Fans of all 30 MLB teams can start to prepare for the 2018 season with the hats the players will be wearing during batting practice and Spring Training.
It hasn’t been even a full month since the 2017 season ended with the final out of Game 7 of the World Series, but preparations for the 2018 season for many companies actually began months ago. That’s evidenced by the release of the 2018 MLB Spring Training and batting practice hats by New Era.
Previous renditions of this collection have featured alternate logos and color schemes for select franchises, and that remains consistent with the 2018 edition. Ten of MLB’s 30 teams will have one of those elements introduced into its hats for 2018.
The Baltimore Orioles, Cincinnati Reds, Colorado Rockies, Detroit Tigers, Kansas City Royals, Oakland Athletics, Philadelphia Phillies and St. Louis Cardinals hats will feature alternate logos, while lids representing the Arizona Diamondbacks, Detroit Tigers, Minnesota Twins, New York Yankees, Pittsburgh Pirates, Tampa Bay Rays, Toronto Blue Jays and Washington National will show off new color schemes.
Three other elements are new for 2018. Instead of embroidered logos for the team on the front and MLB on the back, those logos are now composed of a beveled rubber badge. Also replacing the traditional New Era embroidered logo is silicone printed version of the logo on the cap’s side.
The most revolutionary aspect of the hats this year is the fabric that composes the cap’s skull. The polyester material is called PROLIGHT, and New Era says that it is the lightest on-field fabric in MLB history. New Era touts it to be 26 percent lighter than the material used to construct the hats that players have worn on field for the past five seasons.
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The hats are now available online, and will be available at retailers starting on Friday, Nov. 24. The beginning of 2018 MLB Spring Training is still months away, but thanks to New Era, the preparations for fans all over the world can begin now.