From the Cardinals' spring training facility in Jupiter, Fla., Post-Dispatch baseball writers Lynn Worthy and Derrick Goold discuss what they'll be watching for in the opening day of spring training and what new ace Sonny Gray brought to his first bullpen session with his new team. Worthy de…
JUPITER, Fla. — The brand-new uniforms designed through the use of “the latest in digital technology†will actually give the Cardinals a throwback look on the field this spring.
From a distance.
For the first time in about a decade, the home white jerseys and road grays are back for exhibition games this spring, replacing the red tops that had been a fixture of spring workouts and batting practice. All of the jerseys also have a new design as Nike and Major League Baseball unveil the Vapor Premier uniforms it is advertised as “breathable, lightweight, high-performance fabric that was made from at least 90% recycled polyester yard.â€
The Cardinals fought to keep some of the traditional elements of their jersey in place, adapted at least one to the new jersey, and also lost at least one, too.
“I don’t like them,†pitcher Miles Mikolas said. “Everyone should write about it.â€
In a release Tuesday about the new jerseys in Major League Baseball, Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado, who wears Nike gear, offered this comment: “The Nike Vapor Premier jersey is soft, light and comfortable. It’s almost like wearing my favorite shirt out on the field – and so easy to move around in.â€
As Major League Baseball, Nike, and the jersey manufacturer, Fanatics, prepped for the launch of the new jersey, the Cardinals lobbied to keep some of their details. Club president Bill DeWitt III has been a champion of the jersey’s tradition. For example, he brought the chain stitching of the player’s name back to the tail o the jersey, just as Stan Musial and the Gas House Gang had. It was a small touch, out of sight of the fan, but it was as a detail for players.
“It felt special, like the big leagues,†Mikolas said.
That stitched last name is gone from the new jerseys.
The red may appear a shade different but it’s not; the white of the jersey has changed. The MLB logo on the back of the jersey has been lowered and the last name on the jersey is more squat, thicker, less upright that recent years.
But the Cardinals were able to keep, as best they could, the textured, stitched look of their famous logo. Considered one of the top jerseys in sports – right there or sometimes ahead of the pinstripes – the Cardinals had the birds and the bat for their Birds on the Bat logo chainstitched into the jersey. It was a sharp, crisp detail that, yes, gave the jersey some weight. The new jerseys are meant to reduce weight and streamline, but the Cardinals argued successfully to adapt the chain-stitched logo to the new design.
A look Tuesday at the jersey shows how the chain-stitched logos are done onto two patches and then applied to the jersey on either side of the buttons – instead of chain-stitched directly into the jersey as before.
The team prefers that to the flat applied logo that was the alternative.
It's not the first time the Cardinals have had to work with Major League Baseball's new jersey manufacturer to maintain the historic, layer, and stitched look of the logo. Previously, an attempt was made to shift the logo to two colors for the front of the jerseys, mostly to reduce cost and simplify manufacturing. The Cardinals successfully convinced the company MLB had its jersey deal with to maintain a three-color logo, right down to the individual stitches and beaks of the Birds on the Bat.
The new jersey provides 25% more stretch and allows it to dry 28% faster, per Major League Baseball’s release. Airflow through the jersey and comfort on the field was a goal of the jersey. There’s a retail component, so sales were a goal, too.
“These new uniforms fit better and feel lighter,†National League MVP Ronald Acuna Jr. said in the release from MLB. “I play fast and want to wear something that won’t pull when I’m running. Feeling free in the jersey is the best feeling in the world.â€
During Mike Matheny’s tenure as manager, the Cardinals stopped wearing their home whites and road grays for exhibition games. They were one of the two teams along with the New York Yankees that wore their regular-season uniforms during spring. Matheny suggested they shift to the practice reds, in part because it reserved the home whites and the classic look for the players who made the majors. The Cardinals have worn the practice/batting practice reds ever since.
This year, the addition of a City Connect jersey meant a change.
By rule, teams are permitted four uniforms and one additional. The Cardinals added the Saturday road blues and the Saturday home creams, giving them five with the home whites, road grays, and practice reds. They’re one of nine teams receiving City Connect jerseys this season so one of the other jerseys had to go back on the rack. The team retired the reds, for now.
On Tuesday, Nike and Major League Baseball revealed the other eight teams getting City Connect jerseys this year: Tigers, Guardians, Dodgers (for a second time), Rays, Phillies, Mets, Blue Jays, and Twins.
The specific design of the Cardinals’ City Connect jersey has not been revealed, though there have been some hints. Cardinals officials have said they’ll have plenty of red, and the team is using “For the Lou†as its catchphrase this season. It appears on the team’s website as well as their pocket schedules. Nike has previously sold t-shirts with the ºüÀêÊÓƵ skyline and the words “THE LOU.â€
As he described the new jersey, veteran starter Mikolas expressed concern about how it will look as players sweat through the material. He also mentioned that the pants have shifted from three different measurements to the off-the-rack two, and they do not fit him and others quite as well. He’s hoping that the early reviews of spring – including his – will lead to adjustments to the uniform and other options by the start of the season.
He described what it was like to arrive in the majors and have the choice of fitted pants, the attention to detail, and that heavy jersey with its regal logo and last name stitched there for the player to see, to sense.
“It’s taking away the magic,†he said.
The manufactures advertise it’s improving the function.
"It’s meaningful that we have people who want to come back here," says Mozeliak about putting value on free-agent signings who wished to be Cardinals.
The Cardinals don't have enough white pants, so they'll wear grays in upcoming games. That allows players to avoid so-called see-through unifo…
The Nike-branded and Fanatics-manufactured Vapor Premiere jersey is debuting this spring. The Cardinals will wear white in spring training for the first time in at least a decade.Â
The Nike-branded and Fanatics-manufactured Vapor Premiere jersey is debuting this spring, drawing some criticism for its flattening or elimination of some traditional elements.Â
The Nike-branded and Fanatics-manufactured Vapor Premiere jersey is debuting this spring. The Cardinals' design maintains the chain stitching-look for their logo, instead of a flat application similar to a decal.