms are among the cleanest looks in the sport. And the navy blue home hats with a red brim and the cursive "A" have become classic. The Hank Aaron Era throwbacks are excellent as well, but the current look of the Braves is really strong.
8. Toronto Blue Jays
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. models the Blue Jays alternate tops.
(Joe Sargent/Getty Images)
When the Expos relocated from Montreal to D.C. in 2005, we lost a great uniform set. However, Canada's lone remaining team does things extremely well. A perfect font and logo look great on their white home uniforms, alternate dark blue tops (pictured above) and road gray uniforms, which is enough to make you forget about the unnecessary powder blue uniforms that the Blue Jays have.
7. New York Yankees
Aaron Judge models the Yankees home uniforms.
(Elsa/Getty Images)
At least in terms of American sports, the two most iconic uniforms are the white Dallas Cowboys jerseys and the home pinstripes of the Yankees. The Yankees have worn pinstripes at home every year since 1915, and the "NY" logo has been on the left side of the chest continuously since 1936. However, the Yankees don't have an alternate uniform, and their road grays are forgettable. Still, for such a storied franchise, it's going to be hard for the Yankees to introduce City Connect uniforms that are widely appreciated, especially since they'll be worn at home in place of the aforementioned pinstripes.
6. San Francisco Giants
Logan Webb models the orange alternate tops of the Giants.
(Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
Even though their primary gray road jerseys are underwhelming, the rest of the Giants' uniform set is basically perfect. The cream home jerseys make you think of Barry Bonds hitting home runs at a ridiculous clip. And then the black alternate tops and orange alternate tops (pictured above) might both be among the five best alternate jerseys in the sport. The only request that we have is that the Giants return to not having names on the back of their home jerseys.
5. Los Angeles Dodgers
Mookie Betts models the Dodgers home uniforms.
(Harry How/Getty Images)
We like both versions of their gray road uniforms, but for the Dodgers, it starts and ends with their white home uniforms, which are legendary. When they played in Brooklyn, the Dodgers had pretty cool hats. But a move to Los Angeles in 1958 led to the creation of arguably the greatest hat in baseball history. The only drawback for the Dodgers is that their blue-on-blue City Connect uniforms, introduced in August of 2021, are an eyesore.
4. San Diego Padres
Juan Soto models the Padres home uniforms.
(Harry How/Getty Images)
When the Padres rebranded in 2020, they came up with their best uniform mix in franchise history. The white pinstripes at home are clean, and the matching "sand brown" road alternates are excellent. The Friar logo featured on both uniform sleeves is perhaps the nicest touch on the uniforms. Additionally, the Padres are one of the few teams in sports that has nailed the military tribute uniform, which we see every Sunday at Petco Park. We could do without their City Connect uniforms, which feel like a cheap ripoff of the Miami Heat's "Miami Vice" uniforms, but overall they get strong marks. As far as the Motorola advertisement that will now appear on San Diego's uniforms, it is what it is. Soon, the entire league will probably have jersey ads.
3. Detroit Tigers
Miguel Cabrera models the Tigers road uniforms.
(Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
At least until they are forced to introduce a City Connect uniform, the Tigers only have two uniforms, white at home and gray on the road. While the home white uniforms are classic, we're even more fond of the road gray uniforms that feature "Detroit" across the chest and a navy blue cap with their iconic logo in orange. We generally encourage teams to try out alternate looks, the Tigers have two perfect uniforms and don't need to change a thing.
2. St Louis Cardinals
Nolan Arenado models the powder blue throwbacks of the Cardinals.
(Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
The Cardinals have a similar uniform mix as the Phillies -- white home uniforms, gray road uniforms, cream alternates and a powder blue throwback -- we just happen to like the way they've done it slightly better. The Cardinals uniforms manage to pay homage to the past without looking like throwback uniforms that should only be worn for select occasions, such as the powder blue road alternates pictured above on Nolan Arenado.
1. Oakland Athletics
Paul Blackburn models the A's Kelly green alternate tops.
(Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
The A's have very clean looks both at home and on the road, and the Kelly green alternate uniforms pictured above are among the best jerseys that the sport has ever seen. It's unclear if the team's long-term future is in Oakland or not, but wherever they play, the A's brand should live on, with the elephant logo featured on their left sleeve.
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