This past weekend was the fan-favourite Players Weekend where the MLB loosens the collar a little bit and allows the players to show off a bit of their personality. Making its comeback after a five-year hiatus, the flashiness of the event tapered this season – which we’ll get into later – but we still saw some absolutely electric equipment from around the league this weekend. Here are some of the best (according to me) bats and cleats we saw from the 2024 MLB Players Weekend!

Starting with a bat that is quite literally out of this world: Jackson Merrill’s lightsaber bat. The bat made by Victus looks exactly like a lightsaber, with great detail on the handle resembling the handle of a lightsaber and leading up into the actual beam. Merrill decided to go with the classic Obi-Wan Kenobi Blue, pledging his allegiance to the Jedi and not the Dark Side.

But that isn’t the best part of Merrill’s bat… THIS THING GLOWS! Yes, just like a real lightsaber, Jackson Merrill made his bat glow in the dark, adding to the hyper-realism of the bat. Probably my favourite bat just based on the details. 10/10.

Merrill also went 2-4.

Brandon Marsh is a sight to behold. As close to the human bigfoot as we get, but man is he a beauty. This year, Marsh decided to get a little vain with his bat and put his own face right on the sweet spot. Decked out in aviators and his patented headband, Brandon Marsh’s smiling face dons another beautiful bat made by Victus. Marsh also decorated the headband on the bat placing “stay loose & sexy.” Electric. Great use of the Players Weekend and Fun Friday, another 10/10.

Marsh went 1-1 after pinch-hitting for Weston Wilson in the bottom of the ninth and eventually scored the winning run.

Let’s be honest, we’re all suckers for nostalgia, and Bobby Witt Jr. sucked us in again. If you played Backyard Baseball as a kid like I did, this bat slaps. Bobby Witt put the GOAT Pablo Sanchez on his bat on Fun Friday, once again manufactured by Victus. Honestly, Pablo Sanchez as a Bobby Witt Jr. comp checks out.

Bobby went 3-4 on Friday with a home run and an RBI while coming a triple short of the cycle… Of course he did. The power of Pablo Sanchez and the skill of Bobby Witt almost makes Witt the only suitable player to brandish the piece. Another 10/10.

Now Anthony Volpe debuted this bat on Sunday, which is considered Appreciation Sunday, but the Yankees played in the Little League Classic in Williamsport. Volpe saved the best for last as he brought out a classic double-bubble gum-wrapped bat. On the packaging, the phrase “Grip it & Rip it” replaces the company logo and the bat comes in a “maple” flavour. Very well done by Victus (again), 8.5/10.

Now, this one is a bit of an asterisk as India did not use this bat during the game. But during batting practice, India was pictured using a bat with the classic 90s cup pattern on the barrel. Remember that whole thing about nostalgia? Not only is this pattern nostalgic but it goes damn hard. Shame it never made it to a game. 9/10

God, I think I have to see someone about this nostalgia issue, but Christopher Morel is adapting to Florida quite well. Although it seems Morel doesn’t realize which part of Florida he is in as he put the font for the Miami Vice when he plays for the Tampa Bay Rays, but, it still looks clean nonetheless. The neon green bat with the Miami Heat-type blue on the font. It looks nasty. Our lone non-Victus entry on this list really took advantage of the company logo as well. Marucci surrounded the logo with neon-shadowed palm trees, adding to the beachy feeling of the bat. For the lack of geographical knowledge, I will dock points, but a clean 8.75/10.

Morel went 2-4.

Now there were numerous players who used the No. 2 pencil bat which will dock some points for lack of originality at the end… but it still looks slick, AND, Ernie Clement did it best. Well first. But we’re sticking with the best. The classic yellow colour popped while the shadows of the hexagonal points looked super realistic and the eraser capping the end of the bat used the space of the bat in a really creative way. Just an all-around technically solid bat. 8/10.

Again similar to the Pencil bats, there were numerous players with the crayon wood, which makes sense, the bat is featured on MLB The Show so players who play the game would likely want to use it. Harrison Bader did it best, though, as he decked it out in all-pink. For an unorthodox colour, it just looks so good, especially with Bader’s purple and pink gloves. 7/10.

Kicking off the footwear from Players Weekend is the star from this past offseason. No, not Shohei Ohtani. Decoy Ohtani! After finally revealing his best friend’s name at his introduction with the Dodgers, Shohei’s dog would become an immediate cult hero. So, what did Shohei do for Decoy? He immortalized him on his cleats. On the side of each heel displays Decoy with his name etched on the side and the Dodger Blue gradient in the back, it looks fantastic! Plus, not to mention Shohei stole a bag with Decoy at his feet on Saturday. Great homage, great look, fast feet, two long balls, 10/10.

I think we know where Josh Jung stands in the Marvel vs. DC debate. Sticking with the pop culture theme, Jung paired his look with a slick silver Captain America-themed bat along with a set of classic Captain America cleats. Now I would’ve included his bat in the bats section if he didn’t complete the look with the cleats. The pair of spikes went full throwback, mirroring the authentic comic book version of Captain America. Steve Rodgers bursting into action and raising the iconic vibranium-laced Shield in triumph grace the shoe. The whole theme looks so good with the natural Texas Rangers colour, the bat with the Shield and his name coloured as the American Flag wrapped around it looks really cool, I love it. 9.5/10.

Now listen, I’m not much of a Fortnite lad, played it when it was first big and got mad at the PC gamers building like 90% of the other players my age. So I was skeptical when I heard Detroit Tigers rookie Colt Keith went with Fortnite-themed spikes. However, he proved me wrong because they came out really damn well. The detail of the different parts of the map takes this shoe over the top. Could do without the Fortnite dances on the other shoe, almost looks incomplete. But can also get behind the idea of not making the shoe too busy. 8/10.

My favourite type of customization is equipment that tells a story about the ball player. Aaron Judge did just that with his Fun Friday cleats as he paid homage to his High School, Linden High in California. The school’s Blue and Gold colours blanketed the cleat with the gold filling the Nike logo. The best part of this shoe is how well the colours pair with the classic Yankee pinstripes while still making it clear it represents Linden High. Judge also rocked a shoe representing Fresno State, his alma mater, but the Linden High cleats are much cleaner. 9.8/10.

Sticking with Yankee stars, Juan Soto had a fun look with his spikes. Just like Volpe, Soto brought out these Lady Liberty-inspired beauties for the Little League Classic on Sunday, keeping the best for the young fans. Almost Scooby-Doo themed with the colours, the Statue of Liberty dons the side of the shoe in all her glory. The best part of the boot is Soto’s name on the side with the torch of the statue representing the “t” in his name. Great concept, well executed, 10/10.

Similar to Judge’s High School and College shoes, Angels flamethrower Ben Joyce, went with his alma mater too, the Tennesse Volunteers. The Volunteer burnt orange checkers are a classic look and the pattern fits the shoe type well. The only issue with the shoe is that Joyce plays on the Angels and the cleats do not match the uniform. Which is fine, I like uniqueness and originality but burnt orange and red are not a good combo. Great shoes though. 6.5/10.

Jack Flaherty understood the assignment with the theme of each day. Starting with Fun Friday, Flaherty is having fun playing in his hometown of Los Angeles with his Hollywood-inspired cleats. The Hollywood Walk-of-Fame cap the tip of the toe with the phrase “Don’t Think” in flashing lights on the instep and the Joker amongst the sunset adds a menacing look to the whole thing. Jack’s other pair of shoes for the weekend paid homage to his mother who survived breast cancer. The classic pink colour with “FIGHT” laced with the breast cancer ribbon is a beautiful touch to the weekend from Flaherty. 10/10.

The cleats for causes don’t usually make these types of lists, not because they don’t look great, but because we tend to lean towards flashy over classy. In Daulton Jefferies’s case, his cleats, inspired by the Scottie’s Gift Foundation, were not only classy but had a very touching story behind them. Scottie’s Gift is a foundation that gifts families of pediatric cancer patients with iPads and gifts to support the family. The foundation was started in the name of Scottie Kienhofer, who received an iPad three weeks after his initial diagnosis. Scottie thought it would be a cool idea for other families and patients to receive a similar gift. Unfortunately, only 10 months after his diagnosis, the 17-year-old left-handed pitcher from Northern California passed away, but his family kept his legacy alive with his caring idea to provide for families in the same situation. In 2022, while playing for the Athletics, Jefferies would meet Scottie’s sister, Natalie at a Scottie’s Gift Foundation event in Oakland while he was dropping off some items for the event. Natalie and Daulton are now married and constantly visit pediatric cancer patients consistently. The orange of the shoe with the outline of the foundation’s logo and the ribbon look great on each side of the shoe. But, my favourite part of the cleat is the excerpt from Scottie on the top of each shoe. “Bringing Joy… One basket at a time… love Scottie.”

This is what I love about Players Weekend. 10/10.

Finally, Tarik Skubal may’ve had the dopest look of all the footwear around the league this weekend. Skubal’s nickname in Motor City is “Scoob” and Tarik bought in with his shoes. Skubal’s Scooby-Doo-themed cleats freakin’ rocked. Unlike almost all the other entries on this list, Skubal’s shoe was not overly busy in its design. The simple white background with Shaggy and Scooby hanging around the Nike logo and the Mystery Machine-inspired trim was all it needed. The look is complete with an almost sock-like cover over the laces, making the shoe look extra slick. Plus, the simplicity of the shoes made the overall quality way better than some of the overly customized cleats we saw from around the league. Sometimes less is more. 11/10.

In closing, the weekend was a blast and it was great to not only see more personality from these athletes but also get to know more about them as well. But… a few notes.

First… BRING BACK THE CUSTOM UNIFORMS TOO! PLEASE. Deck these dudes out. The whiteout/blackout feature was strange, but wicked for a unique weekend. The off-colour pastel-type uniforms were a little square but we’re great for a unique weekend. The nicknames had sexual innuendos in them sometimes, I get it, but the sales from extra jerseys from a funny and unique weekend would totally make up for the FCC concerns. This whole event is a unique weekend and we have to completely buy into that. You’re telling me it’s not hilarious when Rich Hill’s nickname is Dick Mountain? Or Jason Kipnis rocking “Dirtbag” across the back of his jersey? Those are great and guess what, they would sell if you made the jersey or the event memorable enough. Imagine explaining to the kid next to you at the Little League Classic why Trent Thornton wearing “Butters” on his jersey is amazing.

I understand it is the first time in five years this weekend has been in the MLB schedule, but next year, please buy in all the way. Please give us a Jake Burger emoji jersey next season. Something.

Despite my gripes, I love this weekend and the MLB proved again why Players Weekend friggin rocks.