re: Predictions for MLB season

The top story of spring training so far has nothing to do with the seams and stitches on a baseball. Instead, the talk of spring is all about the seams and stitches of the new jersey that Major League Baseball’s on-field uniform provider has rolled out for this season: the Nike Vapor Premier.

Nike claims the new jersey is softer, lighter and stretchier than the previous model. Many players say it’s worse. In clubhouses around the league on Wednesday, they criticized the jerseys’ poor fit, cheap look, inconsistent quality and small lettering.

“It looks like a replica,” Angels outfielder Taylor Ward said. “It feels kind of like papery. It could be great when you’re out there sweating, it may be breathable. But I haven’t had that opportunity yet to try that out. But from the looks of it, it doesn’t look like a $450 jersey.

“So far, thumbs down.”

At his locker, Angels reliever Carlos Estévez was in a tizzy over the new threads. He pulled out a couple tops and pairs of pants to show that the shades didn’t match. He laughed at the spacing and shrunken nature of the lettering on the back of the jersey. And he bemoaned the fact he can’t customize his pants to his preference, the way pitchers once could, tailoring the fit to their big dumpers and tree-trunk thighs.

“When I wear my pants, I feel like I’m wearing someone else’s pants,” Estévez said.