Alternates Used More Than Regulars in MLB

[piratesfan16]

Watching the Pirates, they have worn their alternate black jersey twice and their regular road jersey once in their Cubs series. That sparked a thought in my mind: Why do teams use their alternate so much?

1) I know that the Astros use their road jersey only when the other team wears a red alternate. They usually wear their burgundy alternate.

2) The Mets wear their black accents(which is an alternate) far more than blue accents.

3) Blue Jays and Marlins wear their black alternate a lot.

4) The Rangers are always using their red or blue alternate.

You get the idea. Is color making a subtle return in MLB?

[JohnnySeoul]

Watching the Pirates, they have worn their alternate black jersey twice and their regular road jersey once in their Cubs series. That sparked a thought in my mind: Why do teams use their alternate so much?

1) I know that the Astros use their road jersey only when the other team wears a red alternate. They usually wear their burgundy alternate.

2) The Mets wear their black accents(which is an alternate) far more than blue accents.

3) Blue Jays and Marlins wear their black alternate a lot.

4) The Rangers are always using their red or blue alternate.

You get the idea. Is color making a subtle return in MLB?

They should just get rid of the "alternate" name. With as much as these teams and others wear them, they should be called Primary 2 uniforms.

[JayJaxon]

I know the Braves wear the blue road more too. Some people hate that jersey. I don't mind it so much.

[loogodude90]

I can't believe you didn't list the White Sox. They are the biggest offenders, I am pretty sure. Both at home and on the road.

[TheOldRoman]

I can't believe you didn't list the White Sox. They are the biggest offenders, I am pretty sure. Both at home and on the road.

Yep. People talk about how little the Sox road unis are seen (rightfully so). However, in recent years they have gotten just as bad with the home unis. Last year they wore the black unis something like 110 times. Wearing one particular jersey 70% of the time is ridiculous.

[ltjets21]

Watching the Pirates, they have worn their alternate black jersey twice and their regular road jersey once in their Cubs series. That sparked a thought in my mind: Why do teams use their alternate so much?

1) I know that the Astros use their road jersey only when the other team wears a red alternate. They usually wear their burgundy alternate.

2) The Mets wear their black accents(which is an alternate) far more than blue accents.

3) Blue Jays and Marlins wear their black alternate a lot.

4) The Rangers are always using their red or blue alternate.

You get the idea. Is color making a subtle return in MLB?

The mets wear blue hats all the time at home now with the exception of maybe one game every 2 series.

[piratesfan16]

Haha, yeah. The Rockies always wear the pinstriped vest or the black vest. I rarely see them in their regular home and away. I love the purple alternate though.

[oldschoolvikings]

MLB's lack of system for alts sucks. If it were up to me, primary uniforms would have to have matching jersey/pants (all white for home, all non-white for roads), and alts could only be worn once during a series. And as long as I'm playing comish, I'd outlaw both teams in alts for the same game... home team picks first, road team has to choose another game.

[piratesfan16]

MLB's lack of system for alts sucks. If it were up to me, primary uniforms would have to have matching jersey/pants (all white for home, all non-white for roads), and alts could only be worn once during a series. And as long as I'm playing comish, I'd outlaw both teams in alts for the same game... home team picks first, road team has to choose another game.

I completely agree with wearing alternate once per series. It would make it more consistent on what to expect.

[The Golden One]

A's usually wear their road green more than the gray. The conspirator's out there say it's because they don't want to be in Oakland and it's the only jersey that say Oakland, but the truth is the starting pitcher picks and the players just like the green more.

I like color jerseys though so I'm not one that will complain.

[kw11333]

I hate the Jays black jerseys. Blue is in your freak'n name!

[Littlem27]

Oakland uses their green road alt alot

[C's]

The guidelines for baseball uniforms are more limiting than in any other sport. White for your primary home, on the road you're stuck with gray or maybe light blue, sand, or some other crappy, boring color of similar value. Any other color that's an obvious uniform color choice for your identity (red, blue, black) is relegated to being an 'alternate' right out of the gate. If this rule (I assume its a rule, otherwise no one would have any reason to do it) didn't exist, than you can bet that the White Sox, Astros, Braves, and whoever else would never even have designed a gray road uniform. They have no reason to. So with the system as it is, how can you really blame some of these teams for using their alternates a lot (the one they have the most freedom in designing) when they don't have much freedom for their 'primary' sets?

All that said, I don't care what uniforms teams wear when, providing you can tell apart the two teams on the field, and I don't know why anyone else does.

[kestrel79]

The Brewers wear their "Milwaukee" script road alternates alot. I think it has more to do with the Coolbase fabric they are made out of than looks, but I love the look of it anyways. I wish they would update the gray jersey to say Milwaukee as well.

As for the Braves alternate road I like them. I think they are one of the best alternate uniforms in baseball right now. I love the simple just white outline look. Sometimes less color is more. I'd like to see more teams do this. I have seen some brewers jackets and clothing with just the "Brewers" script outline in gold and it looks pretty sharp. It just lacks the contrast the Braves jerseys have.

[The_Admiral]

The Brewers wear their "Milwaukee" script road alternates alot. I think it has more to do with the Coolbase fabric they are made out of than looks, but I love the look of it anyways. I wish they would update the gray jersey to say Milwaukee as well,

Preferably like this:

[oldschoolvikings]

All that said, I don't care what uniforms teams wear when, providing you can tell apart the two teams on the field, and I don't know why anyone else does.

You must have ended up on the wrong site.

[C's]

All that said, I don't care what uniforms teams wear when, providing you can tell apart the two teams on the field, and I don't know why anyone else does.

You must have ended up on the wrong site.

No I didn't. I'm interested in the logos and uniforms themselves, but I'm not petty enough to whine about a certain team wearing a certain uniform too much.

[poser]

A's usually wear their road green more than the gray. The conspirator's out there say it's because they don't want to be in Oakland and it's the only jersey that say Oakland, but the truth is the starting pitcher picks and the players just like the green more.

I like color jerseys though so I'm not one that will complain.

For most teams its up to the pitcher

Gio Gonzalez always wore green, but with that no longer around he might always be in yellow

carlos zambrano is always in blue

[DrAwesomeberry]

The best way of doing alts in baseball is designating a specific day of the week/ time of day when you will wear it, instead of whatever the starting pitcher wants.

[TBGKon]

The best way of doing alts in baseball is designating a specific day of the week/ time of day when you will wear it, instead of whatever the starting pitcher wants.

That's essentially what the Rays do at home. Light blue on Sundays, navy blue on weekday afternoon games, white any other time. The navy jersey can show up occasionally on the road too, but theres no set schedule.