While many people have been talking about how much they dislike the
new Diamondbacks uniforms or how ugly the new style of batting practice (and, therefore, Spring Training) hats are, they’re nothing compared to some of the wretched uniforms teams have worn in the past. I started looking through the Hall of Fame’s
“Dressed to the Nines” online exhibit to find the 10 Worst Baseball Uniforms ever. Here they are, in chronological order…
1)
The 1916 New York Giants & Brooklyn Dodgers
They almost get a free pass because it
was 1916, but upon further inspection, no other teams from that era look like they were dressed in tablecloths…
2)
1963 Kansas City Athletics
Yikes! Are they a professional baseball team or the Mountain Dew company softball squad? Yellow tops are bad enough, but yellow pants, too?
3)
Baby Blue 
Just like yellow, no team should take the field wearing baby blue. Started by (surprise, surprise) the 1964 Chicago White Sox, this unfortunate trend cursed more Major League teams than Miguel Cairo. Throughout the ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s, the Expos, Phillies, Cadrinals, Braves, Mariners, Brewers and Rangers were all guilty of taking the field in pastels. Who do you think should wear baby blue? That’s right…babies! Ok, and the Tarheels. And George Brett’s Royals. But, that’s it.
4)
The White Sox (1971-1986) 
Wow – what a bad stretch! The White Sox had horrendous uniforms for 16-straight seasons. They started in 1971 with red pinstripes at home and baby blue on the road. Then, in 1976, they started wearing horrible throwbacks and even wore shorts for one game – an event that
White Sox Interactive dubbed the most embarrassing moment in club history! In 1982, the Sox started dressing like a can of Pepsi and didn’t stop embarrassing themselves until 1987.
5)
1972-1973 Padres
Yellow and brown? Not a good combination. Maybe it’s just my immaturity, but that doesn’t remind me of a respectable baseball team, it reminds me of an outhouse. It’s been said that if you look good, you play good. Well, the 1972 and 1973 San Diego Padres went a combined 118-195 under manager Don Zimmer, a man I would never want to see dressed in all yellow.
6)
1975 Houston Astros
It’s hot in Houston, so apparently the Astros thought it was a good idea to dress like a popsicle for 10 years.
7)
1976 Indians
Speaking of popsicles, teams should not wear red pants. Wait, scratch that…NOBODY should wear red pants! Especially
C.C. Sabathia The 1976 Indians had four sets of uniforms and they weren’t all bad. I like the blue uniforms, but the text is bad, the hats are weak and the red is pretty nasty!
8)
1977 Pirates
The Pirates lesser-known, “We are ug-a-ly!” team.
9)
1977 Mariners 
The 1977 Seattle Mariners picked up right where the ’69 Pilots left off…with horrible uniforms. Now, I know this is double-dipping a little bit, since the M’s were lumped in with the unfortunate baby blue trend, but the early Mariners’ jerseys weren’t ugly simply because of the color. The pitchfork looks really juvenile, but let’s just be thankful that they haven’t ever worn sailor hats…
10)
1998 Tampa Bay Devil Rays
I’m sure a lot of money was spent trying to have the Devil Rays debut with a cool-looking jersey. And, it would have been awesome…if they came into the league in 1983. 15 years later, however, their logo doesn’t make them look like a cool baseball team, it makes them look like a bad hair band. Seriously, what’s with the multi-colored lettering? Purple brims on the hats, purple belts and purple stirrups are also unnecessary.
BONUS:
Please don’t ever “Turn Ahead The Clock” 
In 1999, many teams held a
“Turn Ahead The Clock” night, where the teams wore “futuristic” uniforms. As a Mariners fan, I remember hearing that Griffey helped design the uniforms and I remember Butch Huskey faceplanting into the LF wall. The Mets even
predicted that in the future, MLB teams would have sponsors listed on their uniforms, like soccer teams or the Bad News Bears. Looking over all of the uniforms, let’s all hope that MLB
never turns ahead the clock!
So, what did we learn today, kids? It's simple, really. Don't get too crazy with the color schemes - especially for the pants! Don't use colors that are too bright, but don't use pastels. And, please, don't try to be too hip. Baseball is classic. Let's keep it that way!
Which of these do you think is the worst? Who did I miss? Comment away! Also, if you're interested in reading about uniforms, you need to read
UniWatch, because Paul Lukas is amazing!