Rivera's No. 42 jersey is MLB's most popular
Young stars Harvey, Puig, Machado and Posey round out the top five in sales
No. 42 is going out in style.
Mariano Rivera's retirement after Sunday's regular-season finale will mean that no active player will be assigned that number again, as it is retired across baseball to honor Jackie Robinson. And the Yankees' iconic closer will officially go out as owner of the most popular jersey in Major League Baseball.
No. 42 goes out on top
| Rank | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mariano Rivera | Yankees |
| 2 | Matt Harvey | Mets |
| 3 | Yasiel Puig | Dodgers |
| 4 | Manny Machado | Orioles |
| 5 | Buster Posey | Giants |
| 6 | Clayton Kershaw | Dodgers |
| 7 | Yadier Molina | Cardinals |
| 8 | Andrew McCutchen | Pirates |
| 9 | Yoenis Cespedes | A's |
| 10 | Mike Trout | Angels |
| 11 | Dustin Pedroia | Red Sox |
| 12 | Derek Jeter | Yankees |
| 13 | David Wright | Mets |
| 14 | Miguel Cabrera | Tigers |
| 15 | Bryce Harper | Nationals |
| 16 | Chris Davis | Orioles |
| 17 | Hyun-Jin Ryu | Dodgers |
| 18 | David Ortiz | Red Sox |
| 19 | Robinson Cano | Yankees |
| 20 | Paul Goldschmidt | D-backs |
MLB and the MLB Players Association on Thursday announced the annual list of the 20 most popular jerseys since the All-Star break, based on Majestic Athletic sales at the MLB.com Shop. The list looks like a passing of the torch, because after Rivera at the top, it is dominated by young stars, with 16 of them aged 30 or under.
Following Rivera in the top five are young stars Matt Harvey of the Mets, Yasiel Puig of the Dodgers, Manny Machado of the Orioles and Buster Posey of the Giants. Rounding out the top 10 are Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers, Yadier Molina of the Cardinals, Andrew McCutchen of the Pirates, Yoenis Cespedes of the A's and Mike Trout of the Angels.
Ranking 11th through 20th, in order, are Dustin Pedroia of the Red Sox, Derek Jeter of the Yankees, David Wright of the Mets, Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers, Bryce Harper of the Nationals, Chris Davis of the Orioles, Hyun-Jin Ryu of the Dodgers, David Ortiz of the Red Sox, Robinson Cano of the Yankees and Paul Goldschmidt of the D-backs.
Five of the players -- Harvey, Puig, Machado, Trout and Harper -- are 24 or younger. Three players are having breakout seasons -- Cespedes, Davis and Goldschmidt -- and cracked the top 20 for the first time. Jeter, whose No. 2 jersey was the perennial leader on this list in years past, drops to the 12th spot amid an injury-marred season.
Players representing 13 clubs make up the top 20 (including nine clubs in the top 10), with only the Dodgers (Puig, Kershaw and Ryu) and the Yankees (Rivera, Jeter and Cano) having as many as three players on the list. The top 20 includes 16 players who were All-Stars this year and nine players who are about to appear in the postseason. The breakdown by position is nine infielders, five outfielders, four pitchers and two catchers.
From now through Monday at the MLB.com Shop, you can take up to 20 percent off a Majestic customized authentic jersey and get a free featherweight tech fleece with your order.