MLB Caps

[illwauk]

Today I was taking a look at my favorite baseball cap, a licensed replica of the Brewers block-M by Twins Cap (now Forty Seven brand) and can't think of a single practical advantage it doesn't have over the authentic New Era caps. It's still fitted, yet much more comfortable. It's 100% cotton with an unsupported crown, so not only does it breathe better, but it doesn't have a ridiculously high crown that looks terrible on 90% of the people who wear them. In other words, I can't for the life of me figure out why MLB hasn't adopted something like this yet. Is there any reason why MLB sticks with the 59fifty when it seems like there's so many better options out there?

[oddball]

Today I was taking a look at my favorite baseball cap, a licensed replica of the Brewers block-M by Twins Cap (now Forty Seven brand) and can't think of a single practical advantage it has over the authentic New Era caps. It's still fitted, yet much more comfortable. It's 100% cotton with an unsupported crown, so not only does it breathe better, but it doesn't have a ridiculously high crown that looks terrible on 90% of the people who wear them. In other words, I can't for the life of me figure out why MLB hasn't adopted something like this yet. Is there any reason why MLB sticks with the 59fifty when it seems like there's so many better options out there?

I got a cotton cap as a giveaway a couple years ago, and that's when I noticed the difference as it's lighter and cooler than the wool caps. I'm baffled as to why wool is still used, unless it's proven to be more durable over a full season. Remember these caps are worn basically 9 months straight in various types of weather and wool just might be a stronger fabric and be able to hold up better. If that's not the case, then I have no clue why teams don't use cotton caps.

[TopCat]

The label on my 59FIFTY Twins cap says 100% polyester.

I think that's what this thread is about, anyway.

[no97]

You really thing cotton is a better performance material than poly? Meet George Costanza:

George convinces the Yankees to switch to cotton uniforms, assuring manager Buck Showalter that the Bombers would be "five degrees cooler than the other team." Initial reviews were glowing: "Wade Boggs: 'What a fabric! Finally we can breathe.' Luis Polonia: 'Cotton is king.' Paul O'Neill: 'I never dreamed anything could be so soft and fluffy.'" But the cotton unis would shrink, leaving the Yankees, "running like penguins." Worst of all: Don Mattingly split his pants.

[Jungle Jim]

Today I was taking a look at my favorite baseball cap, a licensed replica of the Brewers block-M by Twins Cap (now Forty Seven brand) and can't think of a single practical advantage it has over the authentic New Era caps. It's still fitted, yet much more comfortable. It's 100% cotton with an unsupported crown, so not only does it breathe better, but it doesn't have a ridiculously high crown that looks terrible on 90% of the people who wear them. In other words, I can't for the life of me figure out why MLB hasn't adopted something like this yet. Is there any reason why MLB sticks with the 59fifty when it seems like there's so many better options out there?

I got a cotton cap as a giveaway a couple years ago, and that's when I noticed the difference as it's lighter and cooler than the wool caps. I'm baffled as to why wool is still used, unless it's proven to be more durable over a full season. Remember these caps are worn basically 9 months straight in various types of weather and wool just might be a stronger fabric and be able to hold up better. If that's not the case, then I have no clue why teams don't use cotton caps.

I can't believe that baseball teams with payrolls of $75 million up to $225 million would sweat over a few extra $10 ballcaps, though.

I'd say it's tradition more than anything, but that's only a guess.

[no97]

I'd say it's tradition more than anything, but that's only a guess.

Again, we can argue all we want about high-crowns, but arguing about cotton over poly (and that's what MLB caps are - poly, not wool)? How many elite athletes do you see picking a wife-beater over an under armour work out shirt? Come on, if it was made fun of on Seinfeld, you know it's about as idiotic an idea as you can come up with...

[oddball]

You really thing cotton is a better performance material than poly? Meet George Costanza:

George convinces the Yankees to switch to cotton uniforms, assuring manager Buck Showalter that the Bombers would be "five degrees cooler than the other team." Initial reviews were glowing: "Wade Boggs: 'What a fabric! Finally we can breathe.' Luis Polonia: 'Cotton is king.' Paul O'Neill: 'I never dreamed anything could be so soft and fluffy.'" But the cotton unis would shrink, leaving the Yankees, "running like penguins." Worst of all: Don Mattingly split his pants.

Wow. You're quoting Seinfeld (one of the most over-rated shows ever) for your argument? Wow! And let me guess, you're still waiting for Superman to get your (now dead) kitty out of the tree, aren't you? Keep living in tv land, while the rest of us have a life and live it.

[illwauk]

I'd say it's tradition more than anything, but that's only a guess.

Again, we can argue all we want about high-crowns, but arguing about cotton over poly (and that's what MLB caps are - poly, not wool)? How many elite athletes do you see picking a wife-beater over an under armour work out shirt? Come on, if it was made fun of on Seinfeld, you know it's about as idiotic an idea as you can come up with...

The thing is... it'd be pretty danged hard to make caps out of under armour or a material similar to it.

Also, I stuck my hat in the wash the other day (something you can't do with crowned caps) and it didn't shrink at all. The "Mattingly split his pants" thing was (obviously) a plot point.

[no97]

Holy crap - the first thing that popped in my head was the Seinfeld thing... Good lord, you'd think oddball knows every detail of my life (and that somehow oddball magically knows I "live" for Seinfeld and TV shows...) I thought it was funny, get over it.

And, "Under Armour or a material similar to it"? IT'S POLYESTER - even the stretchy ones are poly mixed with some sort of elastine, or spandex)! Go look at a UA shirt - they're made out of the same thing current MLB 59fifty caps are made out of! To make it even worse, UNDER ARMOUR EVEN MAKES HATS (heck, I've got a poly/elastine UA hat in my closet RIGHT NOW, and guess what? It's got a high crown! And, I washed it earlier this summer since it's white and got dirty, and, THE CROWN IS FINE!

Wow... Some people just don't get it...

[Darth Danielus]

Well....I have a black on black blue jays (original logo) 5950, and it looks terrible... Way too high a crown, it goes past my ears... I'm wondering --- are those fashion hats the same fit as the official mlb ones? I need a new hat pretty desperately. I've seen the low-crown 5950's on the new era website, thinking about getting one of those. Just got one of the twins/fortyseven caps similar to what was mentioned in the OP....a reds hat with my avatar logo, black with red brim. Awesome looking, but the low crown might be a little too low, and its an XL and still a bit tight for my massive head.

As far as material goes, I'm fine with the 5950....it looks good, and presumably they've done the research into what material does the job best. My favorite hat of all time is the original BP 3930....the one before they added the hideous ear stripe thing. Anyways -- I've been scouring the internet trying to find anyone who sells them. If anyone knows where they can be found, it'd be the single greatest piece of news in the history of the universe.

[soxkrazy]

All of this year's Stars and Stripes caps had huge crowns. I tried my best to shrink it and fit it to my head with no success. I've had some of the polys mold to my head, and they've actually been quite comfortable. I guess I still have mixed feelings.

[Waleslax]

I believe that "low brim" caps are made as well but not generally sold to the public as "authentic." I recall reading an article that noted most of the older players wear the traditional high brim caps while a majority of the younger ones select the low brim.

I bought 3 Yankee hats last year and all three fit and sat differently on my head. The World Series one actually had a low brim. Total luck of the draw, but I love it.

[BBTV]

I think the Reds in the mid '80s may have had mesh-backed hats, at least for spring training. I remember having a lot of Pete Rose cards where he was wearing them.

[Gothamite]

Paul Lukas at Uni Watch has written extensively about the mesh cap experiment.

Today I was taking a look at my favorite baseball cap, a licensed replica of the Brewers block-M by Twins Cap (now Forty Seven brand) and can't think of a single practical advantage it doesn't have over the authentic New Era caps. It's still fitted, yet much more comfortable. It's 100% cotton with an unsupported crown, so not only does it breathe better, but it doesn't have a ridiculously high crown that looks terrible on 90% of the people who wear them. In other words, I can't for the life of me figure out why MLB hasn't adopted something like this yet. Is there any reason why MLB sticks with the 59fifty when it seems like there's so many better options out there?

"better option" is, of course, a matter of opinion.

Cotton might breathe better than wool, but I don't know that it breathes better than the new performance-fabric caps, which breathe much better than the old wool ones did.

As for the stiff high crown, that is a deliberate style choice - as noted, New Era makes and sells low crown versions.

Authentic caps also keep their highly-saturated colors longer. Which M cap were you talking about? They make this one in wool.

Forty Seven also makes a cotton version, but the colors are much less saturated. Compare:

performance fabric:

wool:

cotton:

These pictures aren't always the most reliable, but the cotton caps are a much softer, less saturated color when new and fade much quicker than the on-field versions.

[Matito]

Right after the Rays did their re-brand, I went and bought a Twins 47 fitted cotton cap, and while it fit well and was much more comfortable than a New Era cap, it faded very quickly and, no matter how I washed it, it now looks brownish, and sits on the shelf with some giveaway figurines of Garza and Longoria.

Ive bought three 5950s, all polyester, and all three of them fit differently. The first is a Durham Bulls cap, and it fits quite well. At first, it took a little while to get it to mold to my head, but after I wore it to an outdoor concert festival for three days, it fits almost perfectly. The second is a Rays cap, and while it's the same size (7 1/8), it fits a lot more loosely. The band around the head is fine, but the crown (mainly the unstructured part of the 4 rear panels) doesn't sit on my head, but kinda just sits above it and looks bad. The crown also doesn't seem to fit down on my head as well either. The third is the Tampa Tarpons throwback the Rays wore last month, and while I bought a size larger (7 1/4), it's still pretty tight, and I can't wear it for more than about two hours without getting a headache. The crown on that one looks the worst of the three, though I haven't gotten a chance to break it in yet.

My go-to cap of choice is actually a structured (sadly, adjustable) Twins 47 polyester cap. It looks like the New Era caps (minus the velcro strap on the back) but it seems to fit better on the top.

[CubsFanBudMan]

I must be getting old. I've worn 5950s for years, and only 5950s. But lately I've been straying.

Got lucky and was able to wear the same Cubs cap for years without it shrinking or getting too grimy. Only the thread seemed to fade. But a few years back, I replaced it, and not only was picking one out tedious (inconsistent sizing or off-center bills or misplaced logos or way-too-high crown) but then getting it to last long-term was a chore as well. (Don't know why, but the shelf life seemed shorter in the mid 2000s.) So when these redesigned polyester 5950s came out, I bought one and swore it'd be my last, one way or another, buying a New Era flexfit version as well (with the annoying NE on the side).

The new 5950 has done well for a couple years now, and the cheaper flexfit lost its elastic so it's unwearable. (Do the BP caps do that, too?) But I think the 5950 is finally starting to shrink just a bit, so its time may be done, and all of the non-Cubs caps I've been buying lately are -- gasp?! -- adjustable. And much cheaper. I even broke out a few old ones that had been sitting around since the early 1990s and they work just fine. (I only bought the simple designs.)

All that to say that maybe I'm old, or it's the economy, or it's my closet shelf full of caps, but paying a premium for 5950s -- and a higher one at that, saw some listed for $40 (!) in San Francisco recently -- just doesn't seem like a good idea anymore when it won't be any good after a few years. I'll take my chances with the adjustable and limit the variables to just wear and tear. Who knows, maybe before long I'll be all about the free caps handed out before games with the giant sponsor logo on the back and the flat, oversized "C" on the front.

[GottaDeal]

My favorite hat of all time is the original BP 3930....the one before they added the hideous ear stripe thing. Anyways -- I've been scouring the internet trying to find anyone who sells them. If anyone knows where they can be found, it'd be the single greatest piece of news in the history of the universe.

Those disappeared years ago. I was able to pick up a few about a year after they stopped using them but haven't seen them since. My favorite as well. I remember some players still wearing them the next year during BP because they hated the new ear-dome model.

[Darth Danielus]

My favorite hat of all time is the original BP 3930....the one before they added the hideous ear stripe thing. Anyways -- I've been scouring the internet trying to find anyone who sells them. If anyone knows where they can be found, it'd be the single greatest piece of news in the history of the universe.

Those disappeared years ago. I was able to pick up a few about a year after they stopped using them but haven't seen them since. My favorite as well. I remember some players still wearing them the next year during BP because they hated the new ear-dome model.

It just sucks. Everyone loved those hats. Great fit, easy to wash, long-lasting, great looking. I still wear my black Reds version, but its really starting to look dingy.....I've worn it almost daily for like 5 or 6 years (or since whenever they still sold them.) You'd think theres gotta be a warehouse somewhere with a pile of the old BP's - they couldn't have sold them all right? I did see a medium version of my reds baby on ebay a couple weeks ago....but I take XL. I knew when I had mine ordered from a local store I shoulda asked for a couple more. But, I'm an idiot.

I just ordered a Reds alt. (black w/ red brim) low crown 5950 from minorleagues.com. Came to like 32 bucks with shipping to Canada....way cheaper then I was about to pay on New Era's website. Fingers crossed it fits nice. Anyone have any experience with the low-crown 5950s?

[pscampbe]

Well, at the top of the thread, someone was wondering why the 59fifty is still wool. Well, they haven't been in three or four years. As someone else mentioned, they are now 100% polyester. From wikipedia:

The 59fifty is the official on-field cap for every major and minor league baseball team. In recent years, the 59Fifty caps were made of 100% wool and included a gray underbill and white sweatband (green underbills and leather sweatbands were more common in the 1980s and before). In 2007, New Era changed the design of their 59Fifty hats significantly. The hats are now made of 100% performance polyester, which still has a wool feel and look to it, but has been described as softer, more durable, lighter, and fit more comfortably than the old versions. The crowns are also said to not be as "box-shaped" as the older style. Replacing the gray underbill is a new black colored underbill, which was made to help reduce glare. The sweatbands have been changed from white to black, in order to make sweat stains less evident. The bills are also said to have become sturdier and do not bend as easily as the older style.

So there ya' go.

[CubsFanBudMan]

My favorite hat of all time is the original BP 3930....the one before they added the hideous ear stripe thing. Anyways -- I've been scouring the internet trying to find anyone who sells them. If anyone knows where they can be found, it'd be the single greatest piece of news in the history of the universe.

Those disappeared years ago. I was able to pick up a few about a year after they stopped using them but haven't seen them since. My favorite as well. I remember some players still wearing them the next year during BP because they hated the new ear-dome model.

It just sucks. Everyone loved those hats. Great fit, easy to wash, long-lasting, great looking. I still wear my black Reds version, but its really starting to look dingy.....I've worn it almost daily for like 5 or 6 years (or since whenever they still sold them.) You'd think theres gotta be a warehouse somewhere with a pile of the old BP's - they couldn't have sold them all right? I did see a medium version of my reds baby on ebay a couple weeks ago....but I take XL. I knew when I had mine ordered from a local store I shoulda asked for a couple more. But, I'm an idiot.

I just ordered a Reds alt. (black w/ red brim) low crown 5950 from minorleagues.com. Came to like 32 bucks with shipping to Canada....way cheaper then I was about to pay on New Era's website. Fingers crossed it fits nice. Anyone have any experience with the low-crown 5950s?

I've been seeing Cubs and Sox BPs with the earflaps for a few months now at TJ Maxx -- and I still couldn't bring myself to buy one for $7 -- so I'm guessing the older versions were cleared out in the same way.