MLB jersey issues addressed: Nike to fix illegible names and sweaty uniforms | MLB Insider

In his MLB Insider, Denver Gazette beat writer Luke Zahlmann takes you around the Rockies and MLB:

Uniforms have been the talk of the sports world for weeks, and baseball’s discussions have been a blemish, rather than a benefit.

The league, paired with Nike and Fanatics, set out to modernize jerseys in 2024 and give players a lightweight copy of the versions they’ve worn in previous years. The results have been viral moments from players' see-through pants — and all the trouble that comes with them — to lengthy names on the back of jerseys being hardly legible.

Football saw the Jets, Broncos and Lions all do a reboot on their jerseys, and even the mixed reviews were overall positive. Baseball, as it continues to do with new initiatives, saw its jersey modifications flop.

Now the sport is backtracking, and it’s exactly the solution that was needed.

According to ESPN, a memo was sent out to players by the MLB Players Association on Sunday, and the league plans to address its wardrobe malfunctions in full.

The blame was pegged right on Nike, rather than Fanatics — a company that’s become synonymous with shipping fans lower-tier memorabilia with misspelled names and logos that often come off-center or even upside down.

"This has been entirely a Nike issue," ESPN’s obtained memo to the players read. "At its core, what has happened here is that Nike was innovating something that didn't need to be innovated."

Nike went on to say that it will go back to larger lettering for uniforms, revert to a different material that doesn’t collect sweat as easily, and fix the mismatched color schemes that have adversely impacted gray jersey combinations. It said the fixes would be done by the start of the 2025 season, at the latest.

The trend started at the 2023 All-Star Game.

Nike introduced new, lighter jerseys for the game inked in teal and navy colorways to match the host Seattle Mariners colors. The fabric was dubbed “Vapor Premier” and was said to be a high-performance alternative to the old jerseys with the ability to wick moisture easier and stretch “25 percent more.”

The company even body-scanned more than 300 players according to MLB.com to get the right fit and makeup for the new tops.

Fan reviews were instantly negative and for multiple reasons.

The league ditched players wearing their team’s jersey in the 2001 All-Star Game when it paired with Nike to make custom jerseys for the event. The consensus has been negative each year, but last year’s was a sign of things to come.

Nike’s design got rid of stitched numbers to decrease the weight. Instead of custom-tailored pants for each player, the company distributed four sizes, crafted by the aforementioned body scans, to fit each of the league’s players.

Lighter material has caused the pants to rip more easily, and players have been forced to wear previous year’s pants at times to get the right fit. It’s a problem the league’s players union said was easy to predict.

"We cautioned Nike against various changes when they previewed them in 2022, particularly regarding pants," the memo continued. "MLB had been, and has been, aware of our concerns as well. Unfortunately, until recently Nike's position has essentially boiled down to — 'nothing to see here, players will need to adjust.'"

Nike’s deal with the league began in 2019 but hadn’t faced significant backlash until this season with the new jersey designs. It has found plenty of success designing the uniforms for football and basketball, too.

The Rockies haven’t faced the same challenges as other clubs.

Ezequiel Tovar’s last name has been oddly spaced on jerseys this year, and the small lettering has been readily apparent on fan’s recent purchases compared to the old jerseys. The vibrant purple the franchise enhanced its look with in 2017 has changed back to a more blue tint, though, and was the type of color change the franchise tried to stray from.

With Nike’s manufacturing, the league has also scraped sleeveless jerseys. None may be more iconic than the Rockies’ black sleeveless jerseys that were made famous during the team’s 2007 World Series trip and worn in each subsequent playoff run at some point.

The recent changes won’t help bring back the black jerseys, but it’s a color scheme the organization figures to feature at some point. It’s one of Colorado’s three primary colors and would add another combination with their purple, pinstripe, gray and 'City Connect' variations.

For now, they’ll settle for pants that cover what they’re intended to cover, nameplates that fit the back of a jersey and a less stained-from-sweat gray uniform.

The league is going backward, and it’s a welcome step after the early trial run failed.

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What I'm hearing:

—Jordan Beck is being ushered into the majors because of necessity, in part, but not completely.

Black went on MLB Network Radio Tuesday and spoke to the outfielder’s deservedness for a debut and what it took to get there.

“The reports we’re getting from our Triple-A staff and player development people, they feel he’s ready,” Black said. “We saw him in spring training, and we liked what we saw. There’s a self-assurance to him. There’s a confidence. He’s built the right way in a lot of ways.”

Beck will wear No. 27 for his big-league call-up and have a chance to stick around. The team recently demoted Michael Toglia for underperforming and sported one of the league’s worst records (7-21) entering Tuesday’s three-game set with Miami. It's the worst record in franchise history to start a season.

—Player’s Weekend is coming back as the league hits redo on its jerseys, but the ones for the event will no longer have a special nickname nameplate.

The three-day event in August returns for the first time since 2019 and allows players to represent chosen causes through their uniforms, cleats and other game-day accessories. Day one will be Aug. 16 and focus on player’s off-field interests — like Kyle Freeland’s love for golf.

Day two will be about charitable causes, and the event’s third day will focus on players’ role models, including their parents and baseball mentors. Each team will also have special designs on their New Era caps and have the chance to use additional customization on their bat and cleat designs.

The weekend overlaps with the Little League Classic, too. The Yankees and Tigers will play a special Sunday Night Baseball game on Aug. 18 in Williamsport, Pa., home of the Little League World Series.

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What I'm seeing:

—Wyatt Langford is known for his power but registered his first career home run on Sunday the hard way.

The Texas rookie had an inside-the-park home run for his inaugural shot and put the Rangers up 4-0 on the Reds. The ball ricocheted off the right-center field wall and into right field before Cincinnati’s Jake Fraley could retrieve it.

As Langford crossed home, fireworks ignited.

The 2023 first-round pick has hit .248 in his first major-league action across 101 at-bats. He hit 47 home runs in his last two years at Florida and figures to pick up his power pace before long. His legs are doing the heavy lifting early.

—Charlie Condon is eyeing Barry Bonds and beating him as a standout at Georgia.

The Bulldog infielder has hit 29 home runs as a redshirt sophomore and gone yard once every 5.76 at-bats. Bonds’ 73 home run season in 2001 was one of the sport’s greatest offensive years to date, and he hit a home run once every 6.52 at-bats.

Condon has become the top-ranked prospect in the 2024 MLB draft. He could become the program’s highest draft pick if he beats out Jeff Pyburn’s fifth-overall selection in 1980.

Colorado picks third in the upcoming draft and could have a chance at the slugger.

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Minor League Minute

—Jaden Hill’s new plight as a reliever in Colorado’s system should accelerate his timeline.

The change came after shoulder tightness and back spasms plagued his 2023 season as a starter. He went to the Arizona Fall League with a new plan to become a hard-throwing reliever and spent time with the major-league roster in this year’s spring training.

The 6-foot-4 former multi-sport athlete could bring a three-pitch arsenal to the Rockies mound before long. His slider reportedly improved through mechanic tweaks, and his repertoire has taken a step forward with the short-relief bursts.

“There was a confidence and swagger during the (Arizona Fall League) where he was really trusting his stuff, and he was just letting it play,” Rockies assistant director of player development Jesse Stender told MiLB.com. “He was probably facing better competition than he was in the Northwest League, and he was making guys look silly. He was locating his stuff better. He was crisp with his stuff.

“He wasn’t leaving it over the plate. And obviously, it led to a lot of success.”

Entering Tuesday, Hill has six appearances with Double-A Hartford. He has at least one strikeout in five of them and has held opponents to a .233 average.