Ranking Best Alternate Uniforms Across Cubs' Farm System

[Robbie McGrath]

Image courtesy of USA TODAY Sports

Across all levels of the minors, almost every team has multiple alternate uniforms that usually symbolize one of two things: Either representing the town the team is from or a fun promotion/theme night. The Chicago Cubs organization has had some good concepts in 2026, and this article ranks the top three.

Please note that all of the jerseys that were in consideration are from the team stores online.

#1 - SpongeBob SquarePants (South Bend Cubs, High-A)

Who doesn't love SpongeBob? This jersey has the face of the titular star himself, and does a nice job of completing his whole outfit. I like how the team logos are still on the side to keep it somewhat relatable to the team's main identity. I just love the idea of the jersey and the way it was made. These jerseys were worn on August 8 in 2026. 

OVERALL - 4.5/5

#2 - Pelisaurus Rex (Myrtle Beach Pelicans, Low-A)

Just like the one above, I will ask another question. As a little kid, who doesn't love dinosaurs? This jersey has a white Pelicans logo on the side which I like. Below the identity logo is a mix of green, blue, and yellow. That is a bit too much, but they make up for it with the jersey font and the dinosaur on the chest-plate. This concept was worn on both April 17 and August 21 this season.

OVERALL - 4.2/5

#3 - Capital City Cubs (Iowa Cubs, Triple-A)

I like how this jersey pays homage to Des Moines, the home of the I-Cubs and the capital city of Iowa. The navy and gold really mesh together, but the white at the bottom of the sleeves throws this off for me. However, the capitol building on the one side and the gold I-Cubs logo on the other make me excited about this jersey. I also do not like how the "S" in Moines is like the last letter on a Little League jersey with the swoop going to the beginning letters. This concept was first worn on June 6 and it was worn for all Saturday home games following that point.

OVERALL - 3.8/5

Final Thoughts

These are great uniform concepts that all mean different things. No matter if some of them are for fun or paying tribute to their home cities, most alternate identity concepts are fun. It certainly adds to the enjoyment of being a minor-league baseball fan when you get creative merch to buy into (or at least observe).

View full article