Trending Up: Latino players rank among MLB’s best selling jerseys
By Tab Bamford
Major League Baseball announced the 20 most popular jerseys from the 2019 season on Friday. Six of the top 20 overall are Latino, led by Cubs shortstop Javier Báez.
Báez ranked fourth overall after finishing third in 2018. This is the third consecutive year that Báez ranked in the top ten. He is one of three Cubs to make the list.
After ranking 20th during his rookie season, Braves sophomore sensation Ronald Acuña Jr. climbed to sixth. That represents the biggest jump in the 2019 rankings.
The Astros have three players among the top 20 as well, led by José Altuve.
Latino players continue to have a bigger impact on the business of the game. Nine years ago there were only two Latino players – Albert Pujols and Alex Rodriguez – in the top 20. Neither of them was among the top five overall. That number increased to seven Latino players on the list in 2018; Carlos Correa didn’t make the cut this year after ranking 19th last season.
Aaron Judge, who ranks first for the third consecutive year, continues a trend of Yankees coming in on top.
Here are the top 20 overall based on sales from MLBShop.com of Majestic jerseys since the start of the 2019 season:
1. Aaron Judge, New York Yankees
2. Bryce Harper, Philadelphia Phillies
3. Cody Bellinger, Los Angeles Dodgers
4. Javier Báez, Chicago Cubs
5. Christian Yelich, Milwaukee Brewers
6. Ronald Acuña Jr., Atlanta Braves
7. Mookie Betts, Boston Red Sox
8. José Altuve, Houston Astros
9. Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels
10. Anthony Rizzo, Chicago Cubs
11. Yadier Molina, St. Louis Cardinals
12. Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles Dodgers
13. Alex Bregman, Houston Astros
14. Pete Alonso, New York Mets
15. Freddie Freeman, Atlanta Braves
16. Kris Bryant, Chicago Cubs
17. Francisco Lindor, Cleveland Indians
18. Paul Goldschmidt, St. Louis Cardinals
19. Jacob DeGrom, New York Mets
20. George Springer, Houston Astros
