Every year, Major League Baseball publishes a list that seems trivial — yet it reveals more about us than any political, economic, or sociological report. It’s the ranking of the season’s best-selling jerseys. And once again, Shohei Ohtani sits at No. 1. Third year in a row. Third different team. But the curious part isn’t that he’s first. The truly disturbing part is why.
Think about it.
Ohtani is not the 2025 MVP. He hasn’t been the most dominant player of the first half. He’s injured. And yet his jersey is No. 1 in Japan, Korea, the United States… and probably on Mars, if baseball ever gets there.
Are we witnessing a sporting phenomenon?
Or a product consecrated by the algorithm?
Before answering, look at the rest of the list:
- Shohei Ohtani (LAD)
- Aaron Judge (NYY)
- Ronald Acuña Jr. (ATL)
- Mookie Betts (LAD)
- Elly De La Cruz (CIN)
- Jasson Domínguez (NYY)
- Bryce Harper (PHI)
- Fernando Tatis Jr. (SDP)
- Juan Soto (NYY)
- Mike Trout (LAA)
Half of these players haven’t achieved anything major this year. Some haven’t even played well. And yet they sell jerseys like they founded a religion.
How do we explain this?
We Don’t Buy Players Anymore. We Buy Symbols.
We don’t buy Ohtani.
We buy the idea of Ohtani — the myth of the impossible.
The Japanese unicorn.
The pitcher-hitter hybrid.
The multilingual smile.
The human brand.
Elly De La Cruz is even more shocking: no titles, no batting crown, no Gold Glove — yet he’s in the top 5. Why?
Watch him run.
Watch him celebrate.
Watch him on TikTok.
Run a simple test: search for De La Cruz on Instagram vs. how often he appears in Sports Illustrated. There’s your answer. Because in 2025, baseball is shaped not by ESPN, but by the algorithm. And belief, strangely enough, now comes in dry-fit fabric.
Fans No Longer Follow Teams. They Follow Characters.
Remember when people wore jerseys to honor a city, a franchise, a legacy? That era is gone.
Today’s fan worships players, not clubs. And that mutation is printed on every replica jersey sold. A Yankees jersey is not about the Yankees; it’s about Judge, Soto, the mythology of the Bronx.
Mookie Betts sells because he represents a complete equation: performance, charisma, algorithmic appeal, and streetwear aesthetics.
And pitchers?
Exactly.
Where are they?
Why Pitchers Don’t Sell
There isn’t a single pitcher in the top 10. The fan of 2025 does not have the patience to follow someone who appears every five days. Modern baseball demands immediacy. Virality. Constant presence.
Pitchers may dominate in October, but they don’t dominate TikTok.
Jerseys Have Become Modern Religious Icons
These rankings don’t just measure popularity. They measure influence. Identity. Market power. And if we analyze the trend with cold logic, we’re witnessing the transformation of sport into a form of consumer spirituality.
Ohtani is the Messiah.
Judge is the strong apostle.
Acuña is the Southern preacher.
Harper is the martyr.
De La Cruz is the young prophet of highlights.
And you — you buy the jersey like someone who hangs a cross, a mantra, or a sacred image. Not because you believe, but because you want to belong.
But what happens if next year Ohtani declines?
If Elly gets injured?
If Tatis gets suspended again?
Nothing.
Because what they do no longer matters.
What matters is what they represent.
That is the real masterstroke of modern sports marketing.
And don’t worry — this article has no ending. Like faith.
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