MLB Players Point Out Drawbacks to New Uniforms

Union gathers feedback, which includes an awkward problem
By Bob Cronin,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 22, 2024 5:20 PM CST
MLB Players Point Out Drawbacks to New Uniforms
Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani, left, and starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto pose during spring training on Wednesday in Phoenix.   (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Complaints are piling up about Major League Baseball's new uniforms as time runs short to change them before Opening Day. The Players Association is collecting reviews during spring training, ESPN reports, and the most recent problem to surface is the most awkward: a certain see-through quality that would seem undesirable in a sports uniform. The union's Tony Clark has been to a half-dozen training camps to hear what players think about them. "A lot of the rhetoric is confirmation that the pants are see-through," he said.

MLB officials have touted the uniforms as enhancing players' mobility by providing 25% more stretch. To make uniforms more breathable and comfortable, per the AP, the lettering, sleeve emblems and numbering have been made less bulky. Players agree the uniforms feel lighter. But the lighter fabric is a problem for jerseys with bigger numbers and letters, and players have said that gives the uniforms an amateurish look, per ESPN. The pants are the same weight as last year, but the eggshell color is being blamed for the transparency issue. "I know everyone hates them," said Phillies shortstop Trea Turner. "We all liked what we had." (More MLB stories.)

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