Who has MLB’s best City Connect uniforms? (2024)

Historically, Major League Baseball is fairly traditional with their uniforms. Recently, though, they have tried some experiments like Players Weekend, unique All-Star jerseys each year and even an ill-fated move to a new material with Fanatics as their jersey supplier. Those issues are for a different post — in this post, we’re not looking at the quality of the jerseys but some of the most interesting alternate designs.

Starting in 2021, MLB started working with Nike on a series of jerseys designed to specifically reflect the city where each of the teams was located. Some of the designs were loved, some hated and others were initially panned but have grown in popularity as the team continues to use them as alternates.

Over the last three seasons, 20 different City Connects have been released, and the Cardinals will be the sixth of this year’s versions, debuting on May 25. The Blue Jays, Twins and Dodgers are all on tap for later this year, bringing the total to 29. At that point, only the Yankees and the Athletics won’t have a City Connect jersey. The Yankees’ classic pinstripes are a hard look to mess with, and the A’s don’t really have a home city right now, so it makes sense that those are the final two on the docket. The plan is that every four years or so, the teams will get a new City Connect look, according to Major League Baseball.

In this post, I’ll give my rankings of the City Connect jerseys from worst to first. As you’ll see, I prefer brighter jerseys over dark jerseys and like alternates that are different from the typical look of the team, but still identifiable as belonging to the same team.

Let’s break ‘em down!

Disappointments

26. Los Angeles Dodgers (version 1.0)

The Dodgers uni is pretty iconic, so there’s a case it should be left alone. This was a case of too much leaving it alone, though. The vibe from the mural in the above tweet is cool and there are so many ways the designers could have gone, but instead, the uniform was pretty much their normal uni with only minor tweaks and “Los Dodgers” instead of “Los Angeles.” The uniform was so “meh” that it has already been tweaked a few times. They definitely could have done more. As evidence that they know that, they’re starting over and giving the Dodgers a whole new City Connect later this season. When it comes out, the Dodgers will be the first team to have multiple City Connect jerseys in the series.

25. Chicago Cubs

These uniforms look like the designers got off to a good start but then had to turn in the project before they got to finish. I like the “Wrigleyville” in the cool font that mirrors the famous lettering outside the Friendly Confines, but other than that these are just solid navy blue with light blue trim (like several others in the set)... Not much going on. The hats are pretty cool with the star from the Chicago flag, though, which is enough to get them out of the basem*nt.

24. San Francisco Giants

I love the orange and several elements in the Giants City Connects, but these could have been so, so much better. The orange is a great accent color and their orange jerseys are even fun as alternates. Granted, “fog” is tough to use as an inspiration, but maybe they should have found other inspiration. The gradient on the logo makes it hard to figure out and the Giants “SF” being swapped for the “G” seems to be a move away from the name of the city rather than towards it. The one part of these that I do like a lot is the bridge elements used as trim on the sleeves. These aren’t far from being great, but overall, are pretty disappointing.

23. Arizona Diamondbacks

I wanted to like these more than I do. The “Serpientes” name is pretty cool and the snake as the “S” and the underline are nice elements. I also like the color on the numbers on the front of the jerseys. The hats are pretty unexciting, though, and has anyone really wanted their uniforms to be “sand” color? With such great throwbacks and good colors in their history, this look feels like it could have been better.

22. St. Louis Cardinals

Like with most of these disappointments, there are some pieces of these uniforms that are nice. The Birds on the Bat logo front and center is great and the “T” wrapped around the bat is a nice incorporation. The subtle squiggly lines that the team calls “river pinstripes” are also kinda cool, but where this goes wrong is with those hats. They feel like no-name brand knockoffs that call out the city but not the team. Something that says, “I went to St. Louis but didn’t want to pay for an actual Cardinals hat.” I also don’t love “The Lou” as a nickname for the city. It feels like they want to be Cleveland with “The Land,” but the Guardians didn’t even go with that nickname on their recent City Connects (ranked much higher on this list). It is not a nickname that I’m familiar with (sorry, Nelly), and made me ask “Who’s Lou?” I’m surprised that the Cardinals have never had an in-season red jersey before this, but these do come across a little like Spring Training wear and don’t do quite enough to call out unique features of the city for me.

21. Baltimore Orioles

The inside of these jerseys is actually pretty cool — so why is it on the inside of an all-black jersey? To make things more exciting, they went with extremely simple white block lettering on Baltimore. I wouldn’t hate that if there was more going on for the rest of the jerseys. The script B on the hat is cool, but it would have been much better in orange, or any color, for that matter. These are almost good, and with accessories, the players have made them work to a large degree. However, if the jersey is more exciting inside out, you’re probably doing it wrong.

20. Texas Rangers

Trying to get all of Texas into a jersey is tricky, and these miss. There’s some cool history with the Peagle and I like the red numbers on the front as an accent with the oversized TX. The TX hats are pretty cool, but this look gets downgraded for the light tops with the dark bottoms. It lands as a mismatched “softball league” look.

19. Detroit Tigers

There are some elements here that I like. The idea of the tire tread pattern for the Motor City and having the name “Motor City” on the front are good in theory. I’m just not a huge fan of it being in the blue. I get that the “electric blue” is supposed to represent the futuristic electric car trend, but ultimately the unis just read very dark. The hat could have helped, but it’s pretty straightforward with just “DETROIT” in white on black. After seeing them in action, they’re not as awful as my first impression was, but they aren’t very compelling

Solid

18. Cincinnati Reds

The Reds’ City Connects are also really close to being great. I like the re-imagined C on the cap and the Cincy on the chest, but the black lettering and black numbers with black jerseys result in way too much darkness (more on this later with another oh-so-close design).

I don’t dislike these as a whole, and they’re the start of the next tier for me. The earlier ones on the list I’d classify as disappointments, but these are the start of the “solid” portion of the rankings where I would wear them and like these but they still have significant flaws.

17. Kansas City Royals

When I started this list, I expected the Royals to be higher. I like the KC on the chest with the nod to the fountains and the Art Deco elements incorporated throughout. The arm patch is nice as well and the tie-ins to the Kansas City Monarchs from the Negro League are cool. However, they just didn’t do that much. The color palette is fairly similar to the usual for the team except that it leaves out one color — ROYAL blue. The Navy and light blue is “fine” but it’s also very, very similar to the Cubs and feels like a safe choice. If they didn’t have the cool KC logo, they’d be much lower, but as it is they land right in the middle with the solid effort.

16. Philadelphia Phillies

Gotta be honest here... these are a very tough call for me. I love some elements but really don’t like others. I could rank these anywhere from just outside the top 10 to barely better than the Giants and make a case for them. Let’s start with the positives — the hats with the Liberty Bell and skyline are some of the best in the entire series. The hats jump them several spots all by themselves. I also don’t hate the gradient with the yellow as a good highlight color.

The main issue I have with these is the font on the Philly and the numbers. If it was a script or even a block Philly, these would be significantly higher on the list. The numbers are also a little goofy. You can see in the tweet above that it looks like Trea Turner will have to wear a question mark instead of his usual #7.

15. Pittsburgh Pirates

The Pirates definitely based their City Connects on their history, but I’m good with the black and gold. You clearly know it’s the Pirates even though the “PGH” feels like a weird abbreviation to go with. Maybe they wanted to be sure their luggage got to the right place, so they went with the airport code. The real strong point of these jerseys, though, is the detailing in the texture created by the three symbols the team calls “the Astroid, the Inverted Y, and the Check.” Including the pattern from the circular grates from the nearby Clemente Bridge makes the detailing even better. The knock on these is that you can’t really see the detailing from a distance or understand it without an explainer and it’s especially subtle in comparison to the odd PGH abbreviation which is so front and center.

14. New York Mets

While the Royals ended up much lower than I expected, the Mets kept climbing in my rankings as I learned more about these City Connects. The explainer in the tweet above does a good job laying it out, and there is a lot of very cool depth in the thought behind the jersey. The big misstep is the pinstripes — probably best to leave that to their crosstown rivals. These come dangerously close to looking like Yankees uniforms, but there are really fun elements involved too.

The purple trim is for a great reason (subway line) and the lettering and tiles are very cool. The other understated but extremely fun detail is the Queensboro Bridge featured on the hats and even on the batting helmets which are cool enough to get their own tweet.

13. Tampa Bay Rays

These are awesome. There’s so much to love about the Rays’ City Connects, but they ruined them by making the number black on the dark gray background. If you watch any highlight video of the uniforms, the numbers are almost unreadable. For everything else they did cool, you can’t tell the players apart by their numbers, which is one of the main points of the whole uniform, right? If they were white, had a thicker outline, or were even in the cool lime green, these would be near the top of the list and could even challenge for the top spot. There’s so much going on to love, but the one major mistake makes it that much more painful that they came so close to hitting a grand slam with these.

The good here is really good. Both the Skateray logo and the SkyRay are outstanding and the neon is exactly what City Connects should be. Maybe they can make an adjustment and be one of the best, but until then they’re stuck here in the middle.

12. Los Angeles Angels

The Angels didn’t do as much as some of the other teams with their City Connects, but what they did, they nailed. They invoked the beach feel of Anaheim with another “sand” jersey, but this one works for me with all the red setting it off. While they avoided referencing Anaheim, California or Los Angeles (all of which have been part of the team name in the past), they went with a classic but solid font for the “Angels” with the added details of a halo above the “A” in the Angels and having the “S” ends in the shape of a “fish” tail of a surfboard to honor Angels legends Mike Trout and Tim Salmon (they did the fish name puns in the official release, not me). The number in the diamond on the front is also really nice, and I’m a fan of these. The fact that there are 11 ranked higher only shows how good the whole line is since these are a very solid entry.

11. Chicago White Sox

The White Sox have another very solid entry and call out the section of the city they're from with their “Southside” across the chest. I like the all-black and pinstriping here. They feel just right for the White Sox somehow even though they’re so black. Like the Angels, these aren’t crazy creative but hit the mark well and are very solid. And yes, Tampa Bay, the numbers in the back are white, not black (it’s called contrast!).

Top 10

10. Washington Nationals

The top 10 are really all favorite options. In this tier, we’ve reached the looks that I really like and would embrace as a fan of the team or as just a cool jersey or hat to own and wear.

The Nationals’ cherry blossom look is going away after this season, but it has been a great City Connect look for them tied to a specific local event that is important to their city. The typeface on the “WSH” is designed to call out D.C.’s neoclassical architecture, and it works overall. Whatever they get to replace these will have a pretty high bar since these are some of the best we’ve seen and some Nats fans think they’re the team’s best uniform set.

9. Colorado Rockies

These make more sense for the Rockies than their regular uniforms, in my opinion. The mountains and the dark green are really nice and the hats with the CO crest in the middle are a nice call-out to the whole state. Did they steal the look from the Colorado license plate? Maybe, but that doesn’t mean it's not a great look.

8. Houston Astros

The Astros definitely leaned into one aspect of Houston rather than trying to include multiple elements of their city in one uniform. Houston’s history as “Space City” and the home of NASA is represented in every element of these city connects and the piping with the multiple colors, fonts and detailing on the sleeves all fit within that design. The hats with the spacey take on their logo are some of the best in the whole series and bump them up a few spots, keeping them firmly in the top 10.

7. Cleveland Guardians

The Guardians went a little throwback with these uniforms as well. They’re pretty close to uniforms the team wore when they had a different name (go check the history books). The piping on the shoulders and sleeves is cool, and the hats are very solid as well with the alternate panel on the front. The font of the “CLE” and the logo that features the Guardians of Traffic call out the statues that were so important to the renaming of the team. The players and the fans have been vocal in their support of the look so far, and they could climb even higher over time as they are embraced and we get a better look at them.

6. Milwaukee Brewers

These are another fan favorite that definitely delivers. The “MKE” is a little weird to me on the hat, not gonna lie, but the “Brew Crew” on the jersey and the great colors make it one of the best options on the board. The baseball grill on the sleeve is a fun little touch as well since not many can argue with grilling and brewing as you get ready for your Milwaukee baseball experience.

The Elite

5. Seattle Mariners

While the top 10 are all favorites, the top five are truly elite. The Mariners did a great job with their City Connects, calling back to the Seattle Pilots, which was Seattle’s original MLB team. Mount Rainer and the PNW (Pacific North West) are in the sleeve patch in a nice subtle addition without replacing the city like PGH or even CLE do in other City Connects. To top the very solid jersey, the Mariners brought back the trident logo, modernized it and went with the royal blue crown and black visor. The yellow trident has returned as a symbol of the team and the jersey has become one of their best looks.

4. San Diego Padres

The Padres’ City Connects are out there but in the best way. I’m a huge fan of the neon, and it has quickly become an iconic San Diego feel and look. The colors are a stark contrast to the brown and yellow in their normal jersey and a fun, regionally appropriate alternate. They also incorporated their history by including the swinging friar on the sleeve. This is exactly what City Connects should be and firmly belongs in the top five.

3. Boston Red Sox

The Red Sox City Connects are the originals that launched the line, and in many ways, they’re the most revolutionary for that reason alone. They also were a huge departure for the Red Sox, who traditionally have no yellow or light blue in any of their uniforms leaning on blue and red since it’s in their name. These alternates are great, though, because they are such a break from the norm but connect specifically to the city. The yellow and blue are based on the Boston Marathon and they debuted during Marathon Weekend 2021. They’ve caught on with fans and are prevalent at almost every Red Sox game whether the team is wearing these or their more traditional uniforms.

2. Atlanta Braves

The Braves’ City Connects embrace the year that Hall of Famer Hank Aaron broke Babe Ruth’s all-time home run record by updating the 1974 uniform with some modern touches. “The A” is a great callout on the front and the hat is a strong entry with the alternate panel on the front. The sleeves include a nice crown design in a nod to Aaron’s pursuit of the home run king title, and his motto “Keep Swinging #44” appears above the jock tag in his handwriting. A portion of all the sales of the jerseys goes to the Henry Louis Aaron Fund, which was established in 2021 under the Atlanta Braves Foundation supporting minority participation in baseball. Great cause, great uniforms. These are a win all around.

1. Miami Marlins

In a bit of a surprise, the Marlins claim the top spot in my rankings. The Marlins don’t have the rich history of the Braves or Red Sox, but they drew upon the history of the Cuban Sugar Kings as inspiration for this great uniform set. The Sugar Kings were one of the first to field a multi-national team with players from all over Latin America along with African American ballplayers and played in Triple-A. They won the Triple-A championship in 1959 before moving to Jacksonville in 1962 where they became the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp, who are still the Triple-A affiliate for the Marlins.

The modern remix of the Sugar Kings unis gets some Miami details with the “Miami Blue” stenciling around the script on the front and a very clean and outstanding blue and red cap. The Sugar Kings logo infused with the MM is just the right amount of updating while keeping the original crest mostly intact. The Marlins created a totally new look with their City Connects that tied them in a unique way to the community and gave them a look even non-Marlins fans can feel good about wearing. The Marlins’ City Connects are a great example of what City Connects should be and they take the top spot in my rankings.

Do you agree? Disagree? Think I did your team’s City Connects dirty? Maybe you just need to explain a detail I missed. Whatever you need, you can find me on X (formerly known as Twitter) @ZT_Sports where I’m always happy to break down the latest looks and also offer my DFS and season-long fantasy advice.