Major League Baseball (MLB) is one of the oldest professional sports leagues in the United States. Around 30 teams divided into two leagues play under this professional baseball organization; 15 play in the American League and the 15 in National League.

Having millions of fans around the world and holding the record of the highest season attendance, it is the second-most popular league in the US after NFL. Speaking of its undeniable popularity, MLB observed tremendous fan growth in the past couple of years and many people got to know about the strict team uniform guidelines.

All MLB players and off-field personnel such as coaches and the field managers wear official baseball team uniforms. They play a major role in identifying different teams, coaches, managers and referring to player’s roles in the team. Over the years, MLB baseball uniforms have evolved – from wool uniforms to mass-produced polyester apparel, they have gone through a series of changes.

Here we’ve listed down the baseball team uniform rules for MLB teams.

Number

• Uniforms for the players of the team must be identical in trim, color, and style. All uniforms must have the 6-inch numbers on their backs

Undershirt

• Undershirt must be of the same color as the uniform, and this goes for all the players. All players except the pitcher may have the letters, numbers, or other symbols attached to the sleeve of the undershirt

Same uniform for every player

• A player won’t be eligible to participate in the game if their uniform doesn’t match with their teammates.
• A league will make sure that a team wears a specific uniform all the time, or a team can have separate uniforms for home and road games.

Sleeve length

• Sleeve lengths for the individual players may vary, but the sleeve of every individual player should be exactly the same length. In addition, no player is allowed to wear ragged or slit sleeves.

No attachments

• No player is allowed to attach material of different color to his uniform tape.

No images of baseballs:

• There shouldn’t be any pattern similar to the shape of baseball on the uniform.

No glass buttons or polished metal

• Any kind of glass buttons and shiny metal shouldn’t be used on the uniform.

Track/Golf Shoes are not allowed

• Track or golf shoes or any shoes with pointed spikes are not allowed. It is not permissible to attach anything to the heel or toe of the shoe, except an ordinary shoe plate or toe plate.

No commercial advertisements

• No designs, slogans, or patches related to any commercial advertisement are allowed on the uniform.

Names

• A league may provide that the uniforms include the names of players on the back of the jerseys. In case of any other name than the last name of the player, it must be approved first by the League President. If it is accepted, it is necessary that all the uniforms must have the names of the players.