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The Year in Swag 2019 | Part 2 (Astros, Vlad x Bo x Cavan, Minty Freshness, Tucker Barnhart)

Lets hop right back into the standouts of this 2019 MLB season so far.  Part 1 here

Astros Have More Fun

There isn’t a team in the league that has more fun than the ‘stros.  I witnessed a bit of the fun at an Astros game at Oakland Coliseum.  Gerrit Cole sat behind the on-deck circle (next to me), hidden from the dugout and proceeded to heckle his on-deck teammates in strange voices.

He got the best of Bregman…

…Altuve and a few others—they’d laugh it off, then without flinching they’d go up and rake…

Bregman is definitely one of the cockiest players in the game, and he has good reason to be.  The Astros are stacked to the point of absurdity and Bregman stirs the drink.

Carlos Correa has more fun than most with his gear, too, like the Snakeskin texture on his Wilson A2000 CC1 (currently unavailable – closest alternative the 2019 CC1).

For what its worth, Altuve said the snakeskin was his idea.

If this hair-do is in your clubhouse, you’re automatically having more fun.  Yuli’s piña is hitting .304 as of this writing.

Baby Jays

The Blue Jays are about 30 games out of first place, but I doubt a single Blue Jays fan would say that this wasn’t a fun season for the team.  Over the course of 2019, Jays fans have seen their future, and it looks bright.

Vlad Jr. has been a star in the making for years, and he finally took his place at third base for the Jays in 2019.  The swing and the swag are both off the charts.  With the way big young names have been leaving UA (Judge, Bellinger) in recent years, it’ll be interesting to see if Under Armour can hold on to Big Bad Vlad.

Though he hasn’t gamed this glove yet, Vlad’s backup A2000 1781 is a total smokeshow and can be purchased at this link for $360.

Shortly after Vlad showed up, Cavan Biggio, son of the Hall of Famer and 3000 hit club member Craig Biggio, took his position at second base.

Cavan Biggio is working in one of my personal favorite gloves of the year, this Tulo tan 31 pattern with royal trim.  Such a classic look and the royal/tan combo is incredible.  You can buy this exact glove at Rawlings.com Custom Builder for $360.

Bo Bichette is the most recent call-up, and made an immediate impression with his “plus” flow and jaw-dropping pop contained in a 6’0/185 lb frame.

Best Colors in Baseball: Mint and Teal

Mint and teal just make everything better.  A few years ago, it was the highlighter green-yellow color that was everywhere, but that’s basically extinct and now it seems that teams and players use whatever excuse necessary to add some of that mint, teal, sky blue, or aquamarine to their repertoire.

Nick Ahmed rocked it with his aways during a Yankee Stadium visit in July.  These are the NB 4040v4, available at Baseball Express for $30-$45.

…same treatment, if not a little lighter, for rookie Christian Walker, who is currently tied for 2nd among MLB rookies with 22 home runs in 2019 (Pete Alonso has nearly doubled up everybody else).  Walker minted his Nike Alpha Huarache Elite 2 low cleats.

The Cardinals actually created a new jersey to take advantage of the light blue look, and Kolten Wong complimented the unis with a coral reef-inspired custom adidas adiZero Afterburner V cleat.  The Afterburner V is available at Baseball Express for $70.

2019 wins leader Domingo German used photos from his childhood in the Dominican Republic to produce one of the more interesting custom jobs of the year by @solesbysir.

German put this idyllic farm scene on his adidas Icon Bounce cleats, available for $50-$69 at Baseball Express.

Of course, an irresistible blue sky was included.

The Seattle Mariners featured teal in their BP hats, which is so sharp that its one of those hats that a non-Mariners fan might even rock.  They’ve already sold out in many sizes, but can be had at MLB.com (flat-brim).

Shed Long (tremendous baseball name) used the teal to give his Wilson A2000 1786 an electric flair.  Unfortunately, this color isn’t available via Wilson’s custom builder.

Omar Narvaez’ LizardSkins batting gloves… also minty fresh.  The Pro Knit style has recently become available via LizardSkins.com, though not in our favorite color.

Green Fridays

The A’s kelly green uniforms recently placed 2nd in a “Best Alternate Unis” poll of WPW readers (#1 is the Cardinals baby blues above).

They’re absolutely gorgeous and unlike anything else out there, and if you visit the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, you will be in a sea of kelly green.  The A’s tend to have lighter crowds, but the people that show up are loyal, geared up, and loud.  Shop the kelly green A’s uni’s at MLB.com.

Tucker Barnhart’s Gear

As far as catcher’s gear goes, we often see some great custom gear, no matter the catcher.  Brands are aware of the TV exposure available on the chests and knees of MLB catchers, so basically everybody on the roster gets a deal.

Nike doesn’t bother to actually produce catcher’s gear for the retail market, but they crushed Tucker Barnhart’s sets.

The gold, which compliments his gold-labeled Rawlings, gives Barnhart elite-level swag and I love the black shoulder pad on this set (compared to the red on the above photo).

WPW’s 1st No-No (Thanks Mike Fiers)

The God’s honest truth is that I had no idea Mike Fiers was working on a no-hitter until the 8th inning.  This is what happens when you’re locked in on swag.

Fiers no-hit the Reds on May 7, and to date its the only complete game no-hitter of a season that will be remembered for its home runs.  It was Fiers’ second no-hitter of his career, making Fiers one of 35 men in baseball history to have thrown multiple no-no’s.

… More of the Year in Swag 2019 coming soon …

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