Definitive Ranking of the Best Giants Jersey for the 2024 Season

I rank players and jersey aesthetics before announcing my top 5 best jersey purchase recommendation for the upcoming season

A fun post today after I’ve attempted more serious, analytical content of late on this blog. Today I’m gonna be ranking the top five most desirable jerseys ahead of the 2024 Giants season.

If you take a gander at the crowd on a beautiful, packed Sunday afternoon regular season game at Oracle Park, you’ll see many fans honoring their favorite players in the cream-colored home jerseys, the road grays, the black Saturday night jerseys with the large orange block SF over the chest, the Orange Fridays jerseys, and the highly controversial City Connects that they typically wear on Tuesday nights.

The Giants have some great options aesthetically and finally have some players worth representing after years of roster churn and mediocrity. The revealing thing about jersey representation over the past few years is that aside from Crawford and Yastrzemski, most of the jerseys I’d see in the stands are those of past Giants legends (which Crawford now belongs to) rather than the guys you might see on the field.

I think we can officially put that to rest this year with some exciting free agents that we signed to multi-year deals and some young prospects that we’ve been anticipating for years as they’ve been rising the ranks of our minor league system, many of whom made their debuts last year and figure to be important members of the team for years to come.

Before we get into whose jersey we should purchase, I think it’s important to define what makes a good jersey purchase in the first place. I’ve separated the keys to a good jersey purchase into three categories. Ideally, the jersey purchase would fall in all three of these camps, but going 2/3 is great too.

1. My first criterion, as someone who is admittedly quite frugal and had, until last year, worn the same white 80’s Will Clark jersey every time I was at the ballpark for the past decade, is to get a jersey of someone who is not only a good player today but who fans will remember after their playing days are over. For this current iteration of Giants baseball, getting a jersey of a Lee, Harrison, or Webb would be great for this season but also has the potential to be a game-day staple for years on end.

2. Criterion two is to get a jersey that you’re happy to wear outside of the ballpark. Whether it be at a beautiful park day, a day on the water, or to a concert or other live event, the jersey should be stylish enough wear leisurely as well as something you feel proud to rock at any game. A small, but important consideration for my SF city kids out there is, will this jersey look good over a sweatshirt or hoodie? San Francisco is a cold and foggy city for most of the year and even on the hottest of days, it’s still a best practice to keep a hoodie in your bag just in case the weather turns abruptly. Another important consideration is, what player would most non sports fans recognize on the back of your jersey? Everyone knows legends Willie Mays and Barry Bonds and their #24 and #25 jerseys are iconic.

3. Criterion three is to get a jersey of a player who represents the aspect of fandom that makes you tune in or go to the ballpark. Crawford was a fan favorite because of his connections to the Bay Area and his highlight defensive plays. For fans like myself who grew up in the Barry Bonds era, wearing his jersey to the ballpark is a way of honoring the time when baseball meant the most or delivered the most core memories. For me personally, I was a lefty baseball player as a kid and always idolized lefty first basemen, which the Giants have seemingly always had. My favorite player was JT Snow and wearing a #6 Snow jersey would have been an appropriate commentary on my own Giants fandom, though the Clark on the back has worked as well…for obvious reasons.

So with those three concepts out of the way, let’s get into a few cheeky rankings related to Giants jerseys before I list my personal top 5 for the 2024 season at the end.

Ranking of Giants jersey options

1. Black Saturday night jersey

2. Standard home cream jerseys

3. Orange Friday jersey

4. City Connect

5. Road grays

Based on wearability outside the ballpark, I think the black jerseys with the Orange SF on the chest is the most stylish of the options to wear outside the park and also looks the best during a night game at Oracle Park. It’s an easy jersey to wear over a Giants sweatshirt when night games get particularly windy and cold, and the jersey is breathable enough that its still comfortable during a hot day game on those 7 days of summer.

The home jerseys are my personal favorite when worn by the Giants themselves, as the Giants are the only team in baseball whose home whites aren’t just white but a richer cream color (or as Jeff Kent once called them French Vanilla). I also think there’s something aesthetically pleasing about fans donning the same home jerseys as the players, so wearing the ones the team most often wears is a point in the favor of the standard home jerseys.

I’m not as against the white and bright orange City Connect jerseys as a lot of Giants fans that I know, but it does give off the vibe of a transplant who just moved to SF in the 2020s when I see people, specifically around my age, rocking those jerseys. Add a City Connect over a Patagonia vest or a checkered button down and you have successfully outed yourself as a tech bro.

The fact that the road grays are bringing up the rear is a testament to how excellent the Giants jerseys are. I have many friends who rock the road gray jersey and it’s a classic look. It brings up the rear in my book because it feels most appropriate for a Giants fan who moved away from the Bay and goes to the one or two games a year when they are in whatever town they now reside.

Ranking of the young guys

1. Kyle Harrison

2. Patrick Bailey

3. Luis Matos

4. Marco Luciano

5. Casey Schmitt

It’s an exciting time in Giants land, contrary to popular belief nationally and on Twitter, which is why you sensible folks reading this do not concern yourself with the idiocy on Elon’s website (unlike yours truly). Much of the excitement is connected to the graduation that we saw last year from some of the organization’s top prospects who represent the future and also, more importantly to this article, a player whose jersey fans can purchase knowing with a great deal of confidence that they will continue to wear the Black and Orange for many years to come.

When Marco Luciano was signed by the organization as a 16-year-old out of the Dominican Republic, I announced then and there that the next jersey purchase was going to be his. It was 2018 and I was doing my Peace Corps service in the Dominican and was stoked for the idea of the Giants having a future Dominican superstar. So why is he 4th on the list?

His ranking is tied to how confident I am in the three players ahead of him, regarding their likelihood of being in the organization for a long time, the flash and excitment they bring to the ballpark, their ability to connect with fans, and the aesthetic of their current jersey number. Kyle Harrison comes in at #1 here as a local kid who was drafted out of De La Salle High School and his potential to be an extremely big strikeout pitcher. Giants fans love connecting with an ace, especially one like Webb, Bumgarner, Lincecum, and Cain before him who were drafted and developed in the organization. Harrison has the potential to excite fans in a way that Lincecum did during his playing days, regularly striking out 10+ batters in his starts and pumping up the crowd.

Patrick Bailey had an incredibly impressive rookie year, finishing top 3 in Gold Glove already and had a knack for clutch hits, most notably his walk off home run against the Rangers which I happened to be in attendance for last year. Bailey was a highlight machine last year, most often with his arm, and I expect him to build off of that this season and be a crowd favorite. A defense-first catcher doesn’t bring as much excitement as a power-hitting shortstop, so I could regret not flipping Luciano and Bailey here.

Luis Matos’ inclusion at #3 may surprise people but I am super high on this kid. At 22 years old he has already shown a maturity and impressive contact ability at the major league level and I think he’s going to be a really good Giant. It may look silly in a years time that I have him over Luciano too, but Matos has the potential to be a stud in the outfield paired with Jung Hoo Lee (more on him in a moment) and has already shown some flair both in the batters box and in the field. His ranking here in influenced in large part to some of the bat flips and pimp jobs he’s done on some home runs he has hit so far in Spring Training, but he’ll have to produce at the MLB level to deserve this ranking.

Casey Schmitt brings up the rear, though I wouldn’t be surprised if in three years his jersey is the most commonly seen at the ballpark out of these five players. Schmitt is a charismatic guy who, once he can lock down an everyday spot on the roster, will have many fans who consider him to be their favorite player. I think, ultimately, the risk in him not developing into an everyday major leaguer is the highest among this group, which is more of a testament of how solid our young players are than of his abilities and potential. For more evidence of what a fun guy Schmitt is, check out his recent Mic’d Up video on the Giant’s YouTube Channel.

Ranking of new Giants

1. Jung Hoo Lee

2. Jorge Soler

3. Blake Snell

4. Matt Chapman

5. Jordan Hicks

This group has a clear number one and that’s our new superstar centerfielder from Korea- Jung Hoo Lee. Lee signed the largest free agent deal the Giants have ever given out, is already penciled in as our leadoff guy and everyday centerfielder, and comes to the Giants after being the best player in the KBO for the past 7 years. Already, without even playing a regular season game for the club, he’s a fan favorite. He brings an energy and joyfulness to the sport that has been lacking from Giants squads the past couple of years (if not longer) and represents a large demographic section of the fan base who has never been able to root for an Asian superstar in San Francisco.

Jorge Soler signed a 3-year deal this offseason and may be a quick crowd pleaser if the power he’s shown in the major leagues continues this season in San Francisco. While it’s a bit ridiculous to imagine him hitting the Glove or Coke Bottle in the left field bleachers, I think we will see some “no doubters” land way up the left field bleachers. I was at a game (the last video in the clip below) a year ago where he hit a home run off Alex Wood, and let me tell you, the sound that reverberated from his bat making contact with the ball was different. I didn’t watch to see if it would leave the yard, but to see how far up the bleachers it would go. I don’t think we have seen power like his since Bonds. Just watch this video if you’re unconvinced.

Recent signee and 2023 NL Cy Young Award winner comes in next at the #3 spot. Blake Snell the pitcher is exciting enough, as evidence by the accolades and stats he’s accumulated so far in his career. But I think Giants fans are going to quickly fall in love with Blake Snell the funny guy as he has a big personality that I believe is going to fit in well with the Bay Area. There are clips of him rapping along to Andre Nicatina and he goes by the nickname Snellzilla. He’s a more personable Carlos Rodon and I saw a fair number of Rodon jerseys the last couple years despite him only being a Giant for one year. Rocking a #7 Snell jersey would also be good for someone who was tweeting at the Giants to sign him all offseason and wants to show how important that signing is to their fandom this season.

With his Bay Area connections, having gotten his start with the Oakland A’s, I think Matt Chapman could be an easy crowd favorite if he starts producing right away. The only issue with Chapman is his contract is another Farhan Zaidi special, with multiple opt outs, so it is possible he’s only a Giant for one season. However, if he produces and we are good, getting a Matt Chapman jersey, just like folks who bought Kris Bryant jerseys in 2021, would signify approval of the front office putting its money where its mouth is.

I am really excited to see Jordan Hicks transition into a starter for the Giants. The former high-leverage reliever with the Cardinals and Blue Jays, Jordan Hicks throws a 100mph sinker, a wipeout slider, and is developing a splitter that could be a game changer. If he puts it all together, Hicks could have the same strikeout potential as I mentioned above with Kyle Harrison and he signed a four-year contract this offseason, so Giants fans know he’ll be around for years to come. Hicks showed a glimpse of what he can do Monday night against the A’s striking out 10 batters over 5 innings, only issuing the one walk. He had 5 pitches working and the A’s hitters didn’t stand a chance. I might already be looking to move him up to #2 on this list after last night’s game.

Ranking of Old Giants

1. Posey

2. Bonds

3. Clark

4. Mays

5. Crawford

With Buster now in an Ownership role, in addition to his outsized role in our 3 championships last decade, I give him the top spot among Giants legends. This category more than speaks for itself and I can imagine people putting them in any other order or adding names like Lincecum, Sandoval, McCovey, Cepeda, Bumgarner, Pence, and more. Getting a legend’s jersey ensures that your purchase will be timeless, so if you’re more interested in going with a safe option, this would be the way to go.

Ranking of incumbent Giants

1. Webb

2. Doval

3. Yaz

4. Estrada

5. Wilmer

6. Wade

Despite some uneven results over the past couple seasons, this list still represents some fan favorites and a purchase of any of these jerseys, save for maybe Webby, signals an obsessive commitment to following team despite the disappointment in the standings.

Webb is the easy top choice in this group as he is the leader, best player, and one of the longest tenured Giants. Logan Webb just signed an extension last offseason showing his and the franchise’s commitment to him being a Giant for a very long time. After multiple stellar seasons and finishing second in Cy Young award voting last year, Webb is a certified ace and I expect to see a lot more Webb #62 jerseys this season.

Who doesn’t love a dominant closer!? Whether it’s Brian Wilson, Sergio Romo, or Robb Nen, Giants fans have always identified with closers in our most competitive eras. If the Giants are able to get to the playoffs and make some magic, Camilo Doval may be the beneficiary of some well-deserved fan fare. Not only does he throw a cutter at 100mph, a sinker at 102mph, and a ridiculous wipeout slider, but the Giants just announced last week that they have installed LED lights and a spotlight that will make his 9th inning entrance epic. Few things could be more exciting than having Doval come in and close the door on the Dodgers and you rocking your Doval #75 jersey and pounding your chest in pride.

You may notice that this group has an extra 6th spot and that’s because I couldn’t decide between these four guys for the final three spots in this very serious and important ranking. I ranked these based on the jerseys I’ve most commonly seen at the ballpark and think any of these four would be great ways to show that you’re a ride or die Giants fan.

Definitive Ranking for 2024

1. Lee

2. Webb

3. Doval

4. Harrison

5. Soler

Ok, here we are. My official ranking for the 2024 season. I went Soler over Snell because of the dinger potential and the fact that he’s guaranteed to be a Giant longer than Snell’s 2-year contract with an opt-out, though I might regret not putting Hicks there over both of them. Between Jung Hoo Lee and Logan Webb it was a tough decision, but I ultimately went with the player who represents the most flash between the two and the fact that he’s an everyday player gives him the edge. In particular, my friend and podcast host Evan’s Jung Hoo Lee jersey with his name in Korean is the most fly jersey that I think is possible to wear to a game this year and why I ultimately had an easy time putting him in that top spot.

Thanks for tuning into this silly exercise that I had a lot of fun writing. Please comment below if you have a preference or a jersey that you just purchased and want to show off. Also let me know if you disagree with any of the rankings I made, I don’t take myself seriously enough to be above criticism or debate on this fun topic.

Go Giants and I hope to see you at the park this year wearing your favorite jersey!