The 10 Best Selling MLB Jerseys 2010

For years, the NBA and NFL have put out their best selling jersey sales. It's the best measure of marketability and popularity, since it's fans voting with their wallets.

Major League Baseball, which set a record for merchandise sales last year, is entering the game with its top selling jerseys over the past year. Sales are from the 2010 calendar year and recorded by its official jersey maker Majestic.

So, what were the best-selling MLB jerseys, by player, in the past year? Click ahead to find out!

• See the blog: Top Jersey Sales by Team
  
  
  
  By Darren Rovell
  Posted 23 Mar 2011

Team: San Francisco Giants

The 26-year-old dubbed "The Freak" or the "Franchise" is no surprise at No. 10, thanks to the fact that he helped lead the Giants to their first World Series title in 56 years. The 2008 and 2009 Cy Young won both Game 1 and Game 5 of the Series and it helps that his personality matches very well with the San Francisco crowd.

Team: New York Yankees

He's the most polarizing figure in the game, but there's enough love of A-Rod in New York to sneak No. 13 into the Top 10 jersey list. Rodriguez certainly helped himself by finally having a strong postseason in 2009 and picking up his first World Series ring. For all the trash talk about him, he has hit 30 home runs and 100 RBI every year since 1998.

Team: Boston Red Sox

There has to be a Red Sox player in the top 10 as winning two World Series titles in recent years has to count for something. But I actually would have guessed it would be David Ortiz or Jason Veritek before I guessed the Red Sox second baseman. Sure, he won the 2008 AL MVP, but he only appeared in 75 games in 2010 thanks to a foot injury.

Team: Texas Rangers

Hamilton not only ranks as one of the greatest comeback stories of all time, but, as Pujols proves, sluggers sell. Hamilton matched his career high 32 home runs in 2010, while knocking in 100 RBI and leading the team to its first World Series ever.

Team: St. Louis Cardinals

As the biggest star of a team with a rabid fan base, it's no surprise that Pujols is this high on the list. He has consistently been the best player in the game over the last decade. The question is, how many fans are comfortable buying his jersey this year, as Pujols could leave the team after the season if he gets a better deal.

Teams: Philadelphia Phillies, Seattle Mariners, Texas Rangers

Lee makes it three Phillies in the top 10, the most of any team. Lee's ranking on the list includes jerseys sold with the other teams he was with in 2010, the Seattle Mariners and the Texas Rangers, but it's safe to assume that many in Philly bought his jersey off the rack after he stiffed the Yankees and signed a five-year contract with the team in mid-December.

Team: Philadelphia Phillies

If you would have told me to guess the Phillies position player in the Top 15 of jersey sales, I would have said Ryan Howard, but Utley gets the nod at No. 4 while Howard falls at No. 18 on the overall list.

Team: Philadelphia Phillies

The Philadelphia baseball market was a sleeping giant and a World Series win in 2008 and an appearance against the Yankees in 2009 woke up the City of Brotherly Love. More Phillies fans bought Halladay jerseys than any other player. It certainly didn't hurt that last year he had both a perfect game and a no-hitter.

Team: Minnesota Twins

This might come as a big surprise, as the Twins catcher is the only player in the top 10 of jersey sales not to have played in a World Series game. But being a hometown boy and guaranteeing longevity -- he signed a deal with the team through the 2018 season -- makes the locals feel confident that they can buy his jersey.

Team: New York Yankees

As the most marketable player on the most marketable team, it comes as no surprise that No. 2 is No. 1. At 15 full seasons, he has been on the same team longer than anyone in the top 10 and has five World Series rings.