My family and I made our annual Spring Break trip to Arizona last month, and got there just in time for the close of Spring training. Usually, we are sure to hit a couple Cubs games, but with Covid protocols and limited seating, Cubs tickets were through the roof. Every game was sold out, and on the secondary market, tickets were going for around $200 a piece. So, that was out of the question, but we were able to get tickets to the Spring Training finale for the Arizona Diamondbacks for a much more reasonable price.
The Diamondbacks usually play their Spring games at Salt River Fields in Scottsdale, but for this game, they went to their regular season home of Chase Field! Now, being short on D-Backs gear, I made the stop to the team shop, but then I struck gold when I visited D-Backs Authentics. That store in Chase Field deals exclusively in game-used memorabilia, including jersey, balls, helmets, hats, and all sorts of other authentic souvenirs.
Most of the jerseys were being sold for a hefty price tag, but there were a few that were beyond reasonable. These, for some reason, included a player's name on the back, but no number. I asked the store attendant what the story was with these, and he said usually this is a result of a jersey being made ahead of time for a player they anticipate calling up, but that person never gets the call, and therefore, never selects a number.
The best part about these jerseys, though is the price. $50. Seriously. FIFTY DOLLARS!!! It is still a 100% authentic jersey, with the fully-sewn on patches for the logo, as well as the shoulder patches that don't get included on the replica models. These normally retail for somewhere in the $300 range, but since a name has already been sewn on the back and they don't want to reuse it, $50.
I ended up selecting my jersey purely based on what size would fit me and went with a home jersey originally made for pitcher Joey Krehbiel in the 2019 season. He made his MLB debut the year before, pitching a combined 3 innings over a span of two games. The Diamondbacks had high hopes for him the following season, but he struggled in the minors, and never made it back to the Major League team. He spent the 2020 season with the Minnesota Twins' organization, and signed a Minor-League deal with the Tampa Bay Rays for the 2021 season.
Anyway, here's a few photos of the jersey, I tried to get a close look at all of the patches, showing the intricacy of some of these. I love the snake logo on the left shoulder, and the MLB 150 patch on the right shoulder is a unique touch exclusive to 2019.
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