Ranking the Nationals City Connect Uniform

1. Does it actually connect to the city as the name implies?
2. Do they look like they belong with the team’s brand?
3. Are they adventurous without being obnoxious?

First and foremost, the Nats city connect uniform is very well designed. The letters are bold, accented with a pink cherry blossom branch that pops nicely against the dark gray, placed on top of very small cherry blossom prints that almost look like paisley. These three different textures create very effective visual depth. 

There are plenty of unique aspects that separate it from other uniforms in MLB as a whole. First are the colors. The Marlins currently use a shade of pink, but is instead a hot neon pink. Nationals use a soft pink that no one else in MLB, or sports for the matter, is using. Second, no other team uses flowers as a motif. Together, this uniform absolutely achieves the standard of adventurous without being obnoxious. They actually take it one step further, these uniforms are elegant, and feminine without looking anti-masculine. In my evaluation for the Marlins, I alluded to how their uniform uniquely looks very good on women. This Nationals uniform is created with female fans in mind, which is a very different flavor than what other teams offer throughout sports in general. But again, they still look good on guys. This balance is a very difficult artistic task, and they pull through in spades. 

The connection to the District of Columbia is obvious. The uniform pays homage to the cherry blossom bloom so strongly associated with both the region and the White House. For a fourth connection, see the sleeve for the Washington family coat of arms. 

While the uniform may not look like it belongs to the Nationals immediately, I would argue they give a nod to the original Nats brand from 2005. Notice the 3D texture of the letters, it matched that of the first Nationals uniform. The hat logo uses the throwback W that the team has recently been using more and more often. Personally, this is where the flaw comes. I would rather have seen the curly "W" since that is the team"s usual hat, and also because I feel like the curve lines pair more nicely with the image of flowers. 

My new rankings are as follows from best to worst:

1. Marlins 
2. Nationals
3. White Sox 
4. Dodgers
5. Red Sox 
6. Diamondbacks
7. Cubs
8. Giants 

By a slim margin, I just cannot seem to let it surpass the Marlins. 

Main image credit Embed from Getty Images