Choosing the right baseball team merchandise

Baseball fans love to show their support for their favorite teams by wearing clothes and buying other gear with team colors, logos and mascots. Luckily, there's no shortage of team merch for fans. That large quantity does mean that choosing your preferred items can be a bit difficult. This advice makes it easier to shop for baseball fan gear.

• Shop by team: There are about 30 teams in Major League Baseball, spread out between the two regional leagues covering the USA and Canada. While you can browse products for all of the MLB, it's easiest to narrow down your options by team first. That way, you can avoid having to scroll through merchandise for 29 teams you don't root for.
• Filter product options: If you know what kind of item you want — a hat or a jersey, for example — you can further refine your results within an individual team shop by choosing what product type you want to look at. You may have the option to further refine results by size, color or other features so you can make your shopping experience as quick and easy as possible. This approach is less effective if you aren't sure what you want and just want to see what's available. In that case, avoid using too many filters; you might accidentally exclude an item that would actually appeal to you.
• Think practically: Consider your current collection of baseball fan gear before you shop. Is there anything missing from what you've already got? For example, do you have a bunch of warm-weather gear, but nothing to wear during wintertime? Would you like to be able to show your team spirit at work, but you don't have the right accessories? A little bit of careful thinking can help guide you to the perfect item from your favorite MLB team.

What's the best way to pick out a gift for someone who loves baseball?

It's often easier to shop for someone who's a big fan of a particular sports team. If you can't come up with something else, team merch will make fans quite happy. But it can be harder to shop for someone who loves baseball when you, the person giving the gift, don't know as much about it yourself. Use this advice to help guide yourself to the right product choice.

• Determine clothing size: First and foremost, make sure you're buying merchandise that will actually fit the person you're buying for. If you aren't quite sure what size the gift recipient normally wears, use size charts to get a better idea or ask a close family member or partner. Most MLB merch comes in standard letter sizes, such as S, M and L, and you may also be able to find items in particular sizing categories for children, women and men. If you really aren't sure, you can stick with accessories that don't rely on size, such as adjustable caps or stickers.
• Confirm the favorite team: People who aren't fans of pro baseball may not be aware that some states and even some cities have multiple teams. This tends to be most common in major cities like New York or large, populous states like California and Texas. Don't assume the person you're shopping for is a Yankees fan because they're from New York and love baseball. You can use social media and other public information to do a little investigation and make sure you get merchandise from the right team.
• Look for new merchandise at the start of the season: Shopping for someone who really loves baseball and already owns a lot of team merchandise can be a bit tricky. You don't want to get something the gift recipient already owns. One way to avoid this issue is to shop for gifts at the right time of year. The baseball season typically starts in spring, and teams may release new merchandise to commemorate the new season. If you're shopping for someone who has a birthday around this time, you may be able to get them something brand new they don't already own. You can also look for limited-edition items that may sell out and save them for birthdays and holidays that come later in the year. Playoffs and World Series season, usually in fall, also provides the opportunity for great fan merch — so long as the fan's favorite team actually wins a title.