Given how wild the 2017 MLB regular season was – seriously, think about Giancarlo Stanton’s chase for 60 HRs, the Indians’ record-breaking streak, Aaron Judge’s unveiling, the Dodgers’ meteoric run and insane near-implosion, etc. – I haven’t been too surprised to see the Cubs lose some attention on the national stage.
Last year was their year and there’s probably also been a bit of Cub-fatigue (again, nationally – I’m still woefully addicted to everything they do).
With that in mind, then, I wouldn’t have been surprised to learn that their jersey sales, relative to the rest of baseball, has fallen behind some other interesting names around the league, and yet …
MLB Most Popular Jerseys:
- Aaron Judge, Yankees
- Kris Bryant, Cubs
- Anthony Rizzo, Cubs
- Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers
- Bryce Harper, Nationals
- Buster Posey, Giants
- Yadier Molina, Cardinals
- Mike Trout, Angels
- Francisco Lindor, Indians
- Javier Baez, Cubs
- Corey Seager, Dodgers
- Mookie Betts, Red Sox
- Jose Altuve, Astros
- Kyle Schwarber, Cubs
- Gary Sanchez, Yankees
- Cody Bellinger, Dodgers
- Dustin Pedroia, Red Sox
- Freddie Freeman, Braves
- Noah Syndergaard, Mets
- Nolan Arenado, Rockies
The Cubs have two of top three most popular jersey sales this season, and four of the top 20 (really 4 of the top 14, but who’s counting)! No other team has more than three (the Dodgers), but their top sale (Kershaw) comes after the Cubs top two, their second best (Seager) comes after Baez, and their third best (Bellinger) comes after Schwarber. So, not only do the Cubs have one more top seller, their top sellers are more highly ranked.
You can check out more about the leaders and individual jersey sales at MLB.com, and I’ll encourage you to do so for the “jersey leaders through the years,” section. It’s pretty interesting to see where past leaders have come from, and how the tide may be changing.
And of course, don’t forget to pick up a jersey yourself from our partners at the MLB Shop, even if you’d rather go with an “unknown” like Jose Quintana:
The most popular jerseys in MLB, and the Cubs are everywhere. (Get your hipster Jose Quintana jersey at MLB Shop: https://t.co/t5qbVYTPSr) pic.twitter.com/jmYIpQkXQy
— Brett Taylor (@BleacherNation) October 3, 2017