CLOTHES ARE THE TALK OF SPRING TRAINING
‘TAPERED’ JERSEYS AND REVEALING PANTS ARE HOT-BUTTON TOPICS AMONG PLAYERS, FANS
I THINK IT’S THE NAMEPLATE THAT’S REALLY TAKEN SOME GETTING USED TO FOR ME. IF YOU ASK ME IN SIX MONTHS, MAYBE I’LL LIKE IT BETTER. BUT I REALLY CAN’T TELL YOU. FIRST IMPRESSION, IT’S GOING TO TAKE SOME GETTING USED TO IT. — KYLE FINNEGAN
Corbin Burnes, the transformative new ace of the Baltimore Orioles, took the mound in a spring training game for the first time on the weekend in Sarasota. An eager crowd analyzed his every move, desperate to see a winter of promise thaw into reality, a process replicated on sun-soaked fields across Florida and Arizona.
That scrutiny is an annual ritual, but this year, it has been redirected. Because this year, everyone from league officials to players to fans were focused as much on what Burnes and his colleagues were wearing on the field Saturday as what they did there. For the first time, the full slate of new uniforms Major League Baseball debuted with Nike for this season will be exposed to fans in the stands and television cameras. The question somehow dominating spring training is whether those uniforms will expose too much.
For two weeks, MLB has been mired in a sartorial controversy of unprecedented proportions, one that began with player distaste for the look of those new jerseys and escalated to concerns — exacerbated by a few surprising photos captured by photographers — that the new white pants are too revealing.
“It’s disappointing that we’ve landed in a place where the uniforms are a topic of discussion,” Tony Clark, head of the players’ union, told reporters in Arizona.
The uniforms, designed by Nike in conjunction with MLB and manufactured by Fanatics, will likely remain a topic of conversation for the foreseeable future because player concerns are as widespread as they are varied.
Players were initially upset with the jerseys, which are made of a lighter and quicker-drying fabric designed to be more form-fitting than in years past. In conversations with multiple players across five teams, no one raised concerns about the jerseys affecting their ability to play. But several raised concerns about the way the jersey looks, which many felt was too much of an afterthought.
The lack of heft, combined with smaller numbers and letters, made many players feel like they were wearing replicas.
“I like last year’s way better. And my opinion matches a lot of opinions in here,” said Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Kevin Kiermaier, a Nike-sponsored athlete, who was therefore choosing his words carefully. Some, like Kiermaier, are frustrated by the design. Others see issues with the execution.
Philadelphia Phillies reliever Matt Strahm, for example, said he had no problem with how the jersey felt as he threw. But when he looked down at it later, he noticed the team’s name on his chest was off-centre.
“They say it’s because I have a ‘tapered jersey,’ so the ‘S’ lands under my armpit,” Strahm said. “When they told me that I was like, ‘Wait, you didn’t taper the jersey first then put the logo in the middle?’”
MLB officials say the taper, like so many of the changes in the new jersey, is the product of six years of research conducted in conjunction with Nike, a process that included player body scans and a trial run at last year’s all-star game.
Designers chose to make the numbers and letters lighter and smaller to match the decreased heft of the jerseys themselves. But the league’s calculus does not seem to match that made by the players, many of whom think the smaller appliqués cheapen the look.
“I think it’s the nameplate that’s really taken some getting used to for me,” said Washington Nationals reliever Kyle Finnegan, citing not only the smaller letters and numbers but also that the appliqués are perforated instead of solid. “If you ask me in six months, maybe I’ll like it better. But I really can’t tell you. First impression, it’s going to take some getting used to it.”
League officials anticipated the jerseys would inspire some skepticism, since big-leaguers are not exactly receptive to change. But when team photo days began, more ... well, pressing ... concerns emerged about the pants. In pictures taken of everyone from Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani to Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh, tucked-in jerseys were visible through home white pants. In other cases, tucked-in jerseys would
have been preferable to what the cameras captured in that area. It seemed like the new pants were somehow less substantial and provided less cover than older ones.
While MLB had been relatively quiet about the jersey concerns, the seethrough pants sent league officials scrambling. They insist the new pants are the same thickness as the old ones. They pulled pictures of photo days past in which tucked-in jerseys were visible, circulating them to reporters to demonstrate that the old white pants had the same level of transparency. They speculated that the bright lights set up for photo days might have exacerbated a problem that won’t be nearly as glaring on the field. And indeed, as much as those pictures went viral on social media, many players later said they hadn’t noticed the new pants being more transparent until someone mentioned it.
“I didn’t notice (the pants) until people started talking about it. Then I noticed I could see my tights through it,” Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette said. “That’s why you wear something under your pants.”
Kiermaier, his Toronto teammate, said he didn’t notice the new pants for a different reason: He isn’t wearing them. He, like many other players, likes the way his pair from last year fits better, so he’s wearing those for now.
And he isn’t imagining the difference: The league does acknowledge it made a change to the way pants are fitted. In the past, players would come to camp and get their pants tailored based on their personal preferences. This year, to streamline the manufacturing process, Fanatics decided to manufacture pants in more generic size buckets based on length and the ratio of how much fabric was needed in the butt and thighs. Players can choose which fit they like best, but they cannot modify those pre-existing sizes to their exact specifications.
“My body type is pretty normal stock, so I fit into them fine,” Blue Jays starter Chris Bassitt said. “But I think it’s pretty unrealistic to think we would have one standard body type, so it’s kind of crazy you can’t make alterations.”
The other crazy thing, according to players, is that they don’t have much time to get used to the pants. Multiple teams do not have their new pants yet.
“I wish I could comment,” Phillies infielder Bryson Stott said, turning toward his locker and pushing aside jerseys and hoodies before delivering the punchline. “But we don’t have ours yet.”
The Phillies are not the only team that has yet to receive its pants. The Athletic reported last week that the Cincinnati Reds are using old pants, too. And while the design of the uniform is Nike’s purview and the overall project MLB’S, it is Fanatics that manufactures the uniforms and is in charge of distribution.
But Fanatics has not established a reputation for flawless delivery in the past. Just last year, Nationals clubhouse staffers were up late on the eve of opening day, stitching patches honouring late owner Ted Lerner because they had only just received the jerseys in time for the season. MLB says that this year, the goal is to make sure everyone has their uniforms by opening day.
Fanatics, which produces uniforms in accordance with Nike’s specifications, declined to comment. Nike, which designed the jerseys, offered a statement.
“The quality and performance of our product is of the utmost importance to us.” that statement read, in part. “We will continue to work with MLB, the players, and our manufacturing partner to address player uniforms.”
MLB officials are touring camps to hear player feedback and have not ruled out making changes in response to player feedback. As for the pants, the plan seems to be to wait for games to start and see what exactly they can see.
“The only thing that’s different for me feeling-wise is the pants. They’re definitely a little lighter, definitely a little more transparent than you want them to be,” Burnes, the Orioles ace, said after throwing 22 pitches.
“But it’s change. It’s one of those things that players have asked for years for lighter, breathable jerseys. They may have taken it a little too far to the extreme, but I think that’s them listening to players’ feedback and maybe went a little too much too quickly.”