The release of new MLB City Connect jerseys has been one of the most exciting topics in the league since their launch in 2021. While some jerseys come with mixed reviews, fans find it fun to see new and innovative jerseys added to their rotations.
So far in 2024, six different MLB teams have released their City Connect jerseys. In April, the Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets, and Tampa Bay Rays announced their newest uniforms, while the Cleveland Guardians, Detroit Tigers, and St. Louis Cardinals announced theirs in May.
While some of the jerseys incorporate unique homages to the cities where the teams play, others chose to take a more modern and colorful route. I believe a few of the releases this year are great additions to the team jersey rotation, while a few fell flat upon their release.
6. Cardinals
The Cardinals were the most recent team to unveil their City Connect jerseys this season. Instead of going with a theme different from their usual jerseys, the Cardinals took inspiration from their Spring Training uniforms. Although many fans associate red with the Cardinals, this marks their first time wearing the color on the field for a regular season game.
One of my favorite additions to the Cardinals jersey is the unique squiggly pinstripes. Instead of going with a simple red jersey, the team opted to pay homage to the nearby Missouri and Mississippi Rivers while referencing the old Cardinals uniforms from the 1920s.
While I enjoy the uniforms, I feel that the team could have taken advantage of a more complex theme. Considering the other uniforms released this year, these uniforms seem slightly boring since they are so similar to their traditional Spring Training look.
5. Phillies
The Phillies were the first team to release their jerseys this season and opted to go a very different route than the Cardinals. The jersey is very colorful and uses colors from the Philadelphia flag.
My favorite part of the uniform is the hat, which displays the Liberty Bell along with the Philadelphia skyline. I also love how well the colors from the flag mesh into the uniform.
While I feel like the uniforms are aesthetically pleasing, there is not enough detail in them to rank them higher. They’re very pretty, but they ultimately are not anything too special.
4. Mets
The Mets released their jerseys in April after weeks of teasing the launch. While the team got fans excited for a purple jersey, they opted for a gray jersey with accents of black and pink.
My favorite part of the uniform is the detail on the hat. I love how they included the Queensboro Bridge, paying homage to the borough they play in. I also love how they opted for a vintage-looking jersey, dating back to the older roots of New York baseball.
My biggest complaint about this jersey is that the team decided to use “NYC” instead of “Queens” across the jersey. Since they were paying homage to the roots of Mets baseball, I feel it would have been more appropriate to distinguish themselves from other New York teams.
3. Tigers
The Tigers released their City Connect jerseys in early May and decided to take inspiration from the history of Detroit. Very similar to many other teams, the Tigers decided to go with an alternate name on the jersey and embraced the “Motor City” nickname that Detroit is known for.
My favorite part about these jerseys is the fact that there is so much more to them than what meets the eye. When you look at the jersey the first time, you might only come across the tire tracks on the jersey. However, when you look at the right sleeve, you can see a specialized patch. This patch looks just like a Detroit road sign with the Detroit area code on it. The hats have a detailed tag that looks like a license plate reading "DET190135456884," which represents the year the Tigers were founded and their four World Series titles.
While other jerseys might catch fans' attention more, the amount of detail that went into these jerseys is very evident. The small accents of this jersey make it one of my favorites so far since the launch of City Connects.
2. Rays
The Rays released their City Connect uniforms at the end of April and decided to embrace the skateboarding culture and unconventionality in Tampa Bay. While the team took inspiration from their surroundings, they also decided to bring back the iconic look that their original Devil Rays jerseys had during their first three seasons as an established franchise.
I really appreciate how the team decided to take a different approach to their jerseys and look to the creative culture in their area. I love how the jersey looks creative instead of just a pretty jersey. My favorite addition is the alternate logo with the stingray on a skateboard because I find it to be so creative and so fun.
Being able to take inspiration from something that Warren Hypes, vice president of creative and brand, called “grit and glow” is what makes these jerseys so special. While they might not have some of the historical ties that the previous jerseys had, the creative tie-in is why this jersey can remain special to fans.
1. Guardians
The Guardians released their City Connect uniform at the beginning of May and decided to take inspiration from a very specific part of Cleveland: the Guardians of Traffic pillars on the Hope Memorial Bridge right outside their ballpark. These traffic pillars have been on the bridge since 1932, and each represents a different advancement in transportation.
What makes this so special? The Cleveland name change in 2021 was made to represent the significance of these Guardians. While this may seem insignificant to many baseball fans outside of the Cleveland area, these small pillars represent so much to the city and the team. I really enjoy how the texture of the jersey appears to be like the pillars. I also love how the team also pays homage to the Cleveland teams of the 1990s by adding stripes on the sleeves of the jerseys.
While I really enjoy the history surrounding this jersey, the simplicity of the entire uniform makes it the prettiest. The small details along with keeping with the theme of team tradition are reasons why this is my favorite City Connect jersey released so far this year.
Edited By: Emma Habel
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