Shohei Ohtani, currently playing for the Los Angeles Dodgers, has retained his top-selling jersey status during the first half of the season, followed by Bryce Harper and Aaron Judge. Ohtani, who made history last year as the first Japanese player to lead jersey sales while with the Los Angeles Angels, signed a record-breaking $700 million, 10-year deal with the Dodgers. Due to an elbow surgery, Ohtani has been limited to designated hitter duties this year, but his popularity remains unmatched in the MLB.
Alongside Ohtani, his Dodgers teammates Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman also made it to the top jersey sellers list, ranking fourth and twentieth respectively. Harper, the Philadelphia Phillies outfielder, climbed up the rankings this year, landing in the second spot. Despite a strong first half, Judge of the New York Yankees remained in third place. The list also welcomed Juan Soto, the Yankees’ new outfielder, who joined in sixth place after his trade from San Diego.
Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. dropped from second to fifth following an ACL tear in May. Other notable players in the top 10 include Francisco Lindor of the New York Mets, Fernando Tatis Jr. of the San Diego Padres, Corey Seager of the Texas Rangers, and Jose Altuve of the Houston Astros. Young talents like Elly De La Cruz and Adley Rutschman also made it to the top 20 jersey sellers, showcasing the growing popularity of emerging stars in the league.
The sales figures are based on Nike jersey sales from MLBShop.com since the opening day of the season on March 20. Several players from diverse backgrounds, including Japan, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela, are represented in the top 20 rankings. Notably, Pittsburgh pitcher Paul Skenes, who made his debut in May, entered the top 20 jersey sellers list for the week of July 1-7. As the MLB season progresses, it will be interesting to see if Ohtani can maintain his jersey sales dominance or if other players will rise in popularity.
