Last Saturday, April 8th 2023, the Atlanta Braves debuted their new Nike City Connect uniforms. I was in attendance at Truist Park that night with my friends, Remington, Russell and Rob. The Three R’s, who oddly enough aren’t that great at reading, writing or arithmetic. Despite the frigid conditions at the stadium that night, there was a different buzz and atmosphere from the crowd for an early season game. Braves Country was excited by the new uniforms and the lines at the apparel stores throughout the stadium reflected that. Judging by the amount of “For the A” merchandise I saw fans wearing that night, the Braves City Connect uniforms were a huge success. The uniforms are an homage to Hank Aaron and the Braves uniforms that the team wore from 1972-75, which were immortalized when Aaron broke Babe Ruth’s all-time home run record on April 8th, 1974. 49 years to the day before the City Connect uniform debut. All this nostalgia and excitement over the uniforms got me thinking about The Top MLB Uniforms…Of My Lifetime.

There have been a lot of great MLB uniforms throughout my lifetime. Making a list of them is very subjective. Appearance is obviously the main component but I also wanted to account for players who wore the uniforms and memories invoked by moments or games in which the uniforms were worn. So without further ado, I present to you, The Top MLB Uniforms…Of My Lifetime.

10. New York Mets Home (1983-1990)

The Mets teams of the 80’s had a lot of iconic players and fittingly had iconic uniforms to match. Darryl Strawberry, Doc Gooden, Gary Carter, Keith Hernandez and many other memorable players donned these unis. The Mets had style and these uniforms personified that. Borrowing the pinstripe design from the cross-town Yankees, the 80’s Mets uniforms stood on their own with their orange and blue color scheme. The script Mets lettering across the chest played well and the 1986 Mets did likewise, taking home the World Series championship. The unforgettable moment of that Fall Classic happened in Game 6 when Bill Buckner let a Mookie Wilson dribbler bounce through his legs allowing Ray Knight to score the winning run, in the 80’s home uniform.

9. Los Angeles Angels City Connect (2022-Present)

With apologies to the Braves, Padres, White Sox, Rockies and Marlins, who all have great City Connect uniforms, the Angels City Connects are the cream of the crop. Pun intended. Everything about these uniforms is amazing. The cream color, the number on the front in the diamond, the lettering, the striping on the single sleeve, the hats. It all comes together perfectly to make a great uniform showcased by two of the all-time greats, Mike Trout and Shohei Ohatani.

8. Tampa Bay Devil Rays Home (1998-2000)

Back when Tampa Bay was for the Devil (Rays), they had some clean uniforms that would be a sin not to include on the list. Nowadays it’s always sunny in Tampa as the Rays got off to a historic 13-0 start to begin the 2023 season and are perennial World Series contenders. But back in the late 90’s it was a darker time for the franchise. The expansion team Devil Rays weren’t all that competitive but these vibrant and unique uniforms helped brighten the days somewhat. The logo and color blending make these uniforms winners even when the team didn’t do so often. The away uniforms with the black jerseys from the same time period are also elite but I opted to go with the home whites for my list.

7. Montreal Expos Home (1980-1991)

One of the great unknown mysteries of the universe, what even is an Expo? The question may never be answered but the 80’s Montreal Expo uniforms are unquestionably awesome. The red, white and blue colors are pieced together perfectly with these unis and hats. The logo is unique and iconic. As was the case with the previous entry on the list, the Devil Rays, the Expos also had nice road uniforms, theirs being powder blue. I’m a big fan of the powder blue uniforms that many teams in the late 70’s and early 80’s used as the primary color for their road uniforms. But again I decided to include the home unis for the Expos mainly because of how crisp and clean they are and how the white makes the red, blue and logo pop.

6. St. Louis Cardinals Road (1974-1986)

Speaking of powder blue uniforms, may I present the St. Louis Cardinals and their glorious road unis the team wore from 1974 to 1986. A lot of teams around this time period had powder blue uniforms, but few pulled it off as well as the Cardinals. There was just something about the contrast between the blue and the Cardinal red that made these uniforms special. The piping of the sleeves, neck and waistband also helped add to these uniforms’ awesomeness. These uniforms were always fan favorites and the team brought them back in 2019, wearing them in Saturday road games. They still wear them from time to time today and it’s always cool to see the present day players in these classic throwback uniforms.

5. Arizona Diamondbacks Home (1998-2006)

Admittedly, I wasn’t really a fan of these uniforms at the time the Diamondbacks wore them in the late 90’s to the mid 2000’s. I guess history and nostalgia have taken their toll on me, because looking back now, I’ve grown quite fond of these uniforms. Going with the vest style jerseys that were growing in popularity at the time, the purple and teal colors combined with the pinstripes make these uniforms stand out. What moves these uniforms up the list however, are the memories invoked from the 2001 World Series against their likewise pinstriped opponents, the New York Yankees. It was one of the all-time great Fall Classics, with several memorable moments and games. The most memorable moment coming in Game 7 where Luis Gonzalez laced a walk-off single into center against the Yankees Hall of Fame closer, Mariano Rivera. Whenever I see these jerseys I think about that instant-classic World Series, all the great games it gave us and all the great players who were involved in it.

4. Seattle Mariners Home Alternate (1994-Present)

Speaking of great players, Ken Griffey Jr. made these Mariners alternate jerseys iconic. At the time when Griffey was accelerating to becoming the best player in baseball, the Mariners changed their logo and color scheme into what would become the uniforms that Junior built. The Kingdome would soon become a sea of green, with fans adorning the new jerseys, mostly with the number 24 on the back. When I think of Griffey, it’s usually in these gorgeous emerald green Mariners uniforms. Not being ones to miss out on the hype, Nike inked Griffey to a signature shoe deal and several of the sneakers most popular iterations featured the Mariners color scheme. Of course I had to have a pair and they’re still one of my favorite sneakers…Of My Lifetime.

3. Florida Marlins Home (1993-2012)

Back in their inaugural season in 1993 the Florida Marlins were a terrible team that had terrific uniforms. The teal color was unlike anything before in Major League Baseball. These uniforms hit different even if the Marlins lineup didn’t hit much at all. But it wouldn’t be long before the Marlins would build a winning team fitting of such uniforms, capturing a World Series title just four years after entering the league in 1997. The team had several uniform combinations and variations but my favorites were always the vests with the all teal hats. The team abandoned the colors and logo when they re-branded to the Miami Marlins in 2013. However as a tribute to the team’s 30th anniversary the 2023 Marlins are wearing the 1993 uniforms on “throwback Fridays”.

2. Houston Astros Home (1975-1986)

One of the most iconic uniforms in sports history, The Houston Astros home uniforms the team wore from 1975 to 1986 were truly one of a kind. The “rainbow” of yellow and orange made these uniforms instantly recognizable and undeniably unforgettable. Some of my earliest memories as a baseball fan are of watching Nolan Ryan, Mike Scott and Jose Cruz play against the Atlanta Braves on Superstation TBS. I immediately liked the Astros as a kid based solely on their uniforms. I was obviously not the only Braves fan who loved these jerseys as Big Boi from Outkast can be seen wearing an Astros throwback in the music video for Goodie M.O.B.’s rap classic Black Ice. Fitting because these uniforms seemed to literally wake up and see the sun sky high as the hues oozed.

1. Atlanta Braves Road (1980-1987)

I might be a little biased towards the Braves and powder blue baseball uniforms in general, but the early 80’s Atlanta Braves road uniforms take home the number 1 spot on my list. As a kid Dale Murphy was always my favorite player, as I’m sure is true with a lot of Braves fans. These uniforms helped add to that favoritism for me. The blue on blue was pulled off beautifully and these uniforms were a sight to see. The Braves moved on from these uniforms in 1987 but I still have fond memories of Murphy, Bob Horner, Bruce Benedict and countless others playing in these uniforms as a young kid who was just beginning to fall in love with the Braves and baseball. And that is why the powder blue Braves road uniforms of the 80’s are The Top MLB Uniforms…Of My Lifetime.