Welcome to the World Series—of Sick Jewelry
Over the past several years, these chains have become more and more common in the sport. Getting here has been a slow march: current players say they’re following
the example of Yankees hall-of-famer Derek Jeter, who wore a black diamond chain tucked into his jersey, or former Red Sox slugger David Ortiz, one of the first to purposefully wear his chains outside of his. “When we play sports, this is a show,” Mallex Smith, most recently with the Seattle Mariners, told Bleacher Report. "Wearing a chain is just like a show within the show. You get to give the people something to talk about. If you're doing good and you're shining, it's like, 'Wow, that guy has swag. He's fly.'"
Mookie Betts with his second-most-powerful bat.
Tom PenningtonFernando Tatis Jr., awash in diamonds.
Kelly GavinFashion and style have become more deeply ingrained in the world of sports, particularly in the NBA, but baseball—tradition-minded, slow, grumpy—has lagged behind. But the sport has one unique advantage when it comes to personal style: players have the ability to wear jewelry during the game. Forget Kirk Gibson’s fist pump celebration; how cool does it look to round the bases after a dinger with a tray of jewelry bouncing on a player’s chest? Or when a pitcher like Dodger Brusdar Graterol throws such a heater that his chain breaks in half? That’s power! (It's not all good: a Nationals-Mets game in 2018 turned into a treasure hunt after
The MLB couldn’t have asked for a better advertisement for baseball than this current postseason. Both league championship series went to thrilling game 7s, and the chains worn by players on all teams have been out of this world. In the eyes of players like Smith, the jewelry isn’t just a vehicle for what he calls “spizazz,” but an advertisement for the game itself. “Normally, [baseball’s] slow and boring,” Smith said. “I like to think that [the jewelry] could maybe grab the interest of other black young men that may like it and see they're allowed to have a personality in this sport, too.”
Shane Greene in simple gold.
Ronald MartinezOzzie Albies gets dirty, chains and all.
Cooper NeillBaseball is a constant tug of war between younger players like Tatis and Smith and people who want it to stay the same like Blass; the people rewriting the rules and the ones adhering to its unwritten ones. Chains certainly aren’t going to speed up the game, but jewelry can help define and brand a player the same way outrageous fashion does for those in the NBA. At the very least, it gives viewers something shiny to distract themselves in between pitches, mound visits, and replay reviews.
Lance McCullers Jr.'s chain-assisted curveball.
Harry HowRays breakout Randy Arozarena keeps it classy.
Sean M. HaffeyBrusdar Graterol's pitches and his chain: both seriously heavy, man.
Ronald MartinezJose Abreu layers with aplomb.
Ezra ShawBig Yankee Luke Voit leaving it all out on the field.
Sean M. Haffey