With help from Ohtani, Judge, Major League Baseball Seeks to Raise Fashion Profile

Basketball, football. Now it may be baseball’s turn.

Given the social media and television hubbub the NBA and WNBA tunnels have created over the last few years, the National Football League got into the fashion action last fall — even hiring a stylist to serve as its very first fashion editor and work with players and have television networks actually broadcast the players’ walks to the locker room as game analysts discussed their latest designer looks.

But America’s pastime seems until now to have dropped the ball when it comes to style. Although there are a few players who have broken through to the wider public and embraced fashion — New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor among them — the majority of players have been content to keep a lower profile and focus on their performance on the field.

There are not the same media-focused tunnels in baseball and the league plays an exhausting 162-game season (versus 82 in the NBA), meaning that it’s unrealistic for even the most style-savvy guys to break out a new outfit every day.  

The new season, with the field of dreams greener than ever, may mark a sea change, however. Perhaps eyeballing their counterparts in the NBA and NFL and all the attention their fashions generate, younger players are becoming more open to designer clothes and to expressing their style.

Take Yankees pitcher Max Fried, who on opening day last Thursday walked the tunnel leading to the stadium dressed in a Dior by Kim Jones navy double-breasted suit, white cotton T-shirt and B57 sneakers, carrying a black Oblique Print weekender. Dior even sent out a media alert about the look.

EJ Aguado, vice president of player engagement for MLB, said there are a lot of fashion-forward players in baseball today — Julio Rodriguez, Manny Machado, Elly De La Cruz, Tommy Pham and others — and the league is working to “support them and align with them to show up in the right places.”

Although MLB doesn’t have a fashion editor on staff, Aguado said it works with a number of stylists to connect them with players for special events, such as the All-Star Game red carpet.

Aguado said prior to last year’s game in Arlington, Tex., the league actually set up a fashion studio at the host hotel where players could come by and pick out an outfit to wear to the festivities. “It was the player engagement room but it turned into a dressing room,” he said with a laugh.

He said it’s become obvious that more players are expressing interest in fashion and are looking to the league to help. “Seven years ago, we would get the side eye if we mentioned fashion,” Aguado said. “Now players and their agents are coming to us for both MLB and non-MLB events.”

He singled out the Dodgers’ Freddie Freeman who worked with a stylist before he presented at the Country Music Association Awards and other “cultural moments” like that.

Melanie Boppel is the stylist who has worked with Freeman as well as other athletes. Although Freeman was reluctant at first to spend time on fashion, she now works with him for a variety of occasions, from the All-Star Game to dinners when he’s on the road. She has created a photo album of looks for him, most of them in the same color scheme so he can easily mix and match. “In the last year, he’s opened up more,” she said.

But Freeman may be the exception. Boppel still sees a disconnect between MLB and the other professional leagues. “There’s so much buzz around the NBA draft and the NFL draft,” she said, and the players seek out brands and looks to help them stand out.

“But with MLB, we don’t see the personality in what they’re wearing,” she said. “There’s a huge difference. And social media doesn’t cover them as much.”

She admitted that outside special events such as the All-Star Game, it’s unrealistic for players to look styled every day. “There are so many games and so much travel, it’s impossible for them to pack all those looks.”

But Boppel said more players do care about fashion, “they’re just not sure what to do.” And she hopes that the fashion community will begin to embrace baseball players in the future.

The Yankees’ Aaron Judge also worked with a stylist for his outfit at the 2024 All-Star Game, although at 6 feet 7 inches and weighing more than 280 pounds, it wasn’t the easiest task for stylist Whitney Etoroma to dress him. While most of his off-the-field wardrobe is custom, she managed to find some pieces from Giorgio Armani and Valentino that worked in a pinch.

She also styles another Yankees player, Jazz Chisholm Jr., who is much easier to dress considering he’s sample size. She dressed him in KidSuper for opening day this year, a suit she described as “very classic and toned down,” but still fashionable.

Etoroma has also worked with Marcus Stroman, another Yankee player known for his proclivity for fashion, as well as Robinson Cano before he left the league. She admitted, though, that most players “don’t want to hear from a stylist. Their wives or girlfriends dress them, but there’s business to be had and brand connections to be made,” she believes.

The young guys may accelerate the adoption of fashion even more. “I think Gen Z will change the game,” she said. “They have swagger both on and off the field. There’s so much potential.”

Although he may not fit the traditional Gen Z definition, Lindor has long worked with a stylist, Allen Onyia, who has helped him embrace his inner fashionista. Among Lindor’s most memorable outfits was his blinged-out rock-‘n’-roll ensemble from Amiri that he wore at the 2019 All-Star Game in Cleveland. In January, Lindor and Onyia flew to Paris for men’s fashion week, attending a Louis Vuitton party and taking in the sights. Lindor donned a Jil Sander coat, Burberry cardigan, John Elliott tank top, Vaquera pants and Oakley sunglasses to tour the town.

“The young guys are very fashion-forward and are looking up to the Lindors and the Mookie Betts showing up in the unique outfits,” said Aguado.

He said last year marked the first time the MLB draft picks walked a red carpet and the league helped style them. Most of the players embraced the opportunity to “increase their exposure and express their own personality,” he said.

Aguado also pointed out that two years ago, the league instituted an “arrivals” opportunity every Friday where an MLB photographer is positioned at stadiums to shoot photos of the players as they arrive. “The players know they’re going to get a social photo of themselves in their fit,” he said.

By raising the fashion profile of its players, the hope is that luxury brands consider signing baseball’s stars as ambassadors. That’s been a hard nut to crack until now.

So far, Hugo Boss is one of the only fashion brands to sponsor a baseball player, in this case, the wildly popular Los Angeles Dodgers slugger and pitcher Shohei Ohtani, who signed on as an ambassador in February.

“Shohei Ohtani is a global icon who personifies what it means to be a Boss, someone who leads a self-determined life driven by style and confidence,” said James Foster, senior vice president of global marketing and brand communications for Hugo Boss. “As an athlete, he possesses a one-of-a-kind ability to be both an elite pitcher and hitter on the field combined with a massive global following off the field.”

Ohtani recently selected his top picks from the brand’s spring collection and was the face of its seasonal campaign, which was showcased around Tokyo earlier this month during MLB’s popular Tokyo Series between the Dodgers and the Chicago Cubs. Boss also created two custom-designed pieces for Ohtani, including a limited-edition bomber jacket in cotton-cashmere with suede sleeves and complementary trousers.

“I’m proud to collaborate with Boss for their upcoming spring/summer collection. We’ve chosen pieces, like the custom bomber jacket, that merge my passion for baseball with my own personal style,” Ohtani said.

Foster said Ohtani “resonates extremely well for us in his home market of Japan and the U.S., specifically in L.A. where he plays. Boss sits at the intersection of sport and fashion and his global appeal not only allows us to tap into our existing Boss customers, but he has also introduced Ohtani fans to our brand.”

Like Aguado, Foster believes that fashion will continue to make inroads among MLB players. “I think baseball players are very fashionable, but it’s a much longer season than the other major sports so there are less moments to celebrate these incredible talents off the field. There aren’t as many publicized tunnel moments like basketball or football that act as runways for athletes. But an iconic talent like Shohei has certainly bucked that trend.”

Ralph Lauren also has a baseball player on its roster, but it’s not for his fashion. Last year the company signed Judge to be the face of its Polo Est. 67 fragrance. The Bronx-born designer has been a lifelong fan of the Yankees and the company has worked with MLB on special product in the past. So it made sense that it would turn to a hometown hero when seeking a face that would attract a younger customer.

“Ralph Lauren has always been inspired by sports and baseball holds a particularly special place in his heart. In fact, he has often said that if he hadn’t named his company ‘Polo,’ he might have called it ‘Baseball,’” said David Lauren, chief branding and innovation officer of Ralph Lauren. “Growing up in the Bronx in the 1950s, the Yankees were his heroes and when he threw out the ceremonial first pitch at Yankee stadium a few years ago, it was a childhood dream come true. Baseball is so distinctly American. It is our historic national pastime and brings together communities in small-town sandlots and big-city stadiums. And the players themselves are captivating. Watching Aaron Judge is pure magic — his resilience, sportsmanship and unwavering commitment inspire us all to push further and dream bigger.”

With Judge and Ohtani leading the way, the future may be bright for other baseball players hoping to sign on with fashion brands.

Aguado said the league will continue to work with stylists to dress players for big events such as the All-Star Game and will also be doing some activations during New York Fashion Week in September.

“We hope that things are trending toward baseball players becoming more involved in fashion,” he said.