Similar to the Los Angeles Angels (of Anaheim, still?), we get to see the San Diego Padres city connect uniforms via leaked images before an official announcement. At the time this is being written, the hat and pants have not yet been revealed.
If you are new to this series, we evaluate City Connect uniforms based on three points of criteria before finally ranking them among the others. The criteria are as follows:
1. Does it actually connect to the city, as the name implies?
2. Does it look like it belongs to the team they represent?
3. Does it look like it fits the mission of exotic, but not obnoxious?
I have to start with the elephant in the room and address point number three first. The florescent colors probably make the boldest statement of any City Connect uniform so far. It is almost as if the Angels uniforms were so bad at bringing a SoCal vibe that the Padres took it upon themselves to go extra hard in that direction in order to compensate. This uniform is glorious.
There is a clear late 80s and early 90s nostalgia factor to the overall theme, almost like this jersey came from an episode of Baywatch. We see that reflection in the font style being similar to the title font for the show, and the colors just being reminiscent of the time period. The whole uniform is tacky and cornball 90s, and that is oh so spectacular.
Anyone who has ever seen Baywatch may be quick to point out that the show takes place in Los Angeles, therefore my observation is flawed. You would be correct, but I would argue that the Padres are the only SoCal team that can get away with such a wacky color scheme. The Dodgers brand is clean and classic, while the Padres brand is specifically designed to be abnormal, obnoxious, and often times even an eye sore. In many ways, the San Diego Padres are the anti-Los Angeles Dodgers: the Dodgers win and look clean, the Padres lose and look silly. That is why we love them. So in that regard, this look is absolutely on brand with the Padres.
Does this uniform have a connection to the city of San Diego? Yes and no. If you are looking for an on-the-nose hidden message like the Nationals, Rockies, or Brewers, you will not find it here. However, this uniform is reflective of the SoCal region as a whole as depicted in pop culture during a certain time period. A specific movie that comes to mind that this uniform would fit in would be White Men Can’t Jump, or even the street hockey scene from D2: The Mighty Ducks (the best Mighty Ducks movie, may I add). Are those related to baseball? Absolutely not, but I believe that dated pop culture image was the vibe and groove the designers were going for.
And yes, this uniform puts me in the mood for sherbet and ambrosia. Now let’s get to the new rankings…
Ranking
- Astros
- Marlins
- Padres
- Nationals
- Rockies
- Brewers
- White Sox
- Dodgers
- Red Sox
- Diamondbacks
- Cubs
- Royals
- Giants
- Angels
Main image credit Embed from Getty Images
I believe it connects to Belmont Park in mission beach so, yes it does connect to the city of San Diego.
To each, their own. I don’t like them. I think they’d be more appropriate for the San Diego Wave FC. Me? I like the 1984 uniforms or the 2020 uniforms. More like what the San Diego Friar would’ve wear.