MLB Players Weekend: Here's the best custom gear

Players Weekend has arrived and we couldn’t be more excited. The anticipated weekend has captured the imagination of the players and fans alike, and in the case of the New York Yankees, it’s even made history. Friday night marked the first time Yankees jerseys ever have featured the names or nicknames of a player during a game.

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That’s pretty crazy when you think about it, but as we saw in the hours leading up to the opening of Players Weekend, it’s not just the jerseys and hats that will feature a unique look or have special meaning. Players are breaking out some custom-designed bats, batting gloves, cleats and even socks that are showing the world what Players Weekend means to them on a personal level.

We’ve already ranked the uniform designs for all 30 teams and given some backstory on the more interesting nicknames. We’ve even had CC Sabathia explain his Players Weekend choices. Now we’re going to zero in on the most colorful and meaningful designs that pop up over baseball’s coolest weekend ever.

Perhaps the coolest thing we’ve seen so far is this custom-designed bat for Royals first baseman Eric Hosmer. The bat features the fireman shield of his father on the barrel and a tribute to late teammate Yordano Ventura on the knob.

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Yo! Check out what La Potencia, aka Yoenis Cespedes, will be wearing on his feet. Pretty sweet.

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Atlanta Braves rookie Sean Newcomb has some excellent cleats lined up for his start on Saturday. They will feature the likenesses of Braves legends Hank Aaron, Phil Niekro, Dale Murphy, Chipper Jones, Andruw Jones, Greg Maddux, John Smoltz, Tom Glavine and Bobby Cox.

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Even though an ankle injury will prevent Cody Bellinger from suiting up this weekend, we can’t overlook the cleats he would have been sporting while crushing some baseballs and ringing a few bells.

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We won’t see Yankees rookie Clint Frazier on the field either, but these South Park-inspired cleats are superb.

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This ensemble will be difficult to beat. Eric “Nerd Power” Sogard is going all in.

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Bryce Harper is still recovering from that nasty hyperextended knee, but his emoji cleats and colorful bats are still ultra sweet.

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We’ve got some hometown pride cleats from Todd Frazier! He’s paying tribute to Toms River, New Jersey (and also to Frank Sinatra).

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C.C. Sabathia’s cleats leave no doubt about who he plays for.

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Trea Turner is almost ready to return to the Washington Nationals after his broken wrist, and his cleats are definitely trying to give him a boost.

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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at bigleaguestew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

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