Ending weeks of speculation and intermittent leaks, the Padres on Tuesday unveiled three sets of new home jerseys for the 2016 season: a home white to commemorate next July’s All-Star Game, a brown and yellow jersey for Friday contests, and a navy digital camouflage look for Sundays.

While each set drew widespread reaction—for years, the Padres have been panned as having some of baseball’s most nondescript uniforms—it appears the new brown alternate, a “fauxback” to the club’s most colorful era, is attracting the most enthusiastic reviews. And, apparently, the Padres are listening.

Padres president and CEO Mike Dee said the club “toyed” with making brown and yellow the primary home colors. He added that both the home and the road uniforms, which remained unchanged, will be reassessed after next season. The new home whites, in fact, are for the 2016 season only; they will mark the first time in MLB history that a team hosting the All-Star Game has worn a commemorative jersey.

Brown and yellow, Dee suggested, might become a more dominant theme in 2017.


“We think it’s a major part of our DNA,” Dee said. “To have it be a permanent part of our home portfolio, we thought was important.”

As for next year’s updated looks, yellow, part of the 2016 All-Star Game logo, is a prominent addition. The home white is punctuated by navy and yellow, the latter of which was an official color for the Padres from 1969-84. The corresponding navy hat with a two-toned yellow-and-white “SD” is a nod to the orange and blue hat first worn by the Padres in 1991.

The commemorative white jersey, featuring an All-Star Game logo patch on the left sleeve, has an “SD” rather than “Padres” on the chest, emphasizing San Diego’s status as the host city for the upcoming Midsummer Classic.

1 / 7 Padres player Wil Myers models the new home uniform at Petco Park Tuesday. (Misael Virgen) 2 / 7 Fans gather to watch the unveiling of the Padres 2016 uniforms at Petco Park. (Misael Virgen) 3 / 7 (From left to right) Padres players Wil Myers and James Shields models the new home uniform at Petco Park Tuesday. (Misael Virgen) 4 / 7 Padres player Wil Myers models the new home uniform at Petco Park Tuesday. (Misael Virgen) 5 / 7 Padres player James Shields models the new home uniform at Petco Park Tuesday. (Misael Virgen) 6 / 7 (From left to right) Padres players James Shields and Wil Myers models the new home uniform at Petco Park Tuesday. (Misael Virgen) 7 / 7 (From left to right) Padres players Wil Myers and James Shields models the new home uniform at Petco Park Tuesday. (Misael Virgen)


To be worn every Friday at Petco Park, the new brown and yellow jersey is a modernized version of the Padres’ color combination from 1969-84. The jersey features the new “Padres” wordmark, in yellow, across the chest, drawing from the club’s original 1969 wordmark. The look is topped off with an update of the brown and yellow bell hat the Padres wore from 1972-84.

Both the white and brown jerseys were unveiled Tuesday night at Petco Park’s Park at the Park as part of the club’s offseason social media summit for fans and season ticket holders.

Earlier in the day, aboard the U.S.S. Theodore Roosevelt, the Padres revealed the new navy digital camouflage jerseys, modeled after U.S. Navy uniforms, for Sunday home games.

They will appear 11 times during the 2016 season. The Padres will wear the Marine digital camouflage jerseys that debuted in 2000 on two other Sundays: U.S. Marine Corps Appreciation Day and U.S. Army Appreciation Day. Beyond next season, the Marine and Navy jerseys will remain in the Sunday rotation, alternating each year which will be worn most often.


“This is in no way a dilution of our commitment to the Marines,” Dee said. “They’re big partners of ours, and we’ll continue to do many things with the Marines. But this is a great opportunity to highlight and celebrate our relationship with the Navy.”

1 / 12 Padres manager Andy Green unveils the team’s new blue digital camouflage tops which are modeled after the US Navy’s working uniforms, often called blueberries. (K.C. Alfred) 2 / 12 Padres James Shields, left, and Wil Myers,, right, meet with sailors on the USS Theodore Roosevelt after unveiling the team’s new blue digital camouflage tops which are modeled after the US Navy’s working uniforms, often called blueberries. (K.C. Alfred) 3 / 12 Padres pitcher James Shields wears the team’s new blue digital camouflage tops with sailors on the deck of the USS Theodore Roosevelt. (K.C. Alfred) 4 / 12 The Padres unveiled the team’s new blue digital camouflage tops on the deck of the USS Theodore Roosevelt. (K.C. Alfred) 5 / 12 Padres outfielder Will Myers unveils the team’s new blue digital camouflage tops which are modeled after the US Navy’s working uniforms, often called blueberries. (K.C. Alfred) 6 / 12 Padres President Mike Dee, manager Andy Green and outfielder Wil Myers look on as sailors on the USS Theodore Roosevelt stand at attention during the unveiling of the team’s new blue digital camouflage tops. (K.C. Alfred) 7 / 12 Padres Wil Myers, left, and James Shields meet with sailors on the USS Theodore Roosevelt after unveiling the team’s new blue digital camouflage tops which are modeled after the US Navy’s working uniforms, often called blueberries. (K.C. Alfred) 8 / 12 The Padres unveiled the team’s new blue digital camouflage tops on the deck of the USS Theodore Roosevelt. (K.C. Alfred) 9 / 12 Padres Wil Myers, left, pitcher James Shields unveils the team’s new blue digital camouflage tops which are modeled after the US Navy’s working uniforms, often called blueberries. (K.C. Alfred) 10 / 12 Padres outfielder Will Myers unveils the team’s new blue digital camouflage tops which are modeled after the US Navy’s working uniforms, often called blueberries. (K.C. Alfred) 11 / 12 Padres James Shields meets with sailors on the USS Theodore Roosevelt after unveiling the team’s new blue digital camouflage tops which are modeled after the US Navy’s working uniforms, often called blueberries. (K.C. Alfred) 12 / 12 Padres pitcher James Shields unveils the team’s new blue digital camouflage tops which are modeled after the US Navy’s working uniforms, often called blueberries. (K.C. Alfred)

The Padres received permission from the Navy to use its official blue camouflage digital pattern. The four-color (deck gray, haze gray, black and Navy blue) design is modeled after the Navy Working Uniform Type 1, affectionately called “blueberries” by sailors.

Both camouflage jerseys now feature the updated Padres wordmark across the chest and an American flag patch on the left sleeve. The Padres will wear gray pants for Sunday home games and their traditional blue cap with a white “SD.”


“I think the colors look great,” said Padres outfielder-first baseman Wil Myers, who along with pitcher James Shields modeled the new jerseys. “I’m excited to wear them next year.”

For 2016, the Padres’ pre-exisiting blue alternate jersey and road gray remain part of their repertoire. Blue will move to a road-only alternate. Both jerseys will have the All-Star Game logo patch on the left sleeve.

dennis.lin@sduniontribune.com