2013 MLB Logo and Uniform Changes

[BBTV]

Oh the white is totally unnecessary. Yellow doesn't need white to "pop" (worst word ever) against black.

That and it clashes against the gray pants.

[TheOldRoman]

White outlines on alternate jerseys are almost always good, and don't clash with gray pants when worn on the road. As mentioned, a white cap logo clashes with a cream jersey, but white doesn't clash with gray (as long as teams don't do something dumb like wear white pants with a gray jersey). I mean, if teams shouldn't use white outlines on alt jerseys that are worn on the road, I think the only current alternate that could stick around would be the Mariners' navy, the Diamondbacks' red, the Mets' road alt and the Orioles' black jersey. I think it's better when teams have a few alts as possible, and should stay away from road-specific alts like the Mets have done. That means most alts are going to need white outlines to be legible.

[McCall]

White outlines on alternate jerseys are almost always good, and don't clash with gray pants when worn on the road. As mentioned, a white cap logo clashes with a cream jersey, but white doesn't clash with gray (as long as teams don't do something dumb like wear white pants with a gray jersey). I mean, if teams shouldn't use white outlines on alt jerseys that are worn on the road, I think the only current alternate that could stick around would be the Mariners' navy, the Diamondbacks' red, the Mets' road alt and the Orioles' black jersey. I think it's better when teams have a few alts as possible, and should stay away from road-specific alts like the Mets have done. That means most alts are going to need white outlines to be legible.

I agree completely. But the Pirates aren't one of them. The straight gold on black has always been fine. Even when they had the red outline on the old ones, all you saw was gold on black and it looked perfect. And true the A's do it, but that doesn't mean the Pirates have to just because they do. This isn't high school for alt jerseys. There's no peer pressure.

[hormone]

I don't think the black Pirate numbers on a yellow jersey "need" the white outline for looks, but they "need" it for consistency as the other jerseys have them. For BP, I understand the less detailed look, but for game situations, I feel that they should have a more complex and similar style. I'm hoping for a proper yellow and also black jersey to be in the rotation in the future. Doubt that will happen though. Just hope they avoid the BP look for 2014 for their regular jersey next season. I'm sure it's their chance to tweak it since they are altering the sleeve logo.

[TheOldRoman]

White outlines on alternate jerseys are almost always good, and don't clash with gray pants when worn on the road. As mentioned, a white cap logo clashes with a cream jersey, but white doesn't clash with gray (as long as teams don't do something dumb like wear white pants with a gray jersey). I mean, if teams shouldn't use white outlines on alt jerseys that are worn on the road, I think the only current alternate that could stick around would be the Mariners' navy, the Diamondbacks' red, the Mets' road alt and the Orioles' black jersey. I think it's better when teams have a few alts as possible, and should stay away from road-specific alts like the Mets have done. That means most alts are going to need white outlines to be legible.

I agree completely. But the Pirates aren't one of them. The straight gold on black has always been fine. Even when they had the red outline on the old ones, all you saw was gold on black and it looked perfect. And true the A's do it, but that doesn't mean the Pirates have to just because they do. This isn't high school for alt jerseys. There's no peer pressure.

The Pirates are one of the teams which doesn't need the white outline for legibility, but I still would prefer them with it. But if the choice was between a no outline and the double outline they use now, I would go with no outline.

[McCall]

Here's a comparison:

The white outline isn't bad, but fails in comparison to the straight gold on black. The gold does look much bolder when there's no white around it, which seems to dull it a bit.

[The_Admiral]

Those black jerseys on the left would look so good with yellow pants.

[BBTV]

White and yellow shouldn't touch, and the solution of the black outline around the yellow creates a muddy effect when viewed from any distance other than up close.

Unrelated, they shoild drop the front number and use mlb block on the back. That's just too much of that font happening there, and it takes away from a great word mark.

[GriffinM6]

Those black jerseys on the left would look so good with yellow pants.

What? No, this is baseball.

[WSU151]

Those black jerseys on the left would look so good with yellow pants.

What? No, this is baseball.

Says the Pirates fan with a picture of the 70s Pirates wearing black jerseys with yellow pants in his signature.

[The_Admiral]

I don't want the Pirates to go back to mix-n-match madness, but I think an alternate, used sparingly, consisting of black shirts and hats with yellow pants could be a nice nod to the glory days, and I say this as someone whose baseball tastes are almost oppressively traditional.

And hell no on using boring old MLB block. In fact, the NOBs should be in the Pirates' font. I love it so much.

[Jungle Jim]

It's unfortunate that the Pirates are winning in the alternate jerseys and caps, because it has now become their unofficial primary jersey. It's their worst look of everything they wear, but as long as they're winning, they're not going to change.

[Quillz]

I don't want the Pirates to go back to mix-n-match madness, but I think an alternate, used sparingly, consisting of black shirts and hats with yellow pants could be a nice nod to the glory days, and I say this as someone whose baseball tastes are almost oppressively traditional.

And hell no on using boring old MLB block. In fact, the NOBs should be in the Pirates' font. I love it so much.

I agree with the last part. I like it when teams use custom fonts as opposed to standard block fonts. While a lot are overdone and hard to read, the one the Pirates use is legible (at least to me) and I can immediately associate it with the Pirates.

[McCall]

It legible with "Pirates" and "Pittsburgh" because its fixed lettering across all jerseys and you already know what it says. Changing the NOBs which vary in length and letters would not necessarily have the same outcome. Plus would just be overkill like with the Rangers. A nice clean MLB Block NOB always seems to work with any font. Just look at Toronto.

[Gold Pinstripes]

Here's a comparison:

The white outline isn't bad, but fails in comparison to the straight gold on black. The gold does look much bolder when there's no white around it, which seems to dull it a bit.

There is an important difference with this mockup as opposed to the black jerseys worn in the 70s and 80s. Those jerseys had the team name in a larger font. When you use the smaller team nickname used today, especially with the white outline, it definitely reduces the visibility. When you have the large single monogram, it can be seen much easier with or without a white outline. For me, the white outline gives the logo sharper edges, while keeping with the integrity of the logo. It amplifies the original, without going in a different direction.

[ThunderCeltic]

The best Pirates uniforms were the ones used from the "Bonds" era. The 1987-1996 look was perfect.

Even their 1998-99 Gray road caps were ok. (They stopped wearing the gray caps on the road in early 99 and wore black instead)

[mjd77]

I've always despised that thick piping, and the Braves are not the only team that use it.

Yes, they are. Teams like the Brewers have borrowed elements of it, but nobody in the majors uses it the way the Braves do.

Actually , the Brewers used the thick piping in the set they had before their current unis and I hated it then. I thought Tampa used it now but after further inspection, they appear to use the thinner variety piping.

[ThunderCeltic]

Mariners teal look is fine. My only complaint is that they need to wear the teal bill cap for all home games, not just with the Northwest Green uniforms. Plus also needing to come back are the teal bill batting helmets.

The Milwaukee Brewers are another team that need a new look. Either go back to the ball in the cap logo or go with the 1994-1997 look.

[BrianLion]

The best Pirates uniforms were the ones used from the "Bonds" era. The 1987-1996 look was perfect.

Even their 1998-99 Gray road caps were ok. (They stopped wearing the gray caps on the road in early 99 and wore black instead)

The home jerseys were fine but the script on the road jerseys of that set just doesnt look good.

Also, road pinstripes on that 98-99 set are never a good look.

[bigwalk]

The best Pirates uniforms were the ones used from the "Bonds" era. The 1987-1996 look was perfect.

Even their 1998-99 Gray road caps were ok. (They stopped wearing the gray caps on the road in early 99 and wore black instead)

The home jerseys were fine but the script on the road jerseys of that set just doesnt look good.

Also, road pinstripes on that 98-99 set are never a good look.

Road pinstripes are wretched. Pinstripes with a hat that's the same color but not pinstriped? War crime.