Major League Baseball just introduced a new jersey detail that you need to keep an eye on. If you’ve tuned into the 2025 season already, you might’ve noticed something a little different on players’ jerseys.
There’s now a small rectangular patch above the nameplate featuring the MLB logo. But here’s the real kicker: some of these patches aren’t just the standard colors—they’re gold.
What’s the Gold Patch All About?
MLB, in partnership with Topps, Fanatics, and Nike, is rolling out this gold-embellished logo patch to celebrate the best of the best from the 2024 season. Think of it as a badge of honor—only six players will be rocking the gold patch in 2025, and they’ve earned it.
If you see a gold patch on a player’s back this season, you’re looking at an MVP, a Cy Young winner, or a Rookie of the Year. It’s a way to recognize individual excellence in a sport where team success often steals the spotlight.
Who’s Wearing the Gold Patch?
Here are the six players whose jerseys will feature that extra gold in 2025:
- Aaron Judge (Yankees) – 2024 AL MVP
- Shohei Ohtani (Dodgers) – 2024 NL MVP
- Tarik Skubal (Tigers) – 2024 AL Cy Young
- Chris Sale (Braves) – 2024 NL Cy Young
- Luis Gil (Yankees) – 2024 AL Rookie of the Year
- Paul Skenes (Pirates) – 2024 NL Rookie of the Year
If you’re watching a Yankees game and see two players sporting gold, don’t adjust your TV settings. New York just cleaned up in last year’s awards race.
What About the Trading Card Market?
After the season, each of these gold patches will be removed from the jerseys and inserted into Topps trading cards as exclusive Gold Logoman cards. And if you think these are just cool collector’s items, think again—MLB cards have become serious business.
Just last week, an 11-year-old kid was sitting on a goldmine after pulling Paul Skenes’s Debut Patch card. That card was already fetching a high bid of $660,000. That’s the kind of money that makes you wonder if you should’ve saved those old baseball cards instead of putting them in your bike spokes.
Can Fans Buy These Jerseys?
If you want to represent your favorite award-winning player in style, Fanatics will be selling authentic retail versions of the gold-patched jerseys.
They’ll be available in multiple styles—home, away, City Connect, and alternates—so you can match your team’s look while showing off your appreciation for last season’s stars.
Who Wore It First?
It had to be Shohei Ohtani, right? The Dodgers’ superstar was the first player to don the gold patch during an exhibition game in Tokyo against the Yomiuri Giants.
And because Ohtani has a flair for the dramatic, he wasted no time making the moment special—blasting a two-run home run in front of his home country’s crowd.
He took the field again with that gold patch in the Tokyo Dome in the Dodgers’ official season opener against the Cubs.
Gold MLB Patches Are Well Earned
MLB’s new gold patches aren’t just for show. They’re a well-earned honor for the best players from the 2024 season. They add a unique element to player jerseys and create a buzz in the collector’s market.
So, as you settle in for the 2025 MLB season, keep an eye out for that golden detail—it’s a small patch with a big meaning.
