My top ten of MLB jerseys

You may know by now that I am a jersey and cap nut. In previous top tens, I posted my favorite MLB, MiLB and retro caps.

This time I’d like to show you my top ten of MLB jerseys. It will be a mix of current jerseys and retro jerseys.

10. Houston Astros 1975-1986  jersey

I realize that many people may think that this one is hideous.
But IMHO this jersey is smply awesome. The yellow-orange rainbow design is fresh and unlike others. Of course it is a typical design from the seventies but that is what I like about it. I think it is far better than the jerseys that the Astros wear today.

9. Oakland Athletics Alternate 2 jersey 

This jersey is a wink to the past as the Athletics wore similar jerseys in the  eighties as batting practice jerseys. The Athletics also wore yellow vests in 1966, when they still played in Kansas City. To me this jersey really is a link to the past. Another reason why I like this one is that yellow happens to be my favorite color.

8. Toronto Blue Jays 1989-1996 jersey

When the Blue Jays saw the light in 1977 they sported a similiar jersey as this one, but it was a pull over jersey with the logo in the center of it. In 1989 they turned to this button down jersey and I fell in love with it immediately. The jersey that they wear today is a spin off of this classic one. As far as I am concerned, they’d better return to this original.

7. New York Yankees home jersey

It may surprise you that the jersey of my favorite team doesn’t end higher. Even though that jersey is a classic and real good looking with the pinstripe pants underneath it, the jersey alone isn’t that exciting that it will end in a higher place. What I like about this jersey is that it hasn’t changed since 1936.  The interlocking NY logo appeared on the pinstripe uniform for the first time in 1912. In 1913 and 1914 it stayed on the all white uni. Then in 1915 and 1916 it was on the pinstriped uni again. Then it disappeared for nineteen years before returning on the pinstripe uniform in 1936.

6. Pittsburgh Pirates 1957 – 1970 jersey

The Pirates used to sport blue as the club color from 1900 through 1947. Only since 1948, black is the color of the Pirates. In 1957 the team first played with this sleeveless jersey and they kept wearing it until 1971. The vest returned in 2001 until 2009 when it was replaced by jerseys with sleeves again. I am a sucker for this kind of vests, which explains why I always liked the old jersey of the Montgomery Biscuits and the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes.

5. Seattle Mariners 1993-2014 jersey

The new jersey of the Mariners is nice and certainly a spin off of the one that they wore in 2014, but it is not as nice the previous one. The M’s first sported this jersey in 1993. I liked it right away. You cannot imagine how happy I was when I bought the authentic one in 1995 on a vacation in the US. I always liked the navy lettering with a silver outline. I also liked the baseball compass logo on top of the M. This one certainly belongs  in the top five of my favorite MLB jerseys.

4. Cleveland Indians Alternate 1 jersey

The Indians came up with this jersey for the first time in 1994. I like the navy color with the red script on the front and the Chief Wahoo logo on the left sleeve. The name Indians and the logo may not be political correct, but I like it nevertheless. Nowadays many clubs have a lot of alternate logos. It is good to see that the Indians have stuck with this one.

3. Montréal Expos 1992-2004 road jersey   

Normally I am not too fond of road jerseys, but this one is an exception to the rule. The pre 1992 Expos uniforms were plain ugly IMHO, but the uniforms that they came up with in 1992 were so refreshing that I had to like them. I also liked the home jersey, but what made this one so very special was the fleur de lys  (symbol of the Province of Québec) on top of the e as an accent aigu (é), as the team honored its local heritage even though the club was playing a game that has its roots somewhere else. If baseball will ever return to Montreal, I hope that they will don these jerseys again.

2. Atlanta Braves home jersey

This one is a classic. It has been in the Braves organization since 1946 when the team was still in Boston. Even when the team moved to Milwaukee, the tomahawk was a mainstay until 1963, when it disappeared from the jersey. Eventually the tomahawk returned in 1987 when the team was in Atlanta for 21 years already.

1. St. Louis Cardinals home jersey  

Once again a classic. The bat with the redbirds on top appeard on the Cardinals jersey in 1922 for the first time, to disappear again in 1926 and to return again in 1929. The birds and the bat have been on the front of the jersey ever since, even though the position on the bat and the posture of the birds have changed a bit through the years.