Phillies news and rumors 2/18: Trea Turner says ‘everyone hates’ new Nike Vapor Premier uniforms

Just a couple seconds on social media is all it takes to know how Nike’s new uniform designs are going over among baseball fans and media. Just a few words from Trea Turner is all it takes to know how they’re being received by players.

“I know everyone hates them,” Turner said Friday of the new uniforms, per a story from Steve Megargee of the Associated Press. “We all liked what we had. We understand business, but I think everyone wanted to keep it the same way, for the most part, with some tweaks here or there.”

This is Year 1 of the new Nike Vapor Premier jerseys, designed by, well, Nike and manufactured by Fanatics (as Fanatics has done the last several years). They’re supposed to enhance mobility, dry faster and fit better, but let’s just say those aren’t the aspects of the jerseys that most people are focusing on as Spring Training kicks into full gear.

Most notably, the new jerseys have nameplates so small one must use a telescope to read them, and the MLB logo below the neck has been lowered to just above those nameplates — in case you ever forget what sport and league you’re watching. There are intricacies that go beyond those, too, such as the Phillies’ new-and-definitely-not-improved chest script and the awkward curvature of the aforementioned nameplate.

Matt Strahm also isn’t a fan. “Don’t fix what’s not broken,” he said. “It just looks different.”

In fairness, some players seem not to mind. Nolan Arenado, Adley Rutschman and Ronald Acuña Jr. said on Tuesday that the jerseys are lighter and easier to move in — though they did so in a statement released by MLB, which makes it at least somewhat fair to question the authenticity; Jason Heyward and Mike Trout also publicly (and independently) endorsed the new jerseys.

For now, though, those five seem to be in the minority. But if Strahm is any leading voice on the issue, perhaps this story goes away by Opening Day, even if he’s not exactly an advocate for the Vapor Premier.

“It is what it is,” Strahm said, per the AP. “Deal with what we’ve got. Anytime you change something, there’s a learning curve and adjustment period. How many people in America get to choose their work uniforms?”

Must-read Phillies content

• Here’s more from our Tim Kelly (over at Just Baseball) on the jerseys, backlash and what went wrong.
• Here’s that full AP story from Megargee, with Turner’s and Strahm’s quotes.
• A deep dive on the Phillies’ aforementioned chest script, from UniWatch’s Paul Lukas.
• And a comparison of the Phillies’ new pinstripes to last year’s, from PN’s Tim Kelly and Destiny Lugardo.

Non-jersey stuff:

• Destiny Lugardo spoke to a few Phillies in an excellent story on how the team plans to cut back on the chasing woes that arguably cost them the 2023 NLCS.
• The Phillies signed David Dahl — yes, 2019 All-Star David Dahl — to a minor league contract shortly after signing Whit Merrifield. Destiny Lugardo has more.
• One more from Destiny: The Phillies gave Charlie Manuel a well-deserved standing ovation at the complex on Thursday.