10 Classic MLB Jerseys That Should Be Brought Back

Earlier this season on B/R, we looked at nine MLB jerseys that should never return again. Today, we're doing the flip side of that.

Before getting to it, here's a few things to keep in mind:

• None of these uniforms are currently the primary threads for any team.
• There's some love shown here for road grays, not just popular home uniforms.
  
• With each uniform, there's a specification of whether it should return to the rotation as a primary uniform, an alternate or a one-off.
  

With that in mind, here's a look at 10 classic MLB jerseys that should be brought back in some form.

What basis should they return on? Full time

The Diamondbacks' 2024 uniform refresh was definitely an upgrade, but it still refused to give the people what they want—a full-time return to purple and teal.

In 2006, the Diamondbacks shifted to "Sedona Red" as their primary shade, leaving the National League with yet another team using some variation of red. There was a uniqueness to the purple and teal that the Snakes wore from their inception in 1998 through the 2006 season, which included a 2001 World Series victory.

The home uniforms worn from 2001-2006 were particularly sharp. The Diamondbacks have worn them as a throwback at various points since shelving them, and they still hold up. Perhaps the purple sleeves would need to be built into the uniforms rather than a shirt under the vest, but they should return as the team's primary home threads.

Here's the primary road uniforms that went with this set:

Sleeves would need to be added, as the vest trend in baseball has fortunately died out. There were also purple and black alternate tops that could be mixed in with the excellent snake "D" cap on the road.

What basis should they return on? Alternate

Love them or hate them, the "Tequila Sunrise" that the Astros wore as a primary uniform from 1975-1986 are one of the most iconic looks in MLB history. (The 'Stros have worn them as a throwback at times since then.)

The Astros currently have two navy blue alternate tops—their "Space City" City Connect uniforms and the other navy blue tops, which utilize the "rainbow guts" made famous by these uniforms down the side.

We are proposing that the second navy blue top, which looks like a spring training jersey, gets eliminated. They are redundant, and these classics deserve to be worn again on an occasional basis at Minute Maid Park.

One modern update we would propose: Ditch the orange cap and just wear the navy blue one that's currently the primary hat for the Astros. It would match the script and the star on the front of the uniform better. The orange cap on top of the uniform is overkill.

What basis should they return on? It's complicated

We realize this would require either the Expos returning or the Nationals wearing them on the road. Neither is particularly likely, unfortunately.

The reason why you rarely see teams wear throwbacks on the road is that if they're going to spend money on an alternate uniform, they want to wear it in front of their home fans. When a road team wears throwbacks, they're typically paid for by the home team, which is also likely wearing a vintage uniform of some sort. It's aesthetically pleasing, but probably not a financial investment that most teams are willing to make.

Washington—which relocated from Montreal and became the Nationals prior to the 2005 campaign—did wear Expos throwbacks at home on July 6, 2019. While some fans in Montreal likely didn't appreciate it, the Nationals looked great.

What also looked great were the Expos primary road uniforms worn for their final 10 seasons of existence. They provide a modern look, with more than enough color to spice up road grays. The fleur-de-lis above the cursive Montreal and the Expos logo on the left sleeve are the icing on the cake.

When would these throwbacks be worn? Well, we're proposing that the next time the Nationals travel to Toronto to face the Blue Jays, they rock the Expos' road grays. This would be a perfect way for the Blue Jays to pay homage to the only other team ever to call Canada home while advocating for another club to come back north of the border.

Perhaps Vladimir Guerrero could throw out a pitch to Vladimir Guerrero Jr. prior to the game.

What basis should they return on? Full time

In B/R's 2024 ranking of all MLB uniform sets, the Reds came in at No. 29, which is a sign that one of baseball's most iconic franchises could use an aesthetic reset.

What the Reds should do is go back to the classic home uniforms that they sported from 1968-1992, a period that encompassed both "The Big Red Machine" and "Nasty Boys" eras. If you're going to lean into nostalgia, bringing back uniforms that were worn by three different World Series-winning teams isn't a bad strategy.

The matching road uniforms from this set also hold up, and they would be a drastic improvement over what the Reds currently have. Returning to the uniforms worn during the franchise's most successful seasons is a no-brainer.

What basis should they return on? Full time

The Rays abandoned their road grays to comply with Nike's "4+1" rule prior to the 2023 season. As Chris Creamer of SportsLogos.Net wrote at the time, that was partially done to keep the Devil Rays throwbacks in the mix as the jersey that they wear on Fridays in the rotation.

Well, here's another solution: just wear the Devil Rays-era gradient uniforms on a full-time basis again.

Tampa probably won't add "Devil" back to its nickname, which it nixed prior to the 2008 season. But the road Devil Rays jerseys say "Tampa Bay," so they wouldn't need any adjustments to become the team's full-time road uniforms again.

In recent years—as shown by Yandy Díaz above—the Rays have tried to blur the lines on whether their nickname has to do with stingrays or the rays of sunshine that are so prominent in Tampa Bay. They should lean all the way back into stingrays, which are much cooler.

Perhaps the Rays won't add Devil back into their team name, but bringing back the gradient uniforms on a full-time basis would be a good compromise.

What basis should they return on? Full time

Despite having one of the best City Connect looks, the Angels checked in at No. 22 on B/R's MLB uniform rankings prior to the 2024 season. If they returned the uniforms that the California Angels wore from 1973-1992 on a full-time basis, they would unquestionably improve their standing on the list.

The Angels have rocked the "California Angels" throwbacks—pictured above in their heyday on Chuck Finley—on multiple occasions in recent years. It's clearly superior to the home white uniforms that they've worn since the start of the 2002 season.

While the current Halos road grays are sharp, the same goes for the Angels' road uniforms of that era, as you can see on Bobby Grich above. Both the home whites and road grays featured the outline of the state of California with a halo around it, an incredible sleeve patch that hopefully wouldn't be eliminated in the era of jersey ads.

What basis should they return on? One-off

These are so old, our imaging service didn't even have an available picture. So we went to the archives.

For one season in 1938, the Phillies went with a yellow and blue color scheme. Those are the colors of the City of Philadelphia's flag, which was the inspiration for the City Connect uniforms that the Phillies unveiled in 2024.

The 1938 Phillies home threads look a bit too much like a Pittsburgh Pirates uniform. But the road variation of the 1938 uniforms is pretty cool.

Perhaps the Phillies would go with their modern script across the front, and their current "P" on the cap. Most likely, they would also create this in white so it could be worn at home. But the yellow and blue color scheme does pay homage to the city's history, and it would have a connection to the franchise's as well.

The best touch on the uniforms is the William Penn patch that was featured on the left sleeve.

What basis should they return on? Alternate

This may be the most controversial choice featured here. The Royals' color scheme is iconic, and too many teams in sports today feel like they need to have black alternate jerseys.

However, royal blue and black worked well together, particularly on this cap. The version that reads "Royals" across the front was a road alternate for three seasons, but it works with either gray or white pants, so it could also be worn at home as well.

Again, don't count on these returning. But they were an underrated alternate, one that would probably be better received if it came out today than it was 20 years ago.

What basis should they return on? Full time

The Miami Marlins made some minor improvements to their current uniforms prior to the 2024 season, but they've never come close to topping the magic of their original threads.

That was on full display during the 2023 season, when the Fish wore their original pinstripes with the teal "Marlins" script and matching teal "F" cap during Friday home games as they celebrated their 30th season. It was disappointing that the Marlins didn't follow the lead of the Rays and just keep these in rotation as an alternate following the positive feedback they received during an anniversary year.

In reality, these uniforms should just be back on a full-time basis. Specifically, the version Sandy Alcántara is wearing above, which was better than the black cap that the Marlins wore from 1995-2011—which got a matching black script in 2003—as you can see on Josh Johnson.

If the Marlins ever bring these uniforms back on a full-time basis, they would almost certainly need to update the cap from being an "F" to an "M," as Miami became their official location in 2012. Wrap the fish around an "M," slap it on a teal cap and let's get to work.

What basis should they return on? Alternate

On July 27, 2019, the Phillies wore their infamous Saturday Night Specials at Citizens Bank Park. They got clobbered by the Atlanta Braves that night, both on the scoreboard and in the aesthetics department.

The Braves countered the Phillies' throwbacks by wearing the primary road threads that they sported from 1976-1979. These come from the same uniform set that inspired the City Connect uniforms that the Braves introduced in 2023, which are seen below.

While there's something classic about the lowercase "a," if the Braves ever did bring the road throwbacks back, they would likely just pair them with the City Connect caps. They feature the capital "A," which is unquestionably one of the great logos in MLB history.

There might even be some updating of the script, with a capital A in "Atlanta."