Don’t Call Them Poorly Dressed
Well, I do love a certain baseball team.
Some Minnesotans bleed Vikings purple. Some go for the pine and red-brick of the Wild.
For me, it’s the blue, scarlet and white of the Minnesota Twins.
And here are my five favorite of the Twins’ classic looks as we go into the second week of the 2020 baseball season.
1973-86: Solid baby blue road pullover (2020 throwback), Twins logo in red script, TC cap. The Twins’ new alternates for 2020 are based on this one. Even though the club wasn’t great during the era of this uniform, the look is just solid. The blue is just darker than baby blue, with a little hint of aqua. The broad red-white-and-blue striping on the sleeves looks good, though the collar piping could be a bit more restrained – it’s a loud look for a loud era. This could have been – and maybe should have been – a home uniform. But it was a road uniform, it’s my favorite Minnesota Twins road uniform, and I just think it looks fabulous. The throwback version is a button-up. 9+ out of 10, solid. If the Twins can win another division championship in 2020 – and maybe get to the ALCS or even the World Series – this will get upgraded to a 10+, possible 11.
2015-present: Solid white home button-up primary, Twins logo in navy blue blockprint, TC cap. This is an excellent uniform. Though it doesn’t have much history – yet – it’s a great jersey and draws inspiration from all three of the primary home uniforms of Twins history: The logo of the ’87 home uniform, in the colors of the ’61, with the clean white look and subtle details of the ’73. Set the current design trend of the front with no player number, which I approve of. Like most fans of the Twins, I was not hooked on the gold outlining when they introduced it with this uniform; unlike some, I believe it’s improved over time as they’ve now put in five seasons in these uniforms, and grown into the look. One Wild Card and one Division Championship, more to come. 10 out of 10; could be upgraded over time to a 10+ or even an 11. Solid, solid effort.
1987-2014: White w/pinstripes home button-up primary, Twins logo in red blockprint, number on front, M or TC cap. The Twins came out of the era of polyester double knit with a very, very good-looking home jersey. Calling back to the classic cream pinstripes of the 60s but with modern twists, this white uniform debuted the club’s updated wordmark, as well. Classic and classy, it was an instant fan favorite the moment the Twins revealed it. The block “Twins” is a crafty design play. This classic button-up debuted five years into the Metrodome era, and was replaced five years after the team moved into Target Field. There were two minor changes to the design over its years: Long pants instead of short after the 2006 campaign, and after 2010 the classic TC cap was brought back as the team’s primary cap, replacing the M logo that had been the team’s primary cap logo for 23 years. 2 World Series, 2 Pennants and 8 Divisional Championships (2 AL West and 6 AL Central) show that this uniform has the best history of all the Twins’ uniforms. 10+ out of 10: Among the best uniforms in club history.
1959-71 primary/2010-18 home alternate: Cream button-up pinstripes home and gray button-up away, Senators/Twins logo in blue script, blue block W cap (1959-60), blue TC cap (1961-71 and 2010-2018). The Twins started off their history in Minnesota with this classic. The Senators debuted a new uniform in 1959 and brought it with them to Minnesota, only including a change of uniform logo from the script “Senators” to a script “Twins” in the same font and a change of the cap logo from the block W to the interlinked TC that remains associated with the club to this day. Nothing was ever wrong with this uniform. The fans were ecstatic when the home uni from this era came back in 2010, replacing the sleeveless home alternate. This is the best primary uniform in Twins history and one of the best uniforms in the history of baseball. 11 out of 10 for both home and road, just a great uniform. The Twins won one Pennant and the first two AL West Division Championships in these ultra-classic threads, and they could have won many more without changing them.
2019-present: Navy blue home button-up, Twins logo in scarlet script outlined in gold, blue TC cap. This is a striking look, a brand-new take on a look that has been in the Twins’ arsenal since the late 90s and the best version of this look ever. Everything, and I mean everything in this design just works. Navy blue body with a scarlet throwback script logo and no numbers on the front creates a clean look that reads nicely. The gold outlining the logo gives just that necessary bit of extra pop. This is just the best uniform in club history and one of the best uniforms in Major League Baseball. The Twins first took the field in these stunners in 2019 and I’m not SAYING they were responsible for the team blasting more bombas than any baseball club ever has in the history of the game. But I’m not saying they WEREN’T. This is such a good look and one that hopefully they will be wearing for a long time. One division title, in 2019, to this uniform’s credit, with more to come. 11 out of 10. This is as good as it gets.
Twins 2019 Navy alternate jersey and infographic showing all of the Twins home & road unis through 2019
