Some of the MLB City Connect unis are spectacular. Some are...not great, Bob.
As part of Nike's partnership with MLB, certain teams have been sporting "City Connect" uniforms at times this season. These unis incorporate elements of the team's home city in some way, blending style with culture. They often look completely different than the team's ordinary jerseys/hats/pants.
Here are the seven teams who've worn City Connect uniforms this season:
Arizona Diamondbacks
Boston Red Sox
Chicago Cubs
Chicago White Sox
Los Angeles Dodgers
Miami Marlins
San Francisco Giants
Oh, and here's what the Peanut Gallery's self-proclaimed, unqualified style guru thought of them...
Arizona Diamondbacks
Love these. Looooove these. These uniforms honor the Arizona desert climate with their color scheme and its Hispanic population with the "Serpientes" name (Spanish for snakes). They nailed the sandy colors. The fonts on the names and numbers looks sharp as well. All-around it was an excellent job.
I would have liked for them to play around with the hat design a little more, instead of just applying a new color scheme to their existing logo. Fresh hats, as well as pants, could have elevated this look even further. But this set was one of the best City Connect had to offer.
PG Score: 8.5/10
Boston Red Sox
They're aight. Not incredible. Not terrible. Boston's uniforms are Patriots' Day-themed. The 617 area code patch on the sleeve is meant to look like a racing bib, since Patriots' Day is when they run the Boston Marathon every year. I'm not really crazy about the color scheme, but I get that it's important; it's meant to mimic the Boston Marathon finish line.
Much like the Diamondbacks, the Sox didn't pay much attention to their hats. It's just their ordinary hat in blue, which looks like an alternative one you'd buy at Lids. Show the hats some love!
PG Score: 6/10
Chicago Cubs
Very well done. Props to the Cubs for doing a complete makeover. Hats, jerseys, and pants. The hats are based off Chicago's flag, specifically the red star in the center. The "Wrigleyville" name honors the area where Wrigley Field is. There are a ton of elements that pay homage to some aspect of Chi-town, including the patch on the left sleeve and a slogan on the bottom left under the number. That's a huge plus.
They did a great job balancing the dark and light shades of blue so neither could be too overpowering. I normally do not like dark-colored pants on baseball teams, especially when they're the same color as the jerseys. It works in this instance for me...to a degree. When the player's pants are up, revealing the light blue socks: *chef's kiss*. Perfection. But the uniform isn't as well-balanced when they're down.
PG Score: 9/10
Chicago White Sox
The North and South side of Chicago came to play with their City Connect uniforms. This set aims to encapsulate the South side's hard-working, edgy style, something their current uniforms also tried to do when they were introduced in 1991. These take it to the next level and do a good job of it.
Once again, I just really don't like dark pants. The pinstripes make them more palatable, but this uniform doesn't offset the dark colors as well as the Cubs' does. A white or silver belt would have been a key element.
PG Score: 8/10
Los Angeles Dodgers
What is this nonsense? Who did this? An intern? "Oh fuck our City Connect design is due tomorrow I better get on that!" What did the intern come up with? "Let's just slap a 'Los' in front of 'Dodgers' on the jersey, to honor LA's Latin culture. And, uh, do the same for the hat, just put the 'Los' on top. And make the uniform blue. Like, everything blue. Perfect."
Have I mentioned I'm not a fan of dark pants? I really don't care for them. The White Sox and Cubs did admirable work making me not mind the look, but the Dodgers? Woof. They look like blueberries. The homage to LA, which involves the "Los" and the black-ish spray paint fade on the bottom of the sleeves to honor the beautiful murals you see around the city, are half-assed in my opinion. They could have done much better. This is a brutal look.
PG Score: 3.5/10
Miami Marlins
We don't suck at something! It's rare to be among the elite of anything as a Marlins fan, but our City Connect uniforms are sweeeeet. They honor Miami's deep Cuban roots by modeling the look off the Havana Sugar Kings. The logo on the hat and patch on the right sleeve also commemorate that famous team.
Awesome font. Awesome color scheme. Overall a tremendous look. A few nitpick-y gripes would be that only the jersey has pinstripes. To me, if the jersey has pinstripes the pants have to have pinstripes. The logo on the hat, while beautiful, is a little too busy. It's hard to make out all the details unless you're close to it. I think a simpler version would have been better for that space. This is still one of the best City Connect uniforms, though!
The Marlins did something good for once!
PG Score: 8.75/10
San Francisco Giants
Pretty safe by the Giants. The uniform uses Golden Gate Bridge orange, and also features imagery of the actual bridge on the sleeves and side of the hat. The faded part of the "G" reflects the fog that is common in the Bay area.
They definitely could have taken more risks, specifically in the jersey. The "G" is just boring. The jersey is white, the pants are white, and the bottom of the "G" is white. That's a lot of white, unused space. The Giants erred on the side of caution with this design; I think they should have tried to make more of a statement. This is probably the most forgettable of the City Connect uniforms.
PG Score: 5/10
Peanut Gallery City Connect Rankings
Chicago Cubs
Miami Marlins
Arizona Diamondbacks
Chicago White Sox
Boston Red Sox
San Francisco Giants
*50 feet of crap*
7. Los Angeles Dodgers
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