Baseball players are being allowed to show more personality on the diamond, and one of the ways they are doing that is through their equipment. Basketball players have been able to show off their sneakers for years and now baseball players are doing the same with their cleats.
Boston Red Sox infielder Trevor Story entered the league back in 2016 when players could only have two colors on their cleats. Now, he's taking advantage of the relaxed rules and has created his own custom cleats.
Story joined WEEI’s Rob Bradford on the Audacy Original Podcast “Baseball Isn’t Boring” and told the story behind all of the details on his custom cleats for 2023.
“Sitting down with Nike, the whole team there is amazing, it takes a couple weeks to figure them out,” Story said (18:55 in player above). “I’m very particular and I probably wear them out but they say they appreciate it. It’s very detail-oriented and I like to get them exactly how I want because it’s a special thing.”
Story has always been into shoes and they were even used as motivation to get good grades, he said. He’s always been a Nike guy and that hasn’t changed with these new cleats.
“The crackle here, the black on the red, and then it switches from a red base to a black base,” Story detailed as he moved around the cleat. Vinny Castilla gave him the nickname “True Story” back in his Colorado days and that’s incorporated into it as well.
On the side of his cleats, Story has his name as well as his hometown, Irving, and area code 972. Another nickname given by Castilla, “Thunder Hands,” is under that.
Then there is “SEHTPB,” which has a special meaning for Story.
“Show ‘em how Texans play ball. That’s what my grandfather would tell me before each game,” Story said. “He was a big role model of mine so just a tribute to him.”
The details seem to be endless on Story’s cleats, and that’s just how he likes it.
“Like I said, very detailed and something I really enjoy doing,” he said. “It’s been a dream of mine … being able to go through detail and every little thing I can customize on here.”
Story is one of many players that is showing some of his personality through his cleats. That’s yet another reason why baseball isn’t boring.
Related
LISTEN on the Audacy App
Sign Up and Follow Audacy Sports
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram