Ranking the Most Outrageous MLB Logos of All Time
Every once in a while, the 1927-1928 Detroit Tigers' logo gets shared on social media:
It got us thinking about some of the most outrageous logos in MLB history.
Here, we have ranked what we think are the 10 craziest ones, after looking through the full records of every team in MLB history via SportsLogos.net, MLBCollectors.com and the Hall of Fame's "Dressed to the Nines" exhibit.
One disclaimer: This article is intended to be fun. Some of these logos are outrageous, but still cool. Some are just outrageous. We didn't delve into ones tied to culture-war debates.
10. Philadelphia Phillies Primary Logo (1944-45)
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Decades before the Toronto Blue Jays began play, the Phillies flirted with changing their nickname to the Blue Jays:
They never actually did it, but long-time Phillies' PR director Larry Shenk explained how a newspaper contest conducted after the Carpenter Family purchased the franchise led to it using Blue Jays as an unofficial nickname for a couple of seasons in the mid-1940s:
"An Evening Bulletin story (March 4) reported the Phillies received 5,064 letters and 634 suggestions.
"Mrs. John Crooks of Philadelphia was chosen as the winner -- one of seven to suggest Blue Jays. She received a $100 war bond. All seven received season tickets. Mrs. Crooks submitted Blue Jays because: "It reflects a new team spirit. The Blue Jay is colorful in personality and plumage. His fighting, aggressive spirit never admits defeat."
"A blue jay appeared on the left sleeve of the uniform jerseys with "Phillies" in black script on the jersey front. A Blue Jay also appeared in souvenirs, publications and club letterhead. Newspapers sometimes referred to them as the Blue Jays."
Courtesy of the Hall of Fame's "Dressed to the Nines" exhibit, we have a look at the uniforms the Phillies wore during this two-season stretch that Shenk was referring to. They were actually pretty cool:
Ultimately, Blue Jays didn't catch on and the Phillies remained the Phillies. But everything from the primary logo at the top of this slide to the uniforms is pretty cool.
It would be fun (although probably confusing) if the Phillies wore one of these throwback uniforms for a series against the actual Blue Jays one day.
9. Milwaukee Brewers Alternate Logo (2020-present)
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Barrelman—also referred to as Beer Barrel Man—is a mascot that has been used throughout the history of the Milwaukee Brewers franchise. It's as ridiculous as it sounds, a beer barrel with arms and a face that swings a baseball bat.
Before there was Bernie Brewer, there was Barrelman.
And before the iconic ball-in-glove logo existed, the Brewers used Barrelman as their primary logo from 1970-1977, the first eight years of the franchise's existence.
In 2020, the Brewers did a tremendous uniform refresh, which largely focused on returning to the ball-in-glove logo on a full-time basis. But with it, Barrelman returned as an alternate logo (below). This is a zoomed-in version that focuses just on his head. It's kind of ridiculous when the whole point of the mascot is his body:
"This version of Barrelman — also known as Beer Barrel man — has been used by the Milwaukee Brewers as an alternate logo since 2020. pic.twitter.com/0sKaBY5tp8
— Tim Kelly (@TimKellySports) June 18, 2025"
The Brewers did put a full-body Barrelman on their current batting practice caps, although it would have been fun to see the one from the top of the article get more exposure:
In the end, this is a pro-Barrelman article.
8. Boston Red Sox Alternate Logo (1950-1959)
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You know how we said some of these logos are so outrageous that they are almost endearing? Well, this doesn't fit into that category.
This one—a sock swinging a baseball bat—just sucks:
"This alternate logo for the Red Sox was used from 1950-1959 pic.twitter.com/7KeghGIuWQ
— Tim Kelly (@TimKellySports) June 18, 2025"
At the very least, shouldn't he have had the "B" logo that the Red Sox wear on his cap? Shouldn't his cap have been blue? There's so much wrong with this.
Fortunately, this was just an alternate logo, and as you can see from the image above, while it was used for a decade, it never made its way onto the classic uniforms of the Red Sox.
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7. Pittsburgh Pirates Primary Logo (1958-1966)
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Allow us to reintroduce you to the Pirates' primary logo that from 1958-1966, a period that saw the Pirates win the World Series on Bill Mazeroski's iconic walk-off home run in Game 7 of the 1960 Fall Classic:
"The Pirates had this as their primary logo from 1958-1966. It looks like a discount seafood resturant. pic.twitter.com/iquNT7J6Qe
— Tim Kelly (@TimKellySports) June 18, 2025"
It should be pointed out that despite having this primary logo for nine seasons, the Pirates didn't mess with their excellent threads:
However, this logo gives off the vibe that if you came to Forbes Field to catch a game where Roberto Clemente or Dick Groat struggled, at least you could look forward to half-priced surf and turf afterwards.
6. Toronto Blue Jays Primary Logo (2003)
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It was one thing to have a primary logo so bad that it only lasted for a year in the 1920s. Typically, if teams do a rebrand in the modern world, they're going to stick with it for at least five years because they've mass-produced merchandise and products they want to be sold.
Back in 2003, though, the Blue Jays did a uniform refresh so bad that they bailed on it after just one season. The cartoonish bird with a maple-leaf tattoo on its comically-large bicep was featured on their caps, and as you can see in the spring training pictures below, the front of their Grapefruit League tops:
The working theory is that the bird was banned after appearing on the infamous 2003 anonymous MLB drug-testing list.
5. Chicago Cubs Primary Logo (1941-1945)
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During what we'll call the World War II era, the Chicago Cubs used this feisty brown and white baby bear as their primary logo:
"From 1941-1945, this was the primary logo for the Cubs. It looks more like a brown raccoon to me. pic.twitter.com/EKv5MahFB9
— Tim Kelly (@TimKellySports) June 18, 2025"
As Chris Creamer of Sportslogos.net noted, the Cubs made the wise decision not to alter their uniform colors to brown and white during this period:
Don't get it twisted, this was hardly the heyday of Cubs uniforms. But it could have been much worse if they had really leaned into this bear, which kind of looks like a rabid brown raccoon.
4. Detroit Tigers Alternate Logo (1967-1977)
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For 11 years, the Tigers had an alternate logo that looked more like it was from Battle Creek—home of Tony the Tiger among other cereal mascots—than Detroit.
While the Tigers have traditionally opted for fiercer-looking mascots, this guy kind of has an underdog vibe:
"MLB's first two-way star. The Tigers had this fella as their alternate logo from 1967-1977. pic.twitter.com/9G0m97nhkI
— Tim Kelly (@TimKellySports) June 18, 2025"
As it turns out, he was also a two-way star half a century before Shohei Ohtani.
There's a bit of an Americana feel to these logos. They never belonged on a uniform or primary cap—in fact, they are rocking the iconic olde English "D"—but they are endearing.
3. Baltimore Orioles Alternate Logo (1967)
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In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the Orioles employed a few players who we would later learn were using performance-enhancing drugs.
This bird—who appears to be going through some type of "roid rage" itself—probably would have fit that era.
"Perhaps the scariest one is this bird. While he may look like he's from the Steroid Era, this alternate logo was used by the Orioles during the 1967 season. pic.twitter.com/saZkkzpStX
— Tim Kelly (@TimKellySports) June 18, 2025"
Instead, it was an official alternate logo that the O's had for just a season. Props for the stirrups, but we prefer the cartoon bird on his hat.
So, too, did the Orioles, because as you can see on the picture of Hall of Famer Frank Robinson above, that's what they continued to sport in game action.
2. St. Louis Browns Alternate Logo (1952-1953)
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In recent years, the Cleveland Browns have embraced "Brownie the Elf," even putting his design at the 50-yard line of Huntington Bank Field.
However, the St. Louis Browns had their own version of Brownie, who had orange skin with brown eyes and brown hair:
"The St. Louis Browns — who eventually became the Baltimore Orioles — had their own version of Brownie the Elf. It's unclear if he is related to the one the Cleveland Browns used. pic.twitter.com/5RhEvjfyWu
— Tim Kelly (@TimKellySports) June 18, 2025"
As noted by MLB Collectors, it even appeared on the sleeves of their uniforms in 1952 and 1953:
Perhaps fortunately, Brownie was short-lived in St. Louis. After the 1953 season, the Browns relocated to Baltimore and became the Orioles.
It's unclear if the Cleveland version had any relation to the St. Louis iteration of Brownie the Elf.
1. Detroit Tigers Primary Logo (1927-1928)
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This was the inspiration for our list, which put it over the top:
Tigers, of course, are terrifying creatures. But there's also a beauty to an actual tiger. This just looks like a cat with an overbite, poorly drawn whiskers and deformed eyes that got a hold of a stimulant.
For the 1927 season, the Tigers actually ditched their classic D and slapped this bad boy on the chest of their road uniforms:
In 1928, the Tiger was pushed to the back of the road jersey:
It's definitely creepy, but you almost can't tell if it's a nice cat or not. Is this a fierce animal that would rip you to shreds if given the chance, or is he just misunderstood?
Unless you know someone still living who was in the Detroit area in the years that preceded the Great Depression, this may be a mystery lost in history.
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