He’s wearing *that* uniform?
My all-time roster of MLB players who look really strange in a different uniform
The 2024 Major League Baseball season began last week in South Korea and begins stateside today. For those of us who didn’t go to spring training, it will be our first sustained look at players in new uniforms. Some look natural. Some look strange. Some look so very strange it’s really jarring.
I’ve decided to compile my “he’s wearing THAT uniform?” lineup of players who look totally out of place in a new uniform. Yes, this is going to have a heavy California theme to it.
SP – Orel Hershiser with the Giants
I’m starting with my starting pitcher because Orel Hershiser in a Giants uniform will always be the oddest of odd looks. Hershiser was the most hated Dodger by baseball fans on both sides of the Bay from 1985-1994. Even after three years in Cleveland, the Giants signing Hershiser as a free agent felt like treason to the rivalry.
C – Mike Piazza with the A’s
The A’s have an abundant history of signing former superstars at the end of their careers, hoping for one last season of glory. It worked with Frank Thomas. It kinda worked with Joe Morgan. It didn’t work with Billy Williams, Orlando Cepeda, Nomar Garciaparra, Eric Karros, Manny Ramirez or Mike Piazza. After all those years in Dodgers blue, a few days in Marlins teal blue, and many more years in Mets blue, the sight of Piazza in the A’s green and gold was bizarre.
1B — Pete Rose with the Expos
By 1984, Pete Rose was 43 years old, still over 200 hits shy of Ty Cobb’s all-time hits record, and no longer even an average baseball player. The Phillies wouldn’t guarantee him regular playing time. The Montreal Expos signed him, assuring him it wasn’t just to sell tickets but because they thought he could still play. Rose collected his 4,000th career hit with the Expos, and man alive, even though I love the 1980s powder blue in general, he looks weird in it. Rose batted just .259 with no power in 95 games and was traded back to the Reds before the season ended.
2B — Robinson Cano in a SpongeBob uniform for El Paso
This is admittedly different than the rest of my life because of a personal connection. The Padres signed Robinson Cano to a minor league contract in 2021. His first game with the El Paso Chihuahuas coincided with a SpongeBob SquarePants uniform promotion. I happened to be there with the Isotopes. I snapped this photo, posted it on Twitter, and it went quasi-viral. For a two-time suspended steroid user, it seemed just about right.
SS — Brandon Crawford with the Cardinals
Brandon Crawford famously attended the final Giants game in 1992 at Candlestick Park, photographed next to a sign imploring National League President Bill White to keep the Giants in San Francisco. The Giants, of course, stayed. Crawford attended Foothill High, the same high school as me, was drafted by the Giants, became a star, won Gold Gloves and Silver Sluggers, and anchored the defense on two World Series teams. Now he’s a Cardinals and it’s weirder than weird.
3B — Wade Boggs with the Devil Rays
It was weird enough that Wade Boggs, the longtime star of the Boston Red Sox, signed with their heated rivals, the New York Yankees. It was even weirder when Boggs signed with the expansion Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Superstars like Boggs aren’t supposed to be on expansion teams, especially their first year of existence. Expansion rosters are supposed to be filled with journeyman and rookies, not future Hall of Famers.
OF — A clean cut Johnny Damon with the Yankees
Speaking of Red Sox icons joining their heated rivals, the weirdest part about Johnny Damon doing the same was the drastic changed look he underwent. Damon was symbolic of the self-described “idiots” on the Red Sox, a beard, long hair, and a carefree lifestyle. Then not only did he join the enemy, he conformed to their corporate policy. Gross.
OF — Rickey Henderson with the Dodgers
Rickey Henderson, my all-time favorite player, played for nine teams in his 25-year career. You can make a strong argument he looked weird in a Red Sox uniform, a Mariners uniform and an Angels uniform. But the weirdest for me was wearing a Dodgers uniform, especially since he’s wearing #25 instead of his usual #24 (or even the #35 from early in his A’s career).
OF — Eric Davis with the Tigers
I mean, the man’s nickname was Eric the Red. Eric Davis in any uniform other than the Cincinnati Reds took some getting used to. His trade to the Dodgers made sense. He was from Los Angeles. He ended up playing with childhood friend Darryl Strawberry. Davis looked natural in a Dodgers uniform. But the Tigers? That did not compute. I got to cover Eric Davis one year, the final year of his career with the Giants, and he just personified cool. In his prime, Eric the Red remains one of the most electrifying players I ever watched play.
DH —Bo Jackson with the White Sox
We saw Bo Jackson so often in the 1980s playing baseball for the Royals, playing football for the Raiders, on SportsCenter, on all those fabulous “Bo Knows” commercials by Nike. Then came the hip injury in the Raiders playoff game that ended his NFL career. The Royals released him as he recovered from the injury and the White Sox later signed him. It was a staggering return to baseball, but he wasn’t close to his old self and the White Sox uniform drove home that point even more.
Coach — Joe DiMaggio with the A’s
Joe DiMaggio famously once said, “I’d like to thank the good Lord for making me a Yankee.” He played his entire 13-year career with the Yankees, finishing in 1951. The Yankee Clipper tried some broadcasting for the Yankees and did some spring training coaching, but mostly stayed away from the sport. He did some commercials and married some actress named Marilyn Monroe. Then, inexplicably, he joined the Oakland A’s for their first season in 1968 (after they moved from Kansas City) as a coach and front office executive. DiMaggio was living in San Francisco and needed two more years in the majors for his pension to vest completely. He was instrumental in helping Reggie Jackson, Joe Rudi, Sal Bando and others early in their careers. This was before my time, but the photos still make me rub my eyes.
RP — Trevor Hoffman with the Brewers
Let’s close with the Padres legend closing out games for the Brewers. Hoffman’s daily wardrobe was the embodiment of San Diego culture: flip flops and shorts. His entrance in the 9th inning at Jack Murphy Stadium set the standard for closer entrances. Hoffman was quite effective for four years with the Brewers and their blue uniform is a similar shade as the Padres old blue. Still, I can’t get used to him in any uniform other than the Padres.
What players were most unusual for you to see in a different uniform?