What are MLB's City Connect uniforms? Here are the colorful details

The Tampa Bay Rays unveiled their City Connect uniform on April 29, the latest iteration of a leaguewide initiative aiming to highlight the cultural aspects of each Major League Baseball team's home city through new, colorful jerseys.

With their City Connect uniform, the Rays chose to reflect their region's skateboarding culture and "independent, underground spirit."

“When we started thinking about that feeling that you have when you’re in some of these really special places around this community, it’s fueled by this energy,” Tampa Bay Rays chief business officer Bill Walsh told MLB.com. “A lot of these types of countercultures, creative cultures, they’re really at the center of that in terms of creating that vibe.”

The Rays’ City Connect uniform, called the “Grit and Glow” uniform and made by Nike, feature the words “Tampa Bay” spelled out in neon green and blue, with “Thrasher”-style flames coming off the top of each letter on an intentionally weathered and sun-faded jersey, per MLB.com.

The cap's design consists of a ray combined with the Sunshine Skyway Bridge, connecting Pinellas County to Manatee County, while other logos on the uniform depict three palm trees, a pelican and a skateboarding ray.

“We have demonstrated that, that you’ve kind of got to be willing to go against the grain and have some courage and disrupt. So I think it’s exciting that there’s that overlap, too,” Walsh told MLB.com.

The Rays' debut came 10 days after the New York Mets released their City Connect uniform, which features dark gray jerseys with black "NYC" letters on the front to represent the concrete jungle of New York City. The uniform also has a purple swoosh and purple detailing on the sleeve — a reference to the purple icon of the 7 subway line, which runs to the Mets' ballpark in Queens, Citi Field.

The pinstripes are also a nod to the city's subway lines — the stripes are made up of circles and diamonds, which represent the local and express subways. An image of the Queensboro Bridge, which connects the boroughs of Queens and Manhattan, makes an appearance on the team's hats, pants and sleeves, as well.

The Mets played their first game with their City Connect uniform on April 27.

Introduced in the 2021 season, the City Connect series' alternate uniforms feature different colors, fonts and graphics than a team's home and away uniforms, and seek to celebrate each city's history and culture, according to MLB.

Fans have come to anticipate the launch date of the new uniforms to debate the aesthetics, often becoming a polarizing subject of conversation among enthusiasts. ESPN even ranked the jerseys from best to worst, starting with jerseys that were vibrant and representative of a team's home city, to jerseys that were widely panned — some of which were even deemed boring by fans.

Here's what to know about the City Connect designs that have been released — and which are still in the works.

Which MLB teams have released City Connect uniforms?

MLB and Nike started the City Connect series in 2021, and so far, 23 MLB teams have released their City Connect designs.

Seven teams launched their City Connect uniforms during the first year of the series: the Boston Red Sox, Miami Marlins, Chicago White Sox, Chicago Cubs, Arizona Diamondbacks, San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers.

Seven more followed in 2022, with the Washington Nationals, Houston Astros, Kansas City Royals, Colorado Rockies, Los Angeles Angels, Milwaukee Brewers and San Diego Padres getting new uniforms. (The Rockies' City Connect jerseys topped ESPN's list, and were described as "a look that feels both fresh and classic.")

Last year, the Atlanta Braves, Texas Rangers, Seattle Mariners, Cincinnati Reds, Baltimore Orioles and Pittsburgh Pirates launched their City Connect uniforms.

Which teams are releasing City Connect uniforms in 2024?

Six more teams — the Cleveland Guardians, Detroit Tigers, Minnesota Twins, St. Louis Cardinals, Toronto Blue Jays and the Dodgers — are set to unveil their jerseys during the 2024 season, in addition to the Rays, Mets and the Philadelphia Phillies, which released their City Connect uniform in early April.

The Cardinals announced April 18 their City Connect uniform will launch on May 20, a couple of weeks after the Tigers unveil theirs.

The Dodgers, which released their first City Connect uniform in 2021, phased out their jersey and are set to unveil their latest alternate uniform later this year.

While MLB said all 30 teams will receive City Connect uniforms, the New York Yankees and the Oakland Athletics, which are in the process of moving to Las Vegas, are the only teams without a date for getting their first set of City Connect uniforms, SNY reported.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com