With the help of Tyler Austin and Joe Kelly throwing hands in April, a historic winning season for the Red Sox, and an impressive maiden voyage for AARON F*CKIN BOONE’s Baby Bombers, the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry is heating up. We have to wait to determine which team will prevail on the field, but today we can determine which team’s got more swag, with a WPW certified position-by-position breakdown of the rivalry.
Catcher
Gary Sanchez vs. Sandy Leon
Sanchez dons Nike behind the plate, along with an All-Star MVP4000 one-piece mask. He catches with a Rawlings PROSCM41JBM mitt, and wears the same Nike Alpha Huarache Elite Lows as Giancarlo Stanton (albeit a much less shiny version).
At the plate, Sanchez wears Franklin CFX Pro batting gloves. In addition to the color scheme pictured, he wears an all-navy edition of the CFX Pro with a chrome logo. Sanchez swings his pretty cherry handled Victus GS24 and also wears an Evoshield leg guard.
Sandy Leon’s swag is not to be taken lightly. Like Sanchez, Leon has sharp Nike catchers gear and a Rawlings mitt with a Pro Mesh back which makes the glove lighter. He wears decals on his signal-calling fingernails called Gamesigns. Leon sprinkles in a little old school swag with the two-piece mask from Nike, which might be swaggier than the hockey mask. Which do you think adds more swag?
When hitting, Leon wears Nike Huarache Elite batting gloves. Leon uses the red pair pictured and an all-white colorway of the Huarache Elites available on Eastbay. Leon rolls with Marucci (wrapped in Lizard Skins) for his bat, and notice, too, the Belgard shin guard. Leon completes the repertoire with a crisp fade to the beard and a tasteful assortment of forearm tatts, resulting in textbook Big League swag.
Sanchez is one 3-run bomb away from challenging this, but we prefer the veteran polish of Sandy Leon.
Winner: Red Sox
First Base
Luke Voit vs. Mitch Moreland
Anybody who has stepped on a ballfield knows a measure of swag is not all gear. Of all the different species of swag, there’s a rare type that may occur when you put on the Pinstripes and realize you have the opportunity, and the ability, to contribute to a 90-win squad in the Bronx. Luke Voit is rolling with that type of swag right now.
Voit is swinging Sam Bat, mixing in a 34/32 MO23, which is a 2K2 knob with a slimmed down barrel, similar to a T141 (Sam Bat’s CD1), as well as an MC1 (Miguel Cabrera), also at 34 inches, 32 ounces. The MC1 is available as a custom at this link.
Mitch Moreland has most recently been swinging Rawlings wood wrapped in Lizard Skins. He’s got Franklin CFX Pros with digi camo and Moreland is one of the many pros that uses the Prohitter Batting Aid, available from many retailers including Dick’s and Eastbay.
In the field, Moreland uses a black Rawlings PROPRFCG (while subtly flexing with the Gold labels).
Moreland started the year in these New Balance COMPv1 cleats, and has since moved into the recently released 3000v4s:
Despite an impressive locker from Moreland, Voit’s roaring second half is impossible to ignore from a swag standpoint. If we are talking about right this very moment, advantage Yanks.
Winner: Yankees
Second Base
Gleyber Torres vs. Ian Kinsler
Gleyber Torres showcases his young talent using a Marucci JS68 bat with Nike Huarache Elite batting gloves.
Torres mixes up his NIKEiD Air Clipper ’17 cleats (which he readily sends pics of to @whatproswear) to match a Nike wristband with his number on it, reminiscent of the Robinson Cano days. He is one of the few Yankees that strays from Evoshield in the protective gear department, wearing a Nike elbow guard as well.
Torres picks it with a Yankee-colored Rawlings Heart of the Hide PRONP2 glove. This glove is currently out of stock, but we are working on a custom link for it.
Ian Kinsler, on the other hand, has a Nike glove that is one of the prettiest gloves in the building on any given night.
Kinsler (pictured with the Angels) is one of the few MLB position players with a Nike SHA DO glove.
One of the only items that Ian Kinsler deviates from Nike is his Warstic bat. Kinsler, a key stakeholder for Warstic along with all-time legendary guitarist Jack White, has his own model, available here. He ties it all together with the Huarache Elite batting gloves to go with his Nike Alpha Huarache Elite Low cleats and a tremendous display of knee-high Stance socks, though his Red Sox socks aren’t as cool as the Angels versions.
This is a tough one. While Torres’ gear is clean, and he’s a disciple of @whatproswear, only a select few get PE (player exclusive) treatment with Nike, and Kinsler is one of them.
Winner: Red Sox
Shortstop
Didi Gregorius vs. Xander Bogaerts
Didi stays swinging a natural Louisville Slugger M110 with the sweetest of strokes. He wears the Huarache Elite batting gloves, and wears Evoshield.
Didi plays a dirty shortstop with a beauty of a Mizuno Pro glove.
Its 11.5″ with an I-Web. A Show Piece if there ever was one.
Bogaerts swings a two-tone Tucci bat with gold labels. He wears Franklin Powerstrap batting gloves which are available here.
Bogaerts not only pays homage to Jeter through his jersey number, but also through his glove. Bogaerts heads the Red Sox infield with a clean Pro Preferred PRODJ2.
This is an ace-on-ace matchup, and while Bogaerts possesses plus swag, Didi’s got a left-handed bat flip that could bring a tear to my eye, along with being a joy to watch in the field. He also paints his own customs and he’s damn good at it.
Winner: Yankees
Third Base
Miguel Andujar vs. Rafael Devers
Miggy Two-Bags “can hit a home run on a ball from his shins to his letters” according to Giancarlo Stanton, and he does it with a Marucci MR24.
Andujar can and will pop the chain when the time is right. He wears a Wilson A2000 1787 glove at third base.
Devers swings whatever feels good that day. He’s swung a Chandler CB195, Bogaerts’ Tucci XB2, and Marucci, too. He has worn the Nike MVP Elite batting gloves this year, as well as the same white Huarache Elites as Sandy Leon.
Devers, like Andujar, is the sole member of his infield to use a Wilson glove. He goes with a personality-free A2000 DW5.
Neither Andujar or Devers fuss too much about their gear, but the swag is built in. These guys are probably both headed for great careers, but Andujar’s got rookie of the year swag, so this one swings in the Yankees’ favor.
Winner: Yankees
Left Field
Andrew McCutchen vs. Andrew Benintendi
(The battle of guys who got a haircut.)
(pictured with the Giants before joining the Yankees in August)
The late add of Andrew McCutchen gives the Yankees a monstrous swag boost. Despite dropping the dreads AND beard in ONE YEAR, and joining the stylistically uptight Yankees, both of which impact your swag rating, Cutch is basically the guy to watch if you are going for a classy-yet-swaggy look out on the diamond. Lets take a look back at some of McCutchen’s best since we’ve been covering him:
(Mimsbandz from his Pirates days)
Mimsbandz are a 10 on the swag scale. (Probably won’t fly on the Yankees)
Swingman player exclusives on the Giants.
Gold labels.
Gary Payton throwbacks.
Basically doing product launches for Nike… no big deal (we’d never seen these before). If the Yankees make a deep run with McCutchen, prepare for the flamethrower, because Nike has always treated him like gold. We will follow up with more info on these cleats, but we know they are the Alpha Huarache Elite 2, they’ll release in a turf, mid and low, and they’ll first be available on Nike.com on 10/1!
Andrew Benintendi. Benny Baseball. Flawless lefty stroke. Flow. God given swag. …Wait, what? BENNY HAIRCUT?!!? BENNY! SAY IT AIN’T SO!
(Benny Flow in 2017)
When you got a head of lettuce like Benny’s, you trot it out 366 days a year. You take your hat off frequently to establish dominance. You live that life. By no means do you cut it off. To cut it off is a slap in the face to every other ballplayer who can’t achieve that magnitude of flow. Its just wrong and frankly I’m downright sad about it.
Benintendi salvages plenty of swag with a simply beautiful A2000 YP66. It looks very similar to Jackie Bradley’s Rawlings. In fact, all three Red Sox outfielders have a black H-web, or “dual post web,” as Wilson calls it.
He’s been wearing the UA Yard, which should drop soon. This cleat has gotten rave reviews from Dee Gordon, who called it “the most comfortable cleat he’s ever worn.”
Benintendi slapped us all in the face when he cut off the flow. The buttery smooth swing and great taste in gloves puts him in the same neighborhood as McCutchen’s swag, but until he’s got the flow back Benny is just another guy with a regular haircut.
Winner: Red Sox
Center Field
Aaron Hicks vs. Jackie Bradley Jr.
Aaron Hicks is one of the few guys in the league that wears Jordan (batting gloves and cleats), so that alone gives him the advantage here. Above are his Players’ Weekend 11s.
Bradley Jr. keeps it squeaky clean with his UA get-up, and the below close-up reveals a Lokai bracelet which is 2018’s Phiten necklace.
Bradley, like Hicks, earns his reputation as a stellar outfielder with a Rawlings PRO303 which feels like it ought to have gold labels just based on the number of JBJ highlights I’ve seen.
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Jordan is a rarity on the diamond these days, and Hicks is going to continue to receive star treatment from the Jumpman brand as the starting centerfielder for the Yankees. Not only that, but Aaron Hicks is working with one of our favorite custom artists, Nomad Customs, to add even more flair. Bradley’s gear is pretty standard, so Hicks gets the edge here.
Winner: Yankees
Right Field
Aaron Judge vs. Mookie Betts (!!!)
The crown jewel of the rivalry.
Judge signing with Adidas has taken his swag to a new level.
The personal logo sleeve.
The Icon Bounce may (or may not) have been created specifically for Judge. He started out wearing the Boost Icon 4 but appears to favor the stability of the Icon Bounce.
Judge swings a tree trunk (35 in, 33 oz) of a Chandler, the AJ 99.2.
Judge wears a Rawlings Pro Preferred PROS303-6KN that doesn’t really move the dial for me. Blame it on the Yankees for uniform code that needs updating, or that Judge is more concerned with catching the ball than he is on catching likes in the WPW app.
Mookie weighs in at 102 pounds less than Aaron Judge (282 lbs vs 180 lbs). By measure of swag, however, this is far from a mismatch.
Mookie is dripping in Jumpman. He has his own signature series Lizard Skins bat grips with home and away color schemes.
While Mookie has worn a few editions of Jordans, he currently prefers the Jordan IX (he has also been seen in 12s and 4s). Mookie’s A2K MB50 Superskin is a beautiful custom glove.
To chose one of these guys is basically like choosing your favorite kid. Its a coin-flip where you win either way.
Winner: Push
Designated Hitter
Giancarlo Stanton vs. JD Martinez
(Battle of the Machines)
Giancarlo Stanton is Godzilla in Nike PEs.
Giancarlo’s Alpha Huaraches are just for “G,” and while the exclusivity is swaggy, these don’t really make my heart flutter like Mookie’s 9s or Cutch’s Swingmans.
Martinez is making a push for the Triple Crown push with the Old Hickory J143M, same as fellow MVP candidate Mike Trout. Aside from that his gear is painfully boring.
While Giancarlo’s cleats went Hollywood, JD Martinez picked these Poweralley cleats up on a clearance rack at Marshall’s in Brookline and walked over to the game in them (probably).
JD is too busy scouting pitchers and watching film and hitting pitcher’s pitches 20 rows deep to care about his gear.
Stanton, aside from the swag that comes from being a human centaur and hitting the ball harder than anyone ever, also has a Nike deal, and he takes this one comfortably.
Winner: Yankees
Final Tally: Yankees 5, Red Sox 3
Is this right or wrong? Sox fans, Yankee fans, haters of both teams… be honest and tell us who you think has more swag…
