MLB 2016 Changes

[Almighty]

The difference between those three is only that Detroit and New York have roughly symmetrical, squared-offd logos, that look good on the front of a jersey. Washington's curvy, upward-slanting "W" is woefully out of place there, not substantial enough to anchor a jersey.

I disagree with the thing about the Nationals. I'm not a Nats fan or anything, but I think the curly W looks fine as is on the front of their jersey. Frankly, if they are going to go that route, I'd rather they have that than some type of blocky DC logo like they used to have, or a boring, generic, blocky, "W." The curly W gives the jersey a little style and personality. It's a tiny bit interesting without being overwhelming or gaudy.

I've seen people on here argue that their home jerseys should use that "Nationals" cursive script. While I think that's a decent looking script, it would look too generic. When you see that curly W, you instantly think "Nationals" (you can make whatever Walgreens joke you want here, but in terms of BASEBALL, you think "Nationals."). It is instantly recognizable, without being over-the-top, as a good chest logo should be. The "Nationals" cursive script would only make the team look more generic. After a year of them wearing that, people would be complaining about how their jerseys are so boring, they look too much like certain other teams, etc.

When you are a National League team named the "Nationals," and your colors are red/white/blue, you need to do whatever you can to make yourself stand out, at least a LITTLE. The curly W chest logo is kind of a nice balanced way to do that.

No doubt, all 3 nats jerseys are awesome

[Ray Lankford]

I never noticed it before but the W does seem to be disappearing into the arm pit:

[Crabcake]

The difference between those three is only that Detroit and New York have roughly symmetrical, squared-offd logos, that look good on the front of a jersey. Washington's curvy, upward-slanting "W" is woefully out of place there, not substantial enough to anchor a jersey.

I disagree with the thing about the Nationals. I'm not a Nats fan or anything, but I think the curly W looks fine as is on the front of their jersey. Frankly, if they are going to go that route, I'd rather they have that than some type of blocky DC logo like they used to have, or a boring, generic, blocky, "W." The curly W gives the jersey a little style and personality. It's a tiny bit interesting without being overwhelming or gaudy.

I've seen people on here argue that their home jerseys should use that "Nationals" cursive script. While I think that's a decent looking script, it would look too generic. When you see that curly W, you instantly think "Nationals" (you can make whatever Walgreens joke you want here, but in terms of BASEBALL, you think "Nationals."). It is instantly recognizable, without being over-the-top, as a good chest logo should be. The "Nationals" cursive script would only make the team look more generic. After a year of them wearing that, people would be complaining about how their jerseys are so boring, they look too much like certain other teams, etc.

When you are a National League team named the "Nationals," and your colors are red/white/blue, you need to do whatever you can to make yourself stand out, at least a LITTLE. The curly W chest logo is kind of a nice balanced way to do that.

No doubt, all 3 nats jerseys are awesome

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=c8kUgHsKWJc

[The_Admiral]

I don't think the Nats' uniforms have any personality at all. They're as generic as can be.

[Ferdinand Cesarano]

No, I still think Walgreens. They had it for decades before Washington tried to appropriate their logo in a "baseball context".

And you and I apparently have different definitions of "balanced". The upswing italic and extra loop on the left disqualifies it in my book.

That W has been a baseball logo since 1963. Even after the expansion Senators moved away it continued to be identifiable as the Washington baseball logo. Its resemblence to a store's logo in no way detracts from its appropriateness as a mark for the baseball team.

This mark is so identified with Washington baseball that it was used in order to signify the original Senators at the 1983 All-Star Game when Joe Cronin, in tribute to his having started the first All-Star Game 50 years before in 1933, was the American League's honorary captain.

The fact that the Nationals dropped their hideous original script and have tailored their look around this classic and beautiful logo is something that we should be celebrating.

[AnPheitseog]

I like the curly W, I do.

I just wish the script would be on the home jersey, or at least as an alt. Make the red alt away only and do w on weekdays and script on weekends or the reverse.

[Gothamite]

The W is just not strong enough to stand on its own as a jersey mark. Longevity is not itself a virtue (especially when much of that longevity is by default).

I should bookmark this for the next time somebody says that I only like old things.

[Bouj]

I just saw a retail guide that lists the following caps as no longer in use for 2016:

Astros orange

Mets camo

Pirates mustard/black

Padres light brown

We knew about San Diego and there was a rumor going around that one of the camo hats is gone. But I haven't seen anything else about Houston and Pittsburgh. I hope it's incorrect because those are two of my favorite caps in baseball. Can anyone confirm?

Bummer, someone contacted me outside the boards confirming this. I thought the Astros were warming up to the orange caps? And I guess this means the Pirates Sunday throwback alternates are completely gone. There was a rumor last week that they're getting a new alternate jersey, perhaps it replaces this one.

The Astros stopped using the orange hats & accents mid-season. It was their Saturday look, and then it was briefly their Sunday look, and then it was abandoned altogether. Alas.

[VikWings]

So now the Marlins and Astros nice orange hats are both gone, for no reason at all.

YAY TO MORE BLACK AND NAVY!

[Gothamite]

I hate to say it, but that's a direct result of the merchandising culture. Black and navy are easier to sell, and that's become the most important factor when teams consider their uniforms.

The orange cap must have sold especially poorly, though, to be abandoned so quickly.

[SilverBullet1929]

I know for a fact that the Marlins red-orange cap is (or at least has been in the past) a top seller for the Marlins. It's a shame the cap isn't used more. Same for the Astros.

[Ray Lankford]

Uni-Watch said that calling the new Padres wordmark a bow tie is a "mischaracterization."

[KittSmith_95]

Still no answer for my question, and I've posted it up twice.

Oh well. Guess D-Backs are not bringing back vests.

I would love to see vests make a comeback.

Of their 6 different uniforms, no vests.

What a shame. This is gonna look like crap then. At least with it being a vest, they could've gone with the pattern on the Tee, but no..... they have to go the whole way.

[hawk36]

Forgive me for not wanting to scroll back 391 pages....So this is actually happening?

That's great! Now if only they'd be smart enough to actually carry that color scheme over to the road/alt...

Another half hearted attempt. Typical. Don't like the white and yellow letters, would have preferred all yellow. And yellow color itself, at least in the pic, is almost volt, lemony. Would have preferred a yellow that leaned slightly more toward orange.

[Gothamite]

That's the difference between yellow, which that appears to be, and the gold used by the Brewers, Steelers, Pirates and just about every other pro team.

Real yellow is rare, and could look good in their color scheme.

[hawk36]

You mean like 100y? I think it can look great, especially when on a dark background, but I tend to think it works best with more "modern" sports like football, soccer, basketball, etc. I just have a hard time envisioning it working well with baseball. I fear it will look a bit too softballish. But, I'll wait to see the full set before making a final judgement.

[Cujo]

@Dbacks with a teaser:

[TheOldRoman]

I personally thin the "SD" monogram will look fantastic on he home uni. I've said it several times, this rebrand is especially frustrating to me because it's so close to being great. Add yellow the road and alt jerseys and caps and you've got a great uni set.

I disagree with literally everything you wrote. I think it will look awful on a home jersey. They're the Padres, not the San Diego SDs. Using the initials on the road or alternate is bad, but on a home jersey is awful. And I don't think a single element of the Padres identity outside of the SD is close to being good, let along great. They're wearing a color scheme nobody wants, and only wearing it on the home jerseys (which will see the field about 40 times a season). Each jersey looks like it's from a different set. And instead of wearing something respectable in brown like a throwback, they're going balls out and coming with a brown jersey. Even if you add yellow to the road and alt jerseys, you still have crappy wordmarks, no Padres on the homes, a brown throwback, a camo jersey, and a color scheme none of the fans want to see.

And I'll take the middle of the Nationals debate. I love the curly W, but it's awful as a jersey logo, and clownish that it also appears a few inches away inside a circle on the sleeve.

[Silent Wind of Doom]

@Dbacks with a teaser:

C-c-corduroy? Is that what's going to be the sublimated pattern? I can't decide until I see it all together whether this will look okay or terrible.

[Ray Lankford]

"A Union-Tribune source previously confirmed that hosting the All-Star Game allows for a trial look (for the Padres) that could be scrapped if it proves unpopular."

That'd explain why they're half-assing t. I wonder if that means they could add yellow to the roads and alts if all goes well.