“I know everyone hates them,” Phillies shortstop Trea Turner said last week
Major League Baseball is showing off new uniforms during this year’s spring training.
The biggest problem is they might be showing too much.
A series of pictures have shown a slightly embarrassing problem with MLB’s new look: At least a handful of teams have white pants that are relatively see-through, making for some less-than-ideal pictures.
“I know everyone hates them,” Phillies shortstop Trea Turner said last week. “We all liked what we had. We understand business, but I think everyone wanted to keep it the same way, for the most part, with some tweaks here or there.”
That criticism might be a little harsh, but there are still some legitimate concerns about the uniforms with MLB’s regular season approaching in about a month.
WHAT IS NEW WITH THE UNIFORMS
Nike has been designing MLB uniforms since 2020 and Fanatics has been manufacturing them since 2017, but this is the first year for the Nike Vapor Premier jerseys.
MLB officials say these uniforms improve mobility by providing 25% more stretch and also will dry 28% faster. The lettering, sleeve emblems and numbering are less bulky in an attempt to make uniforms more breathable and comfortable.
There are parts of the new uniforms that many players seem to enjoy, particularly the lightweight feeling. Players tried on versions of the new Vapor Premier uniforms during last year’s All-Star festivities and many liked them.
SO WHY ARE PLAYERS UPSET
Generally speaking, athletes usually aren’t big fans of change. This is true for baseball players.
It’s not uncommon for MLB players to get upset about something in spring training. Last year, the biggest complaints about the sport’s new rules package included a pitch clock, larger bases and restrictions on the number of times a pitcher could hit the rubber. Despite these concerns, the legal package is widely viewed as one of the most successful plans MLB has come up with in decades. MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred dismissed the criticism last week, saying players will get used to the uniforms and eventually like them.
That is, until the pants issue is resolved. Usually the players wear white shirts and white pants, the pants are light, so sometimes the shirts are tucked in and the players look like they are wearing diapers.
There is a problem. redistribute Some teams have their 2024 uniforms, while others don’t. The San Diego Padres used last year’s white pants in their spring training opener on Thursday.
WHAT CAN THE PLAYERS DO ABOUT IT
Major League Baseball Players Association deputy executive director Bruce Meyer confirmed the organization is relaying concerns from players to MLB about the new pants.
Nike has also dispatched some representatives to Arizona and Florida, trying to fix player concerns.
“We always put the athlete at the center of everything we do,” Nike said in a statement. “We worked closely with MLB players, teams and the league to create the most advanced uniforms in the history of MLB which are lighter and more flexible.
The quality and the performance of our product is of the utmost importance to us. We will continue to work with MLB, the players and our manufacturing partner to address player uniforms.
HOW DO THEY FIX THE PROBLEM
The supply issues could potentially be fixed by opening day, which is on March 28 for most teams.
As for the see-through nature of the pants, that might be a little harder to fix. One potential solution is that players could wear last year’s pants until the problems are solved.
Padres pitcher Joe Musgrove shrugged off the controversy on Thursday, saying that it was far from the most important thing he’s worried about this spring, even if it’s a little annoying.
“Pants are pants – we’re going to wear them,” he said. “If it doesn’t work, we’ll take care of it.“.
