I’m not sure why, but the Washington Nationals have made a bunch of uniform changes and they are almost all bad. To quote Uni Watch1 – the Nats are a “Pepsi team”2 when it comes to uniforms – constantly changing their appearance.
Road Uniforms
The script “Washington” jersey that debuted for 2009 is out. This is really disappointing because it was the best away uniform in the history of D.C. baseball. Using the curly W in the city name was classic.
The old
Todd Radom, who designed the Nats original look and the road script lamented it’s end on instagram.
The new
Starting this year the roadies will feature a block “WASHINGTON” that is so generic looking it appears like a knockoff you’d see in the clearance bin at Marshall’s or TJ Maxx. BORING.
New pullover
If there was a bright spot to not having D.C. baseball for over three decades it was that we missed the bad 1970s uniforms with sansabelt pants and pullovers. Somebody decided that needed to be rectified. This will be an alternate jersey.
It looks like leisure wear Capt. Kirk wore in the first Star Trek movie if he were a Nats fan.
At least the interlocking DC3 is back on a patch within the outline of the District. That was also a Todd Radom design. A little progress…
Bye the numbers
The Nats home and navy alternate uniforms (best known for being worn during the 2019 World Series championship) will no longer have numbers on the front.
EXCLUSIVE: Nationals Making Changes to Home Whites, Navy Alternates – Uni Watch
Fewer Curly W sightings
It’s been a few years since the Nats regularly wore their red curly W caps at home, opting for a white panel cap and a block W in the Capitol dome. It’s a downgrade, but I don’t think it’s a mystery of why the red caps are less prominent (Uni Watch)4 though the curly W isn’t involved there.
A new spring training cap has a bold navy block W outlined in white on a navy cap. It’s boring. It’s not to be confused with the “clubhouse cap” which has a curly W.
SPRING TRAINING CAP
CLUBHOUSE CAP (1 of 6!)
Yes, there are too many different uniform options and incoherent branding seems to be top down from MLB, not strictly a Nats issue. Still, there are about 72 caps for sale and I still can’t find the original Nats navy road cap online! It may be available at Nationals Park though. I need to splurge and get it.
The Cherry Blossom uniforms last season
Though they aren’t my thing, the popular cherry blossom uniforms5 are sticking around for one more season.
Oh and by the way, the Lerners are no longer selling
Yup, after putting the team on the market two years ago, they are no longer selling. They aren’t investing in the on-field product either. Joey Gallo doesn’t count.
More Nats uniforms coverage
Lots of pixels generated over these changes…
- Nationals’ new uniform set features a pullover and redesigned road grays – The Post
- Nationals unveil new uniforms for 2024 – MLB
- The Washington Nationals unveiled five new baseball jerseys for this season – WUSA
- Washington Nationals Unveil New Pullover and Road Jerseys – Uni Watch
- MLB Releases Silly 2024 Clubhouse Cap Collection – Uni Watch
- MLB Finally Releases 2024 Batting Practice Caps – Uni Watch
And then there is the matter of overall uniform quality
Oh man, the new Nike/Fanatics uniforms are about as well put together as a Jim Bowden rotation. Uni Watch has it covered – start here Let’s Assess the Nike/MLB Uni Snafu, FAQ-Style
- Nike and Fanatics: Who’s Responsible for MLB’s New Uniforms?
- Nike’s Latest MLB Snafu: New Pants Don’t Leave Much to the Imagination
- Radical Transparancy: More MLB Teams Victimized by See-Thru Pants
- An Open Letter to My Friends at Nike
- MLB/Nike Fiasco Now Features Mismatched Road Greys
- Nike? Fanatics? Nope, Turns Out It’s MLB’s Fault! (Maybe)
- An Open Letter to My Friends at Major League Baseball
- EXCLUSIVE: The Inside Story Behind MLB’s Mismatched Grey Uniforms
No wonder Lukas is retiring from Uni Watch!
Footnotes
- The first of many Uni Watch references in this post. Paul Lukas is stepping down at the end of May and I intend to write-up a tribute before then. ↩︎
- Speaking of – Pepsi changed its branding on most products in 2023 and Pepsi Real Sugar in 2024 ↩︎
- I like the interlocking DC more in concept than execution – I LOVE the curly W. Probably because I’m named William. ↩︎
- Why should I change? He’s the one who sucks. – Michael Bolton, Office Space ↩︎
- It looks like the cherry blossoms will be long gone by Opening Day. ↩︎