Ranking MLB jerseys from worst to best

Posted on November 18, 2020 by Taber Times

By Cole Parkinson
Taber Times

Other than NFL games on Mondays, Thursdays and Sundays, the rest of the big four leagues are still shut down in this untraditional offseason.

While the NBA is coming back on Dec. 22, there is still no date for NHL start-up and the MLB is on schedule to begin at their regular Opening Day timeframe of late March.

I, like many I imagine, are missing the usually night slate of NHL and NBA games which are usually in full swing in mid-November.

With that in mind, I’ve done my rankings of NHL jerseys in the past and now with the Dodgers finally breaking their 32 year World Series drought only a few weeks ago, it’s time for MLB jersey rankings. I’ll select my favourite jersey from each team and then rank them from my least to most favourite.

30. Arizona Diamondbacks — red alternates
The red and tan colourway is just fine and having just D-Backs across the chest is far from something that would be placed atop of my list because it just doesn’t do anything for me.

29. Cleveland Indians — home
Once again, another pretty plain jersey but it gets the job done. The script logo on these jerseys look pretty good but it’s hardly anything to write home about.

28. Cincinnati Reds — home
The Reds are one of the oldest teams in the league and their jerseys are very reminiscent of that. They are pretty plain and I’m not overly fond of moving the front numbers from the bottom right of the jersey to the top left so they get dinged there.

27. Texas Rangers — home
The new Rangers jerseys are defiantly an improvement on their older ones as they would have ranked dead last a few years ago for me. The script text is much better than the block text that have been located on the main jerseys for years but there is still something that keeps them from getting any higher than 27.

26. Colorado Rockies — purple alternates
I don’t think the Rockies have any home run jerseys but the fact they have an all purple top is unique and I actually like it, though I could understand why some wouldn’t.

25. Houston Astros — orange alternates
Much like the Rockies, I like the more loud alternate jersey than the typical white, grey or blue options. That being said, they still are nowhere near the best in the league.

24. Chicago White Sox — home
The first pinstripe jersey ranked of many found across the MLB. The White Sox have a great logo but I think the fact it’s just a straight black and white jersey limits how high this can go.

23. Tampa Bay Rays — light blue alternates
I think the Rays jerseys are incredibly mediocre but I’ve always had a soft spot for their baby blues. Their home whites, grey aways and dark blue alternates all don’t do anything for me and would all rank at the bottom, so I guess it’s a good thing they have a decent fourth option.

22. Los Angeles Angels — red alternates
The Angels are in the same boat as the Rays where all of their jerseys are the same except the main colour changes.
The all red look is completely fine but we all know the Angels have had better jerseys in the past and with the best player in the game, we can only hope an update is made sometime soon.

21. Detroit Tigers — home
The Detroit Tigers jerseys are fine, just fine. Nothing great at all but I love their D logo and because of that, they rank higher than they probably should.

20. San Fransisco Giants — home
I think the Giants are also fine, just fine as they round out the 20s. I like cream jerseys and while incredibly plain, I love the orange, black and cream mix on their home uniform.

19. Seattle Mariners — teal alternates
Another jersey that has an unconventional colour. I love that Seattle leans into that aquatic colour way often and their teal alternates are the best of the bunch.

18. Minnesota Twins — dark blue and gold alternates
The Minnesota Twins have a bunch of jerseys that they wear but the inclusion of gold in their dark blue alternates is awesome.

17. Chicago Cubs — home
The Cubs are another team where I don’t love their jerseys but I do like their pinstripe home uniforms. I think the stripes and logo work really well together, even if it is pretty plain but what else could you want from one of the more storied franchises in baseball.

16. Philadelphia Phillies — cream alternates
Another team with pinstripes and a cream alternate, and this time the cream wins out for me.

15. Baltimore Orioles — Black alternates
This one was tough in whether to go with the orange or black alternates but I ultimately went with the black. Also, I much prefer the O’s hats they wear with the black jerseys than the white hats with the orange.

14. New York Mets — white
I think all of the Mets jerseys are pretty bad expect the home whites, which I happen to think are great. Orange, white, blue and stripes happen to make a pretty good combo in my book.

13. Kansas City Royals — light blue alternates
Another tough choice here in Kansas City between the light blues and white/gold, but I’m a sucker for light blue uniforms, sue me.

12. Washington Nationals — road
This may be controversial but I love the Nationals’ road greys. I know, almost always the road jerseys look plain and are rarely the best for any team but for some reason, having Washington written in script across a grey jersey just does it for me.

11. Miami Marlins — black alternates
The Miami Marlins had absolutely atrocious jerseys until a fantastic rebrand in 2018 which resulted in a bunch of great jerseys. The black along with the neon blue and red looks great and they almost made the top 10 for me.

10. San Diego Padres — home
Another slate of new jerseys for the Padres and while I do like the brown pinstripe alternates, I think the clean home white pinstripes are better.

9. Boston Red Sox — home
I think the Red Sox have one of those simple jerseys but yet, it somehow manages to be better than most other plain jerseys. Maybe it’s the fact they’re one of the most iconic teams in the league or maybe they hit on something why change?

8. Pittsburgh Pirates — script alternates
Baseball teams love script lettering and the yellow and black lettering of the Pirates alternates is a home run for the Pirates. While the team stinks, and probably will for the next few years, at least they’ll look good when they hit the field.

7. Atlanta Braves — cream alternates
If you’ve made it this far into the list, this one should come as no surprise considering my stated love for cream jerseys. I love the old school look the Braves went with in this alternate and it nearly cracked my top five.

6. Los Angeles Dodgers — home
Simple, plain and iconic. I know I’ve knocked plain jerseys in this column but the Dodgers home jersey is so good despite being plain. The blue and white mixed with the red number on the front of the jersey is perfection.

5. Toronto Blue Jays — blue alternates
With the introduction of their “New Blue” jerseys going into the 2020 season, I almost put those in this list but their regular “Old Blue” alternates are possibly the best Jays jersey of all time. It’s the perfect mixture of old and new.

4. New York Yankees — home
When you think of pinstripes, you immediately think of the Yankees. Now, I personally hate the New York Yankees but man, their jerseys and logo are some of the best in sports.

3. Milwaukee Brewers — blue alternates
Both of the Brewers alternates are fantastic and I’m only going with the dark blues because of the large number of teams that use pinstripes. And that’s no knock on the dark blues because they are absolute beauties.

2. St. Louis Cardinals — cream alternates
The top two spots are far and away my favourite two jerseys in the MLB and while the Cards are ranked number two right now, if you asked me two weeks from now, it could change. These jerseys look old school and the Cardinals have such a great logo, which makes a perfect jersey.

1. Oakland Athletics — kelly green alternates
I love these jerseys. They may be one of my favourites in all of sports and I believe the Athletics should wear them any chance they get. While green and yellow may not be everyone’s favourite colour mix, the light green and yellow instantly pop. This is one jersey that will be added to my closet sooner than later.