If my uniform doesn’t get dirty, I haven’t done anything in the baseball game – Rickey Henderson.
Just like Rikcey Handerson, all professional baseball players take their appearance during the game seriously. This is true for any item they wear in the field like their shoes, hats, and even their jewelry.
But why do baseball players wear chains? Answers include better appearance, superstitions, religion, honoring someone, and a bit of science!
Read along to know more about why baseball athletes wear necklaces.
Table of Contents
What’s the Point of Wearing Chains?
It’s proven that shoes and gloves help improve player performance but what about those silver, gold or black shiny necklace MLB players wear?
You may have asked Reddit and got confused with the number of opposing answers. Well, the search is over because we’ll tell you all the wherefores of this sports fashion trend.
Reason 1: It makes them look better
Like most of us who use accessories and jewelry to look better or more stylish, baseball jewelry for players adds extra oomph to their looks.
It adds personal style to each player wearing it. This is understandable since they’re required to wear team uniforms, and they look, well, quite the same.
For instance, Lance McCullers Jr’s trademark, aside from his powerful throw, is the black diamond necklace that he wears in every game.
Too bad it snapped during one, and he had to pick up each like a needle in a haystack. Only this time, the needle was super shiny.
It isn’t a piece of new information that professional baseball players get paid a lot. With an MLB player making a minimum of $700,000 to an average of $4.68M per year, it’s not surprising that they would show off their wealth with blings.
Reason 2: Superstitious belief
Another reason why athletes wear big gold chains is psychological. Odd beliefs such as not grooming on the day of the big game or eating a specific food may not be proven to improve a player’s performance, but it still makes them believe so.
The same happens when a player sees another player win or experiences this himself while wearing a chain. It’s inevitable to see them consistently wear one once this happens unless they’re ready to face bad luck.
And generally, there’s nothing wrong with being a bit superstitious, but there’s one possible disadvantage of it that we’ll discuss later.
Reason 3: Religion
Some baseball players like Nelson Cruz enter the field carrying a lot of faith in the form of religious items such as his cross necklace. These Major League Baseball player necklaces are commonly simple real gold or silver crosses that symbolize Jesus on the cross.
However, some jewelry designers took this opportunity to create other designs which incorporated the very game itself.
Javier Baez, a Puertorican player for the Detroit Tigers, helped popularize the baseball bat cross necklace. This necklace carries a pendant with three baseball bats forming a cross, each batt representing the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Reason 4: Sentimental Value
Aside from showing off their money, a baseball necklace’s purpose is to honor someone or something that happened to them:
- Joc Pederson was known to wear pearls when he played for the Atlanta Braves. The famous necklace wasn’t seen by the public when he transferred to San Francisco Giants until he wore it again while receiving his World Series ring.
- A young baseball fan named Griffin Cantrell gave Mookie Betts a thin chained necklace with a plastic baseball and bat pendant. He has worn the necklace ever since.
Reason 5: Scientific Reasons… or is it?
Who knew that a piece of jewelry could affect someone’s health? Or can it?
A specific baseball necklace (which we’ll tackle later) claims to improve mobility by smoothing and stabilizing the electric flow in the nerves of the player who wears it.
These necklaces are believed to improve players’ blood flow thanks to their titanium properties.
Kind of Chains Baseball Players Wear
Now that we’ve answered ‘why do baseball players wear chains?’, let’s talk about what chains you’d see on their necks.
- Titanium-Infused Necklace – The notorious Phiten necklace was the titanium-infused one we mentioned earlier. It’s one of the famous rope necklaces among players.
- Gold Cross – As we mentioned, the gold cross necklace is commonly seen worn by Catholic players/
- Gold Chain – Gold chains are the best chains for baseball players and they are the most popular baseball chains. They look timeless and come in many sizes. Plus, they never look cheap, especially the thick ones.
Famous Players Who Wear Chains
Here are baseball player chain necklaces and their famous owners:
| Mookie Betts | Figaro Chain and fan-given chain |  |
| Manny Machado | Red and white diamond chain and the swag chain |  |
| Josh Bell | Gold Miami Cuban Choker | |
| Aaron Judge | Figaro Link | |
| Chris Archer | Miami Cuban chain | |
| Francisco Lindor | Diamond chain with enamel pendant |  |
Frequently Asked Questions
It’s time to answer some FAQs about baseball player chain necklaces!
Is Baseball Necklace Express legit?
Baseballexpress.com is a legit online shop you can visit if you want to collect baseball bats, wear hats, or get a fresh set of gloves. A lot of online reviews gave them good ratings and they became a go-to shop for baseball players in the US.
Are chains safe to wear?
Chains are generally safe to wear when playing baseball. However, there’s a chance that the glare of the chains may distract other players and its length can distract the pitcher.
Are chains allowed to be worn in other games?
Wearing chains is not allowed in other sports like the NBA and NFL as it may cause injuries to the players.
Conclusion
Now that you know different baseball necklace purposes, you can stop wondering why baseball players wear chains. It may be a matter of fashion or belief, but it all comes down to giving baseball players the confidence that they need.
Without a doubt, these pieces of jewelry add something to talk about for die-hard baseball fans.
Which necklace do you think is the baddest of them all and who do you think wore it best? We’re excited to know!
Rogers is a hardcore baseball enthusiast. He joined Nations Baseball as a writer to share his knowledge and help others realize their passions for the sport. Roger is striving towards becoming a coach at his local baseball club.
