New Marlins Logo: Updated Rankings of All 30 MLB Team Logos

The Florida (soon Miami) Marlins and Toronto Blue Jays have each seen new a team logo for the 2012 season leaked online. The Blue Jays' supposed new logo has received a mostly positive reception, but the Marlins' colorful logo, which ESPN claims to be legit, hasn’t. 

Not. At. All.

But how bad is it, really?  To get that answer we’re just going to have to examine every single logo in Major League Baseball and rank them accordingly.

We’ll use two factors to determine the overall best logo in baseball.

1. Aesthetic appeal.  Do the colors blend together well?  Is the design sharp and unique?  Would you feel comfortable wearing a hat or T-shirt with the logo on it somewhere other than a baseball game?

2. Gravitas.  Does the logo evoke a sense of dignity or importance?  This is likely the result of the team's history and performance, but it plays an important role in our perception of the logo today.

Just for fun, we're also going to throw in the logo's celebrity equivalent.  Who best matches the logo in aesthetic and gravitas?

One final note before we get into the rankings.  I’m a Cincinnati Reds fan, and I hate everything about the St. Louis Cardinals, especially Yadier Molina.

Enjoy.

(All logos courtesy of Chris Creamer's Sports Logo Page.)

30. Washington Nationals

Boring.  I realize the style of the W is a throwback, but the ring around it ruins it.  Just the W by itself would be attractive, and there would be a certain beauty in its simplicity.

Celebrity Equivalent: Lady Gaga—She might be attractive if she didn't add in the ridiculousness.

29. Miami Marlins

The color scheme for this is just awful; it makes the logo an eyesore.  The original teal and black was actually a great combination.  They should've worked to emphasize that more and just removed the Marlin altogether.

Celebrity Equivalent: Snooki—too loud, too obnoxious.

28. Toronto Blue Jays

I realize this has received positive reviews from around the web, but I hate it.  The blue is just blinding. I like the inclusion of the maple leaf, but that's the only good thing about this terribly awkward logo.

Celebrity Equivalent: Nicki Minaj—Some parts of the package are alright, but overall it's just a little ugly.

27. Pittsburgh Pirates

At the risk of offending any fellow Pastafarians who find this logo to be a holy symbol, I will simply state that the only reason that I didn't rate this logo last is because of its religious implications.

However, I do think the Pirates and Tigers took two different paths, and the Tigers have benefited while the Pirates have suffered.  The Tigers kept their classy D logo in lieu of switching to some sort of cartoon Tony the Tiger mascot, while the Pirates switched to this monstrosity of a logo.

Celebrity Equivalent: Al Gore—because he has an effect on global warming as well.

26. Oakland Athletics

Same problem as Washington, but the A's logo has slightly more gravitas.  The A by itself without the circle would be an improvement, but ultimately the yellow and green color scheme still ruin its aesthetic appeal.

Celebrity Equivalent: Mike Brown (owner of the Cincinnati Bengals)—simply because he's an A encircled by "green" as well.

25. Texas Rangers

The baseball is too large and detracts from the T, plus they've committed the cardinal sin of adding the useless ring around the logo.

Celebrity Equivalent: Jennifer Lopez—Lopez has made some bad decisions involving rings as well.

24. Cleveland Indians

This logo has been called offensive by many and not particularly appealing aesthetically, nor does it evoke the word gravitas.  A loser all around.

Celebrity Equivalent: Andrew Dice Clay—offensive, ugly, and pointless.

23. Arizona Diamondbacks

The font for Diamond Backs is terrible and the colors don't mesh well.  I enjoyed earlier Diamondback logos much more.

Celebrity Equivalent: Jim Carrey—I liked him a lot better 10 years ago; now he's just annoying.

22. St. Louis Cardinals

Stupid ugly bird.  I hate Yadier Molina.  I just hate him.

Celebrity Equivalent: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad—because he's evil, and so are the Cardinals.

21. Houston Astros

We're getting to that gray area where logos are okay, but there isn't anything special that sets them apart.  I enjoy the color scheme on this one, and the font is okay, but there is something about the star itself that I'm not a fan of.  Perhaps reversing the colors to match the font would help.

Celebrity Equivalent: Robert Pattinson—There's just something about the dude that I don't like, but I can't put my finger on it. 

20. Kansas City Royals

I like the color scheme, and I like that the Royals logo has stayed consistent for most of its history. This one loses out on the gravitas side of things. Nice package, but poor performance has sullied its reputation.

Celebrity Equivalent: Megan Fox—Watch Transformers to understand the poor performance part of this comparison.

19. Los Angeles Angels of Anhaeim

This logo ranks higher than others because of its simplicity.  I love the A with just the halo. However, I think they missed the mark with the blue on red.  The outline should be the gray halo color instead. So close but not quite there.

Celebrity Equivalent: Katie Holmes—She seemed one role away from breaking out into a genuine movie star, but then Tom Cruise happened.

18. Minnesota Twins

Very similar to the Texas Rangers logo in several ways.  I like the Minnesota color scheme a little better so I give the nod.

Celebrity Equivalent: The Olsen Twins—also twins that aren't quite as attractive as we'd like them to be.

17. Seattle Mariners

The Mariners have had a history of awful logos, and this one is probably the best, but it's still not good enough to jump into the top half of the rankings.

Celebrity Equivalent: Snoop Dogg—Surprisingly, I don't like most of his solo stuff.  He's okay but not nearly as good as someone like Nas.

16. Milwaukee Brewers

I absolutely love the color scheme and the font for the word Brewers.  I hate the background ring though.  Get rid of the background ring with the baseball, and this jumps up at least five spots.

Celebrity Equivalent: Allison Weiss—not quite a celebrity yet, but she's an aspiring musician with a ton of talent.  However, her music is too busy. Too much going on in the background.  I've seen her perform live, and she's a star when it's just her and a guitar.

15. Colorado Rockies

Now we're in the top half of the logo rankings, so these have more right about them than wrong.

I like the baseball soaring through the Colorado air. Something about that seems very appropriate.  I also like the purple and black color scheme.  I think it's been a great combo for Colorado throughout their history.

Celebrity Equivalent: Joseph Gordon-Levitt—There's just something I like about the guy.  He consistently picks good roles and is a solid actor.

14. Cincinnati Reds

This a low ranking for such a historic franchise.  There is just something a little boring about this, and the shade of red is kind of obnoxious. It gets points for gravitas but loses out greatly in aesthetic appeal.

Celebrity Equivalent: Sean Penn—That's an ugly dude, but he sure can act.

13. Philadelphia Phillies

I like the red, white and blue as well as the inclusion of the Liberty Bell.  Extra points whenever something historic can be subtly incorporated into the logo.  

Celebrity Equivalent: Barack Obama—patriotic and subtle

12. Atlanta Braves

The Braves logo definitely gets points for gravitas.  It evokes images of Sid Bream rounding third and heading for home.  The color scheme works, and the tomahawk intimidates.

Celebrity Equivalent: Christopher Walken—He has a certain mystique and intensity to him that terrifies me.

11. Baltimore Orioles

I love the black and orange color scheme, and this is a vastly superior bird to that stupid Cardinals bird we saw earlier.  The aesthetic appeal is very high, and there is a certain amount of gravitas since it evokes memories of those great teams in the 70's.

Celebrity Equivalent: Diane Lane—stunning beauty and very classy

10. Tampa Bay Rays

The Rays hit a grand slam with their most recent logo.  This is perfect. It's simple yet elegant, and the color scheme is perfect.  This is the one of the hottest new logos in all of sports.

Celebrity Equivalent: Emily Blunt—up-and-comer who is both sexy and talented. 

9. Chicago Cubs

I respect the Cubs logo for its history and significance, but I'm not really that attracted to it.

Celebrity Equivalent: The Grateful Dead—I get that they mean a lot to a whole group of people, but they just aren't right for me. 

8. Los Angeles Dodgers

It's impossible not to love the logo simply for the font for the word Dodgers. This is simple and elegant, and its gravitas is off the charts.

Celebrity Equivalent: Morgan Freeman—old, reliable, elegant

7. Boston Red Sox

I think the Red Sox made a smart move switching to just the simple red socks a few years ago.  I see this logo and automatically think of Ted Williams or Carlton Fisk.  The logo is stylish, identifiable and historic.

Celebrity Equivalent: Daniel Day Lewis—You know you are getting the best with a Daniel Day Lewis movie.  He represents the elite actor just like this logo represents elite baseball.

6. Detroit Tigers

Gravitas is off the charts here.  I think Ty Cobb, Kirk Gibson and Sparky Anderson.  The logo has charisma and an element of charm.

Celebrity Equivalent: Martin Sheen—Maybe it's because of the characters he plays (President Bartlett for one), but Martin Sheen has a certain level of irreplaceable dignity.

5. Chicago White Sox

Now we're into the cream of the crop.  The top five.  It's tough to argue with the White Sox logo.  Its style is off the charts.  It has been consistently great for a long time.

Celebrity Equivalent: Will Smith—Smith has produced one hit movie after another for the past 20 years.  Hell, even Hancock was pretty good.

4. New York Mets

This is the design that the Rangers and Nationals should look to emulate.  The Mets logo includes the circular design but they do it by using a baseball and then adding historic features like the NYC skyline.  Gravitas is off the charts, and aesthetic appeal is very close.

Celebrity Equivalent: Clint Eastwood—There isn't an equal to Eastwood when it comes to gravitas.

3. San Diego Padres

This is the hottest new logo in sports.  I love the light blue and light brown colors, and the wave adds a great touch.  Gravitas is low, but the design is so good that it gets the nod over others.

Celebrity Equivalent: Adrian Grenier—He may not have much substance, but my lady friends say he's nice to look at.

2. New York Yankees

Gravitas is off the charts.  It was nearly impossible for me to not rank this one No. 1, but ultimately the design of the Giants logo won me over.  The only thing I don't like about the Yankees logo is the hat; the rest of it is perfect.

Celebrity Equivalent: Johnny Depp—Everything he touches turns to gold.  He's a natural, consistent winner, which is everything the Yankees represent.

1. San Francisco Giants

The brown and orange blend is perfect  The font for the word Giants is perfect.  The subtly brown tint to the baseball is perfect. 

Celebrity Equivalent: Olivia Munn—perfect

(All logos courtesy of Chris Creamer's Sports Logo Page)