Last week marked the arrival of the San Diego Padres’ City Connect uniforms, completing the 2022 rollout of these unique MLB jerseys. As the seventh and final team to unveil their City Connect look this year, the Padres stepped into the spotlight with a design that’s sure to spark conversation. But do these new threads hit a home run, or are they a swing and a miss? Let’s dive into the details of the Padres’ City Connect uniforms and see how they fare on the field and in the broader landscape of baseball fashion.
Before we dissect every stitch and color, take a quick look at this video showcasing the Padres City Connect uniforms in action. Get your initial impressions, and then we’ll break down the look with a closer examination in still photos.
Things Manny Machado is: ⚪️ An All-Star⚪️ A Padre⚪️ Good at baseball 🔘 All of the above pic.twitter.com/p6LRTf39bh
— San Diego Padres (@Padres) July 9, 2022
So, what’s your first take? It’s clear from the outset that these uniforms are a departure from the Padres’ traditional style. But that’s precisely the point of the City Connect series – to forge a new identity that resonates with the city’s vibe and culture. Setting aside any preconceived notions of a classic Padres uniform, how do these stand on their own as a uniform for a Major League Baseball team?
Having seen the San Diego Padres City Connect Uniforms unveiled previously, it’s essential to see them in a real game setting to truly judge their impact. Now that they’ve made their on-field debut, the initial impressions solidify: these uniforms are interesting and visually appealing, though perhaps not a grand slam in uniform design. They certainly bring a unique aesthetic to the Padres and MLB.
The San Diego Padres City Connect uniforms feature a seafoam green cap adorned with a vibrant fuchsia “SD” logo. This color combination is mirrored in the jerseys, which boast asymmetrical sleeves and pant stripes. The right side of the uniform showcases fuchsia, while the left side sports seafoam green. Notably, players like pitcher Blake Snell, who opt for full sleeves or compression sleeves, wore gold sleeves that matched the collar and name on the back (NOB), adding a striking third color to the overall palette of the San Diego Padres City Connect uniforms.
Adding another layer of visual interest to the San Diego Padres City Connect uniforms, players sported a variety of cleat colors. Some chose seafoam cleats, others went with fuchsia, and some even creatively mixed it up with cleats featuring both colors! This individual expression in footwear enhances the overall dynamic look of the uniform on the field.
While the color scheme of the San Diego Padres City Connect uniforms—seafoam green and fuchsia—is undeniably eye-catching, certain design elements present some challenges. The “San Diego” font style chosen for the jersey feels somewhat out of sync with the overall aesthetic. More significantly, the bi-color wordmark, with fuchsia on top and seafoam green below, suffers from readability issues, especially when viewed from a distance. Similarly, the name on the back (NOB), while less critical, also struggles with legibility due to the color combination.
The helmets for the San Diego Padres City Connect uniforms are custom-designed in seafoam green, a bold choice that aligns with the overall color theme. Going a step further, the team incorporated a raised “SD” logo on the helmets, adding a touch of dimension and visual appeal to this headwear element of the City Connect uniform.
While seafoam green helmets are a striking and unique element for the Padres City Connect uniforms, it’s a color that’s best reserved for special occasions. Imagine an entire league adopting such vibrant headwear – it would quickly lose its novelty. For the Padres City Connect series, however, it adds to the distinctive character.
Evaluating the San Diego Padres City Connect uniforms purely as a uniform design, they are undeniably fun and even whimsical. The color palette is vibrant and engaging. It would be interesting to see a team fully embrace fuchsia as a primary color – perhaps the Miami Marlins, given their existing “caliente red” which is already in a similar spectrum. The seafoam and gold accents provide a unique and complementary contrast. While not an everyday look for any team, these uniforms work well as a sparingly used alternate option, injecting personality and flair into the Padres’ on-field presence.
The most significant drawback of the San Diego Padres City Connect uniforms is the overly stylized bi-color wordmark. Its design, while creatively intended to mirror the asymmetrical color blocking of the jersey, ultimately compromises readability.
The seafoam green lower portion of the “San Diego” wordmark is particularly difficult to discern against the jersey background. The gold block shadow applied to the entire wordmark further complicates readability. Perhaps a more effective approach would have been a solid fuchsia wordmark outlined in seafoam. Aside from this issue, and the somewhat less bothersome gold name on the back, the San Diego Padres City Connect uniforms offer an enjoyable and distinctive look.
For more images of the San Diego Padres City Connect uniforms in action, you can explore additional photos here.
What are your thoughts on the San Diego Padres City Connect uniforms? Do they connect with you, or do they strike out?
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All-Star Game Uniforms Possibly Leaked
In related uniform news, a tweet surfaced yesterday appearing to reveal the jerseys for the upcoming MLB All-Star Game.
A look at the All-Star Game uniforms pic.twitter.com/YWH4sIZX2B
— Blake Harris (@BlakeHarrisTBLA) July 8, 2022
While the authenticity isn’t fully confirmed, these jerseys strongly resemble what we anticipate for the All-Star Game, especially considering previous leaks and known cap designs. The style of the white jersey aligns with earlier information about the National League jersey.
Similar to the Miami Marlins City Connect leak, both the National League and American League jerseys feature team wordmarks rendered in gold using the teams’ current jersey scripts. The leaked images show “NEW YORK” in the Yankees’ road jersey font and “Dodgers” in their home script.
If accurate, the American League All-Stars will wear an anthracite jersey, likely paired with anthracite pants, creating a monochromatic dark gray look with gold lettering outlined in black. While hopefully not as visually jarring as some fully monochrome uniforms, it could still be a less-than-ideal aesthetic for the All-Star Game. Even if not fully monochrome, gray pants are expected for the road team, as road teams typically don’t wear white pants in regular season games anymore. This potential Dodgers vs. Yankees All-Star matchup wouldn’t evoke the classic visual appeal of past encounters.
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Guess The Game…
Today’s scoreboard challenge comes from Christoper Snizik.
The game is simple: identify the depicted game based on the scoreboard. Share the date, location, and final score in the comments. Bonus points for any noteworthy events from the game or if you attended it!
Keep sending in your scoreboard photos (with answers!), and they’ll continue to be featured.
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Uni Concepts & Tweaks
Time for uniform concepts from the Uni Watch community.
If you enjoy this feature, submit your concepts and tweaks with a brief description via email.
Today’s concepts are by Johnny Woods:
Phil,
Nordiques logo concept utilizes a stylized “N” derived from a fleur-de-lis. The italicized “N” with a drop shadow subtly forms a hockey stick. The secondary logo features the top half of the fleur-de-lis, incorporating “Q” and “C” within its curves. Gold is exclusively used in this secondary logo. A traditional primary logo version includes a red puck.
Home and road jerseys follow standard designs, but the black alternate jersey is the highlight. The drop shadow is replaced with horizontal red and lighter blue shadows for a 3D effect without 3D glasses. This shadow effect is also applied to numbers, letters, and fleur-de-lis accents. This design approach is also explored for Winnipeg Jets, Capitals, and Blue Jackets concepts.
[Image of Nordiques Uniform Concept 1]
Are these Nordiques concepts as bold and potentially divisive as the Canucks’ Flying V jerseys, Burger King uniforms, or Canadiens’ Barbershop jerseys? Are they so bad they’re good?
[Image of Nordiques Uniform Concept 2]
–Johnny Woods
Readers and designers, send your uniform tweaks and concepts with concise descriptions for potential inclusion.
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Design Contest Reminder: Paul here, a reminder that the deadline for the MLB All-Star uniform design contest is this Wednesday, July 13th. Details here.
Back to Phil for more content.
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Uni Watch News Ticker By Anthony Emerson
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Baseball News: The Jersey Shore BlueClaws wore Iwo Jima flag raising jerseys for Military Appreciation night. Team logo was a sleeve patch. (From John Cerone). … Sussex County Miners to wear breast cancer awareness jerseys tonight. (From John Cerone).
NFL News: Controversial NFL Color Rush uniform rankings on Twitter. (Thanks, Phil).
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Hockey News: Islanders gave draft picks No. ’22 jerseys with apostrophe, likely a tribute to Mike Bossy. (From multiple readers). … Retro NHL logo binder find, circa 1994. (From Trevor). … Canucks drafted another Elias Pettersson; NOB plans TBD. (From @fram0m).
NBA News: Nick Kyrgios spotted in Jayson Tatum Celtics jersey, front view now seen.
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Soccer News: New Manchester United home kit. (From multiple readers). … Argentina World Cup kit launched. (Thanks, Phil). … Fabian Nürnberger plays for 1. FC Nürnberg. (From Timmy Steffes). … New VfB Stuttgart home kit. (From Ed Zelaski). … New Hertha Berlin home kit with Berlin coat of arms patch. (From Ed Zelaski). … New Aston Villa home kit. (From Ed Zelaski). … New Asteras Tripoli kits. (From Ed Zelaski).
Grab Bag: ESPN radio poll on “love or hate” for 10 “special” NY sports jerseys (alternates/one-offs). (Thanks, Phil). … Krispy Kreme 85th anniversary logo unveiled. (From John Cerone). … Australian journalist suggests Wimbledon drop all-white dress code. (Thanks, Phil).
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Uni Tweet of the Day
Tonight we honor the storied Mavericks franchise by donning the classic red uniforms! pic.twitter.com/804DNfpV68
— Portland Pickles (@picklesbaseball) July 9, 2022
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And finally… Have a great Saturday, everyone!
[Image of Peace Sign Off]
Peace,
PH
