Washington Nationals Know What Jerseys to Take for Next Year’s All-Star Game
The Washington Nationals hope their large group of young stars and prospects start making All-Star Game appearances soon.
Players like James Wood, Dylan Crews and D.J. Herz made their MLB debuts this year. Young star C.J. Abrams made his first All-Star appearance.
When he played, he wore the black National League jerseys that were specifically made for the event. Same went for pitcher Kyle Finnegan, who also appeared in the game.
When Wood or Crews make their All-Star Game debuts, as the Nats hope, they will do so wearing the Nationals’ traditional home or away jerseys, depending up on where the game is played.
On Monday, MLB announced they were moving away with the game-specific jerseys that caused plenty of controversy with players and fans and will go back to the more traditional home-and-away jerseys at next year’s game in Atlanta.
That means any Nationals All-Stars will wear their traditional home white jerseys.
Next year, players in the Home Run Derby will continue to wear their normal uniforms for that event, but the rest of the participants will wear specially designed uniforms for workout day and other activities.
MLB’s deal with Nike prompted the change after the 2019 game. Nike and the league agreed to a 10-year, $1 billion deal to become MLB's official uniform supplier. With it came specially-designed uniforms for the Game while players wore their regular uniforms for the Home Run Derby.
This year’s jerseys for the game in Arlington, Texas, might have been the worst of the bunch.
During this year’s All-Star Game, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred hinted the league was considering a change.
“I’m aware of the sentiment,” he said during a press conference.
This came two years after Manfred told reporters that he like the change to a single uniform for each league during the game. So the decision represented a significant change in tune.
"I never thought that a baseball team wearing different jerseys in a game was a particularly appealing look for us,” he said.
The All-Star Game uniforms aren’t the only change.
The league also announced that it is moving back to the former fabric and lettering used before Nike introduced the Vapor Premier jersey design, which was supposed to improve mobility and fit for players.
The uniforms caused widespread criticism from players about the uniforms, including the smaller lettering and numbers. MLB said it conducted a survey of players on next steps, and the new uniforms will feature enlarged letters for player names, embroidered sleeve patches and reverting back to full pant customization.
It will take more than a year for the uniforms to return to their 2023 form, but the transition will start with road uniforms, which will be ready for spring training.
