Ranking the City Connect Uniforms

The Minnesota Twins became the final team to debut a City Connect uniform in June of this year (final, but not the 30th - more on that later).  I thought they were one of the better done ones, and I've had a lot of strong opinions and discussions with others on various teams' versions of this cool concept.  And so with that, I get to write something I've been excited about for a couple years now: my ranking of all the City Connect uniforms.  I quickly found that once I got past the top few obvious best ones, it got really difficult and nit-picky, so you'll see that I've broken my rankings down into tiers to make this task a little easier.

Tier 1: Best of the Best
1.  Los Angeles Angels
One of the few things this organization has done right recently.  These are honestly so good that they should be their regular uniforms, and in reality they are just a sprucing up of their current duds.  They're a bit more subtle than some (looking at you, Padres), but I am a sucker for a great font, cool patches, a differently colored front panel cap, and an off-white home uniform, and the Angels feature all four of these.

2.  Miami Marlins
These pay homage to the former AAA Havana Sugar Kings uniforms, and are perfectly Miami without being too loud or busy (again, looking at you, Padres).

3.  Colorado Rockies
If you're a fan of the green Colorado license plate, then these are for you.  Of course there are mountains, but also some cool small details like the the ski-inspired sleeve patch.  It's a crying shame that these are being replaced next season.  The Rockies should be spending their efforts on revamping the stalest uniforms in baseball that have been basically unchanged since their inception over 30 years ago, rather than get rid of one of the best City Connects in the game.

Tier 2: Nearly Perfect

4.  Washington Nationals
Sadly, these "Back in Bloom" jerseys are also stupidly being replaced at the end of the year.  The contrast of the gray patterned uniform with the pink cherry blossoms is stunning, and I love the DC flag patch - one of the best US flags.  I think the only thing missing for me is a reference to the Capitol or a famous DC monument/building somewhere.

5.  Seattle Mariners
The original 1977 look is represented in these City Connects, which is unmistakably the best era of Mariners uniforms.  Love the trident and the '70s style, I just can't get past the black pants.

6.  Houston Astros
These are on the more subtle side in the City Connect spectrum, but the "Space City" reference was an obvious choice.  Again, I love a good font, and I've always been nuts about that retro space font.  The orbiting planet on the cap is a nice touch.  But just too monotone for me.  If they required the high pants with the orange socks for every player they'd be fantastic, but the navy top with long navy pants is a bit too much.

7.  Los Angeles Dodgers
When I started compiling this list last year, the Dodgers had the worst City Connects by a mile, so I'm glad they got a new set this year.  These have a nice font as well, but the layout is what stands out on these.  I love the positioning of the number high on the front breast, and the name below the number on the back that ever-so-slightly cuts off the bottom of the numbers.  The theme of these is Hollywood, and the faint star pattern is a really nice touch.

8.  Kansas City Royals
Futuristic, faux-retro "KC" and "R" logos adorn the tops, which tie to the architecture and era of Kauffman Stadium, and the linework I'm guessing is a subtle reference to the fountains.  The striped banding on the sleeves is phenomenal.  A lot of teams teams use a baby blue throwback color, but the Royals have always been one of the best at it.

9.  Minnesota Twins
Maybe I'm being a bit of a homer here, but I like these.  I'm sure it was no easy task to debut an entirely new set of every-day uniforms and a City Connect in consecutive seasons.  The theme of lakes and the North Star is low hanging fruit, but it really pops with the bold color palette.  I appreciate the City Connects that successfully stray from their normal team colors.

10.  Texas Rangers
They have an Old West font and a boot spur on them.  All they're missing is a huge belt buckle, and that's actually my only legitimate gripe with them.  These could have been really gaudy and covered in Texas flags and guns and longhorns, so I appreciate that they're a little more understated.

Tier 3: Great Elements

11.  Milwaukee Brewers

I really struggled with where to rank the Brewers, obviously.  Ultimately I love the colors, I love that they say "Brew Crew," and the grill patch is the best individual element on any of the City Connects.  I just can't get past the caps.  They're way too busy, and when you already have the best everyday logo in baseball, anything less than than perfection on the cap is a failure.

12.  Toronto Blue Jays
My only real problem with these is they're way too dark.  The dark-on-dark uniforms with dark font don't make any sense to me and are impossible to read.  If these were done in say, Canada Red, I think they'd be in my top 5.  The cap reference to the logo they had for like one season in the early 2000s is a nice touch.

13.  Detroit Tigers
I hated these ones at first, but that tire tread pattern grew on me, and I like the colors and the highway sign number patch.  Much like the Brewers ones, I can't get past the caps.  They just say "DETROIT" in all caps, it's like they forgot to do a cap and made one themselves on VistaPrint.  Even the promotional photos with Eminem depict him donning a regular Olde English 'D' cap with the top.

14.  Philadelphia Phillies
Historic teams with timeless iconic uniforms like the Phillies are really tough to pull off a good alternate for, and most people are probably going to hate them no matter what.  They've got a pretty good team, so I'm sure Phillies fans appreciate having something they can boo at again.  The font is awful, but I like the color scheme and the Liberty Bell cap was an obvious choice.

15.  Cleveland Guardians
These seem to be one of the more polarizing sets of City Connects out there.  I've seen these ranked in the top 5 and the bottom 5 and everywhere in between depending on which publication you read, so that might be part of the reason I have them directly in the middle of my list.  At the end of the day, they just look too much like their current jerseys.  I love the chunky Art Deco font and going all-in on the "Guardians of Traffic" motif, but a slightly different color scheme or a different cap logo would have gone a long way.

16.  Boston Red Sox
The Red Sox were first out of the gate in early 2021, and appropriately they're racing themed - The Boston Marathon, to be exact.  These have a strong concept but could be executed better, if you look at these in grayscale they still feel too much like their regular uniforms.

Tier 4: Missed the Mark

17.  San Diego Padres
This is my "A for effort, D for execution" tier of uniforms.  The Padres wanting their uniforms to reflect the culture and artwork and playfulness of the region, I totally get that and respect that.  I just personally find them hideous and loud and hard to look at.

18.  Chicago White Sox
"Southside" on the front was absolutely the right call.  But it's all downhill from there.  The White Sox are really leaning into the crime of the area with the gangster font.  And can we try something besides black pinstriped?  Maybe the 1980s look complete with shorts?

19.  Tampa Bay Rays
Same comment as the dark-on-dark Toronto jerseys, but worse.  The cap logo is great and should be more prominent.  I was hoping for some iteration of their Joe Maddon-era "faux-backs" for this one.

20.  Chicago Cubs
Similar issues to their south side counterparts.  Embracing the neighborhood makes sense, but the dark-on-dark is tired, and they feel too much like their regular uniforms.

21.  New York Mets
They have a subway font, a bridge on the cap, they say NYC on the chest...I get what they're trying to do.  The dark gray is just a bad choice and makes these unpalatable.  Being a Mets fan is depressing enough, let's get some more of that pink in there.  There are some thoughtful details in this uniform that get almost entirely lost in the gray.

Tier 5:  Lazy

22.  Pittsburgh Pirates
Modifications made this year moved this one up to the top of this tier.  These originally had black pants with a yellow cap to go with a yellow shirt, but this year they switched to white pants and added a 1970s era black cap with yellow stars and stripes.  I'm sensing a theme here - the '70s had the best uniforms!  They also replaced a weird yellow helmet with their regular black one.  Featuring the airport abbreviation with no discernable flare keeps this one in the "lazy" category.

23.  Baltimore Orioles
A very boring font with nothing memorable in another black ensemble.  There is a very small pop of color on the collar and the sleeves that is barely visible.  Similar to the Pirates, they did change their black pants to white this year, which was a slight improvement.

24.  Cincinnati Reds
Again with the black-on-black.  Even more unreadable than the Jays and Rays versions.  The cap logo is about all they've got going for them.

25.  San Francisco Giants
Yup, the Bay Area is foggy, I get it.  You know what's hard to do in the fog?  Read.  The crisp white also feels weird on a team whose regular uniforms are cream.

26.  Arizona Diamondbacks
They took their regular uniforms, translated "snakes" to Spanish, and changed the color to sand.  I don't get why anyone likes these.

27.  Atlanta Braves
My complaint with these is not the actual uniform - I actually think they're sharp.  It's that these are just their regular retro uniforms.  Nothing is new or creative about these in any way.

Tier 6: Why Even Bother?

28.  St. Louis Cardinals
It seems appropriate that the Cardinals should be in a category all by themselves, since that's how they view themselves.  The caps are of the homemade variety a la Tigers, and they took their regular tops and just changed "Cardinals" to "The Lou" in the same font.  Oh but wait, they're red now!  Wow!  "The Lou" is also just a horrible nickname.  Rely on a century of stubborn tradition and expect everyone to get on board - The Cardinal Way.

Tier 7: They Didn't Bother.

29.  Oakland Athletics
Understandable that they would not create a jersey proclaiming their love of a city they are soon abandoning.  And don't expect them to create one anytime soon given their vagabond status.

30.  New York Yankees
What a surprise, the Yankees didn't want to sully their timeless look and stoop down to the level of the other 28 teams by actually making something fun.  We're talking about the only team in baseball that has only two primary uniforms - one home, one away, zero alternates.  The Yankees are actually going in the reverse direction and stripping down their existing uniforms to even more bare.  For the 2024 season, they removed the white piping from the numbers, letters, and sleeves of their road uniforms, thus reverting back to their pre-1973, Mickey Mantle-era style with just basic black numerals on a plain gray jersey.  Exciting.

STANDINGS AND UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 9/20/24:
Brewers 88-65, +10.0, clinched NL Central; 4 v. Diamondbacks, 3 @ Pirates, 3 v. Mets
Twins 80-73, -8.5, -- WC; 3 @ Red Sox, 3 v. Marlins, 3 v. Orioles
Orioles 85-68, -4.0, +5.0 WC, magic number 4; 3 v. Tigers, 3 @ Yankees, 3 @ Twins

2024 GAMES ATTENDED:
Erik - 7
Peter - 31

MLB Ballpark Roulette

(rendering of proposed Las Vegas Ballpark courtesy of Oakland A's and MLB.com)

As the sun begins to set on another season, many MLB teams remain in the weeds on where their future homes will be or what they will look like.  Below is a list of teams that I've mentioned on this blog in some capacity over the last few years in terms of seeking a new ballpark, and the likelihood I've assigned to each of them either breaking ground on a new home, majorly renovating their current home, or moving somewhere else, before the expiration of Commissioner Manfred's current contract in January 2029.  I feel like this date is significant and not arbitrary for purposes of this list, because Manfred has repeatedly stated that he wants to see major ballpark "situations" resolved before expansion is considered and before he retires, particularly the Rays and A's.

1.  Tampa Bay Rays - 99%

See my post from last month.  Even if the anticipated groundbreaking of January 2025 gets delayed a bit, I still see this ballpark (or some iteration of it) as a near certainty to break ground next year.  And that's weird to say.

2.  Oakland/Sacramento/Las Vegas/"Insert City Here" Athletics - 95%

Let's move to the white elephant in the room - the A's.  If the question was about my confidence in their current ballpark plan, or even their move to Vegas in general, I'd have this under 50%.  But I have them at 95% simply because it is a fact that they have just 9 remaining regular season games scheduled at the Coliseum, so they will need to find a home somewhere.  They're currently slated to play in Sacramento from 2025-27 with an option for 2028, and I'm not entirely ruling out that the team will remain there long term in a new MLB-appropriate park.  I even think crawling back to Oakland with their tail between their legs begging to revive their new stadium talks is a possibility.  The government portion of the financing that was earmarked in June 2023 for the Vegas ballpark was contingent on the approval of a set of four agreements - community benefits, development, lease, and non-relocation, and so far only the first of those has been formally approved.  The Las Vegas Stadium Authority seems confident that the remaining agreements will all be approved by the end of this year (Chairman Steve Hill has even cancelled some additional workshop meetings as a signal of progress), but the biggest question mark that has always been out there still remains - how are the Athletics paying for their share?  Shockingly, there have not been any minority investors lining up for a chance to work with infamously shady owner John Fisher.  The team recently announced they would be co-hosting a Tropicana Hotel Implosion Ceremony on October 8th - a quintessential A's smoke-and-mirrors move that does not guarantee a new ballpark will rise from that crater anytime soon.

3.  Kansas City Royals - 75%

The Royals were dealt a huge blow back in the April election, when over 58% of voters rejected a referendum to continue an existing 3/8th-percent tax to help finance a new ballpark in the Crossroads District of downtown Kansas City.  The tax would have also helped finance major renovations to the NFL Chiefs' stadium which is next door to Kauffman Stadium.  Many saw it as a rush to get this on the ballot with no firm stadium plan, but the argument for the rush was likely to capitalize on the excitement surrounding the Royals recently extending Bobby Witt Jr., new ballpark renderings being released, and the Chiefs winning the Super Bowl, all of which happened around the same time in early February.  As much as I would have loved to see this approved, kudos to KC voters for not shelling out tax dollars to a billionaire.  I do ultimately think the Royals will get a new stadium, as owner John Sherman seems very motivated to do so, but with their lease not expiring until the end of the 2030 season, as well as generational renovations being completed at Kauffman just 15 years ago, there is some time here.  The newest wrinkle is that the Kansas side of the river is making a huge play to steal the Royals in light of the tax rejection.  Back in June, some new renderings were circulated of what a new stadium could look like in the West Bottoms area of Kansas City, Kansas, which is just over the border in an industrial part of town.  And just this week, the governor of Kansas signed into law the authorization of STAR Bonds to help fund a hypothetical new stadium there.  The Royals have made it clear they are not involved with these Kansas plans in any way, but I'm sure they will have open ears now.  Rendering above courtesy of MANICA Architecture.

4.  Arizona Diamondbacks - 50%

The D-Backs are in a similar situation to the Rays, in that their original 30-year lease from when the team began in 1998 is nearing its end.  The situation is also very different, however, as the D-Backs had a sparkling new stadium on Day 1 of their franchise, and they have a great location in downtown Phoenix that would be hard to give up.  The team has been pretty quiet on negotiations since the beginning of the year.  There are the same veiled threats that all owners put out when they're looking for money, but I do think eventually the team decides on the renovation route and stays put.  And after visiting this park in November for the World Series, I can tell you that the park sorely needs the upgrades.  Many of the non-glamorous items like the sound system, lighting, HVAC, and roof apparatus are still original to the stadium - in fact, the Diamondbacks can no longer even safely open the roof while fans are inside.  I see the team signing a lease extension and working out the money situation at some point, but it might be a series of short-term leases after 2027 until it gets resolved.  As we've seen with the NHL Coyotes moving to Utah this season, and with all of the investment already occurring for Spring Training facilities, the Phoenix metro area has little appetite for building any more new stadiums.

5.  Chicago White Sox - 25%

See my post from last month.  The team and the city/state are very far apart on the dollars and nothing is urgent about this right now.  The lawmakers are going to want to get the NFL Bears sorted out first before a team that's about to break the modern era record for most losses in a season, and has to compete with the beloved Cubs for attention no less.

6.  Los Angeles Angels - 10%

The wild card of this situation is how long Arte Moreno will go on owning the team.  I can talk about stadium leases all I want as I have with the other teams (theirs ends after 2029), but if Moreno keeps the team, the Angels are just going to go on playing at decrepit Angel Stadium in perpetuity.  He's too cheap and closed-minded to do anything else, and already has one failed attempt at negotiating with Anaheim for a new ballpark 2 years ago, which ended so poorly that he did publicly consider selling the team for awhile.  But don't worry, he netted a huge settlement sum from that corruption ordeal recently.  However, he is 78 years old, so similar to Jerry Reinsdorf in Chicago, if he dies or sells the team, all bets are off.  Surely any new ownership group would make vacating Angel Stadium a priority, but there's just too much money in LA to ever leave that market.  They have a $3B television deal that doesn't expire until 2031, which is also not coincidentally around the time Mike Trout's huge contract ends, so I think that's the date to look at for some movement on this.  The NHL Ducks across the street will also have a $4B development completed by that time that the Angels can stew about and wonder "what if," so the end of the decade will be very interesting in Anaheim.

STANDINGS AND UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 9/5/24:

Brewers 81-59, +9.0, magic number 13; 3 v. Rockies, 3 @ Giants, 3 @ Diamondbacks, 3 v. Phillies

Twins 75-64, -4.5, -- WC, magic number 18; 3 @ Royals, 3 v. Angels, 3 v. Reds, 4 @ Guardians

Orioles 81-60, +0.5, magic number 12; 3 v. Rays, 3 @ Red Sox, 3 @ Tigers, 3 v. Giants

2024 GAMES ATTENDED:

Erik - 7

Peter - 31