Umpire Uniforms

Posted on 15. Jun, 2009 by Corey in All, Dayton Dragons Baseball, General Baseball.

It has become common practice around professional sports in the past few seasons to have an “alternate” jersey that is worn at different times. Here in Dayton, the Dragons have a green mesh jersey that they try to wear every Sunday. The Cincinnati Reds have a Red uniform that they wear at home on Sunday’s instead of the traditional whites. This practice is seen throughout baseball at every level.

The “alternate” uniform is now being expanded beyond just the team’s wearing them, as the Umpire Crews in baseball are joining in on the fun. Traditionally, Minor League Umpires will wear a navy blue shirt, with a navy blue hat and grey pants. But on all day games, some crews bust out a baby blue style umpire shirt to wear.

Next season, all of minor league baseball is switching their umpires to black shirts, and changing the hats to a standard Minor League Baseball Logo, instead of each league umpire wearing one with the leagues logo.

For Midwest League Umpires Matt Neuhold and Matt Benham they look forward to the change of pace in switching around their uniforms. “It is something nice to be able to do for a little different look,” they said.

Yesterday, before the Dayton Dragons and Lansing Lugnuts game, Neuhold and Benham followed another minor league umpire tradition of wearing Hawaiian shirts to the stadium before umpiring the game. “We have no idea how this tradition started, but is something that the majority of the umpires in minor league baseball are doing it,” said Neuhold. He went on to say that a few years back, a crew got permission to wear them during a game to umpire the AZL (Arizona Rookie League) playoffs.

“It would be different and cool to be able to wear them in a game,” said Benham.