It’s time for a spring training fit check

I’ve been going back and forth in my head for a few days about this one thing. This one thing may not impact wins and losses very much, but it is telling of the visual aesthetics in the clubhouse, which in my opinion, are an important topic of conversation. As players arrive to spring training, they arrive wearing clothes, as humans do. The choice of clothing these players make should make them think in the morning. It’s the first time in days, weeks, and even months since fans have seen them! This is a great way to start the year, and can lead a give folks a nice idea of who the player is. What you wear should matter in some capacity!

I know most folks don’t care too much about those first videos we see on various social media accounts of players walking in to their spring facilities; however, I’ve already shown that I do in fact care. Last year, I covered what I thought were the best first day fits by Yankees players. The easiest way to the top of leaderboard was sneaker choice, of which Miguel Andújar decided to dominate. This year, on the other hand, Andújar is not around and the team is reliant on a different group of players to dominate the fit checks. And to be honest, I wasn’t all that impressed.

This is where I’ve been going back and forth on. Should I cut players some slack because last year’s fits were so good? Or should I hold a high standard? After all, these dudes have a good bit of money. Putting together a well-rounded first day of school fit shouldn’t be too difficult, right? I guess we’ll see.

My criteria for this is pretty straightforward. Do I, Esteban Rivera, like your fit? Yes, that is entirely subjective, but that’s how fashion works. You like what you like. Anyways, let’s go on with it. I’m only going to cover a few players this year, and the first is Giancarlo Stanton.

So the thing about Stanton is it seems that he just love black and white, and truly, I respect the consistency. Last year, he pulled up to spring training in almost an identical fit. You can swap the white with some grey, but stylistically, it’s almost the same. And for that, I admire Stanton. He is aware of the first day. He has a go to fit for it! The high-top style is certainly interesting, but it matches the backpack and hat. There is come clear calculated decision making here. Very worth of some appreciation! Now, let’s get on to the next one.

Solid job here. Nothing too crazy, but there is clear display of caring. Oswald Peraza and Oswaldo Cabrera both came with some intention! You might not notice it, but Cabrera matched the color of the font on his t-shirt to the primary color on his kicks. The rookie Peraza just wore a nice top-down fit that suits him well. Again, there is intention here, and that’s really all you can ask for. Let’s finish off with a team-wide look of it all.

I’m not mad, just disappointed. Last year, we got a steady showcase of wonderful fits. This year, things are just different. Harrison Bader obviously cared the most, but I don’t know if that matters at all. I would have appreciated if he had a fresh haircut to truly top off the fit, but I guess he deserves credit for trying to put something together that was… cool? Ha, I don’t mean to be harsh but the drop off from last year is steep! For example, just take a look at how much Dustin May cared!

This isn’t at all my style, but it’s clear May came looking to impress. The same cannot be said for most players on the Yankees outside of Bader, who tried hard (maybe too hard) to impress. Maybe Opening Day will be different, but for now, I’m calling out the 2023 New York Yankees for major drip lacking. Hopefully as the season goes on, they improve, but for now, all the Yankees have is the highest PECOTA projection in baseball. That’s okay, I suppose.