The MLB jersey market is a lucrative one, and Lids, a memorabilia company licensed to sell MLB gear, released their Top 10 best-selling jerseys list last week. Among the top 10 were two current Dodgers and a former Brooklyn star.
Dodgers right-fielder Mookie Betts took the number-one spot on the list, the only jersey in the top five representing a player who played this year. Hall of Famers Derek Jeter and Ken Griffey Jr. took the second and third spots, while the fourth-best seller belongs to Fernando Tatis Jr., who missed the entire 2022 season with a series of self-inflicted wounds, some literal (broken wrist from a dirtbike accident) and some figurative (PED suspension).
The fifth spot belongs to Dodgers legend Jackie Robinson, whose number 42 jersey is the only one retired throughout Major League Baseball. Jackie is followed by Astros second baseman Jose Altuve, whose jersey is available in adult sizes too.
Cody Bellinger comes in the seventh spot, perhaps the most surprising name on the list. Bellinger is charismatic, handsome, and a former MVP, but he’s also been pretty bad for a couple years now. He remains popular, though, at least in the jersey sales.
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The final three spots on the top-10 list are two Hall of Famers sandwiching an outstanding young player. Roberto Clemente is eighth, Ronald Acuna Jr. is ninth, and Nolan Ryan is tenth.
It’s hard to quibble with any of these, but you have to wonder if it’s concerning to MLB that only half of their top 10 represent active players. You could probably make arguments both ways, whether it’s a fanbase that appreciates baseball history or a lack of current marketable stars. It’s also notable that neither Mike Trout nor Shohei Ohtani cracked the top 10.
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