Monday morning was something of a national holiday for baseball uniform junkies, as the Tampa Bay Rays became the 23rd team to unveil their City Connect jerseys. And to the Rays' credit, they did not play it safe with their designs, which feature, among other things, a nightclub-like color scheme, a ray on the hat in the shape of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge and another ray on the pants simply riding a skateboard.

It's always hard to judge a design before it hits the field, but the Rays already seem to have hit a home run with the baseball community, garnering one of the better receptions for a City Connect uniform since the program's 2021 inception. But with so many options to choose from, are the Rays nearing the top of the heap? It's time for a good old-fashioned ranking of the best City Connect uniforms in Major League Baseball.

10. New York Mets

It came down to the Mets and the Kansas City Royals for the final spot on the list and if we're going on aesthetic merit alone, K.C. might carry the day. But the Mets delivered more on the assignment of actually trying something bold and it works, especially since purple is a woefully underutilized color in Major League Baseball.

And the league simply has to allow Kodai Senga to wear his City Connect jersey with the Japanese lettering of his name on the back. That jersey sold out in .05 seconds at the MLB flagship store in New York City and it's easy to see why.

9. Cincinnati Reds

This will be a common theme on the entirety of the list, but the reason the Cincinnati uniforms are cool is because Elly De La Cruz is on the team and he looks unbelievably cool in them. The uniform itself has merit, but the team has the best possible ambassador for the uniform and sometimes, that's what matters the most.

The best part of the uni, in this writer's humble opinion, is the cap. The stylized “C” is a departure from the traditional logo Cincy has had for over a century, but it absolutely works. And the red stripe at the base of the crown is a perfect final touch, making the hat stand out from any other in the game right now.

8. Atlanta Braves

The knock on the Braves' City Connects is putting “The A” on a uniform, which is a little tacky and isn't a common term the Atlanta locals use to describe their own city—a bit like putting “The Big Apple” on a uniform for one of the New York teams. But the colors are iconic, invoking the best possible imagery of Hank Aaron crushing home run number 715, and once again, Ronald Acuña Jr. can make any uniform look fantastic.

And some might disagree, but the Quikrete ad on the sleeve actually adds something to the overall look, a welcome splash of yellow that gives the jersey a fun color balance. Most jersey ads are shameless money-grubbing ploys that look terrible on the field, but this one… isn't totally horrible.

7. San Diego Padres

Everyone seems to either love or hate the Padres' City Connect uniforms, but there's no doubt they delivered on the assignment. These are bold, loud and allows the players to go wild with their accessories, which Fernando Tatís Jr. in particular has done seamlessly.

It's a little jarring still to turn on the television and see a team rocking mint green batting helmets, but for the most part, the Friars' uniforms have aged pretty well. And when a team wears brown and yellow as its primary colors, sometimes it's nice to get a splash of vivid pink here and there

6. Chicago White Sox

There are a lot of things to like here. The all-black uniform isn't easy to pull off, but the pinstripes make these a thing of beauty. The “Southside” moniker and the gothic font of the letters and numbers are gorgeous and although the hats aren't as good as the team's standard lids, they still look good on the field.

The only downside is that the players currently on the White Sox look significantly less cool in these uniforms than the stars of years past. Tim Anderson and Luis Robert Jr. looked phenomenal, but Andrew Vaughn and Gavin Sheets don't quite possess the same aura. We've yet to see top-ten prospect Colson Montgomery grace an MLB field yet, so hopefully he can restore some of the swagger.

5. Boston Red Sox

On looks alone, it's debatable whether the Red Sox' City Connect unis should rank in the top ten. But there are two pieces of lore that make them stand out from the pack.

One, the Red Sox, a very historic and traditional franchise, were the very first team to roll out their City Connects. That set the tone early that this was going to be something the league had to widely adopt and embrace, rather than act like a certain main rival of the Red Sox and shun the program altogether.

Two, the Red Sox are ridiculously good when they wear these yellow and blue tributes to the Boston Marathon and Patriots Day, having won again on Saturday against the Chicago Cubs to bring their City Connect record to 30-8. For a team that's played .500 ball for most of the four-year run in which the uniforms have existed, that's a totally absurd stat that seems to be evolving beyond coincidence into a genuine bit of sporting voodoo.

4. Tampa Bay Rays

Maybe it's recency bias, but it really does seem as though the Rays have a winner here. It's hard to make slate gray look good and these uniforms manage to pull it off, because every other color choice was as vibrant as humanly possible.

It's the totally outlandish design elements that really put it over the top. The suspension bridge ray, the ray doing an ollie and the graffiti-style Tampa Bay on the front, which also invokes the flame imagery of the Tampa Bay Lightning's reverse retro jerseys. And hey, the Rays need to try something different if they want to start winning baseball games.

3. Washington Nationals

Cherry blossom imagery has become quintessentially Washington, D.C. and the Nationals did a flawless job of incorporating that imagery into a uniform that isn't over-the-top, one which fans can wear around town with ease.

The one minor knock, at least subjectively, is the large “WSH” being chosen as the wordmark. The Pittsburgh Pirates did the same on their City Connects and in both cases, it looks a little garish. The colors are great, the motif is great, but just put the full name of the city on the front of a city-themed jersey next time.

2. Seattle Mariners

Seattle had one job and that was to make sure the trident “M” logo made it into their City Connect uniforms. They featured it prominently and even added some extra details that enhance the overall look, so they get a solid A on the exam.

The “Seattle” font on the front is a nice mix between franchise tradition with slight new-age modification. The “PNW” sleeve patch is a cool touch not many teams have paid full enough attention to. And the socks might be the best in the league, especially when Julio Rodríguez is the one rocking them.

1. Miami Marlins

Miami could not have possibly nailed every design aspect here more than they did on the very first try. The uniform pays tribute to the Havana Sugar Kings, a nod to the city's Cuban heritage. The crown logo on the hat is sheer perfection. But the true brilliance lies in the color scheme.

The easiest thing in the world for the Marlins to do would have been to go with the Miami Vice color scheme that their crosstown counterparts, the Miami Heat have embraced. So kudos for not only bucking the trend but picking colors that equally capture the city's international flair.