COMSTOCK PARK, Mich. — The West Michigan Whitecaps have been donning uniforms of a different color this season.
"We love it," third year Whitecaps manager Brayan Pena said. "We have to give Jim Jarecki (Whitecaps Vice President and General Manager) and his guys a lot of appreciation because they really did a tremendous job. We really love our uniforms, our fans, they love it too."
To go along with the traditional home all whites, the Whitecaps are wearing dark blue jerseys with grey pants on the road, they also have the throwback light blue jerseys with yellow trim, all dark blue and all light blue.
Everybody has a favorite.
"I love the baby blues," second baseman Jace Jung said. "That is my favorite, baby blue anyhting. Cream color, baby blue, the light colors I like a lot."
"My favorite ones for sure are the powder blue ones," Outfielder Brady Allen said. "I've never got to wear them, playing in college we got to see North Carolina wear them and Ole Miss and places like that, I've always wanted to wear them, so I love those."
"I love the baby blues, the Carolina blues," former Whitecaps infielder Danny Serretti, who played at North Carolina, said.
"The white one," Pena said. "I love the white one."
Decisions about what uniform will be worn are held by a select few.
"It is all about the players, especially the pitcher, the guy that is starting that day," Pena said. "We are doing a pretty good job mixing it up."
"I think we just come in and they are just hanging in our locker, which one we wear," Jung said. "We don't really decide, I think that is more of a clubbie or pitcher thing."
One day in early May, the alternates backfired a bit, the Whitecaps had to wear a light blue jersey with the dark blue pants in Beloit when they had to change the top last minute due to the Sky Karp going with a dark alternate jersey.
"The Whitecaps played Beloit when I was on Beloit and they wore yellowish jerseys with white, with navy blue pants," Allen said. "Those were kind of not the best combination, but they beat us, so whatever works."
And winning does play a part.
"Baseball players, we are superstitious," Pena said. "At times if we are on a roll and we are winning, we want to keep that uniform on, we want to keep going."
