2013 AL West Batting Practice Caps and Uniforms

Major League Baseball and New Era are set to unveil their latest league-wide batting practice cap re-design in the coming weeks and we’re taking an in-depth look at the new batting practice caps for each team in 2013 here at SportsLogos.Net going through one division at a time.

Here, we’re going to look at the AL West.

HOUSTON ASTROS

In November, the newest members of the American League West, the Houston Astros unveiled their new look that brought their look back to their original navy and orange identity. At the time, noticeably absent was their batting practice caps, as the new jersey was displayed with an alternate cap.

Astros infielder Jose Altuve in last year’s batting practice look.

The batting practice hat is the first time in their history they’ve worn an orange crown with a contrasting navy brim. While the team’s new primarily logo is a roundel, the BP hat logo features a different roundel, this one with cascading keylines that reference the team’s “Tequila Sunrise” look of the 70s and 80s.

Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan in the infamous Tequila Sunrise jerseys the Astros new batting practice duds are inspired by

While the team has said that the new batting practice jersey will be worn for selected games, no official announcement has been made if it will be worn with one of their on field hats, as previously displayed, or with these new hats.

LOS ANGELES ANGELS OF ANAHEIM

After largely staying consistent with a navy crown and red bill, in spite of template changes over the last decade, for the 2013 season, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim “flipped the script”, now sporting a red crown and navy blue bill.

Angels outfielder Mike Trout in the 2012 batting practice hat.

This move brings the Angels to embrace red more, with a red script on a red crown that matches the batting practice jersey, the game caps, and the team’s red alternate jersey.

OAKLAND ATHLETICS

In 1902, New York Giants manager John McGraw dismissed the then Philadelphia Athletics as “the White Elephants”. Connie Mack and the A’s embraced that dismissal, turning it into a symbol for the team, and it has since been used in logos and patches for the franchise. In 2013, the now Oakland Athletics, for the first time since 2006, return the white elephant to the batting practice hat.

Athletics star Yoenis Cespedes in the team’s old, piped batting practice hat.

In previous years, the team had worn a variation of their A’s logo that adorns the team’s other lids. The kelly green crown and yellow bill of the new batting practice hats match their current iconic home helmet.

SEATTLE MARINERS

Besides a 2 year dalliance with a teal bill, the Mariners have stayed consistent with their batting practice hats for the better part of a decade. The team’s compass alternate logo, with a navy crown and bill. They keep that trend, switching absolutely nothing, with the only aesthetic change being a grey airholes and a grey button.

Mariners ace Felix Hernandez, wearing last year’s hat, which looks remarkably similar to this year’s.

Will the changes be enough to get M’s fans to the team store? In the face of so many teams making rather radical changes, positive or negative, you almost have to admire Seattle and their consistency.

TEXAS RANGERS

For the first time since 1985, the Rangers will be wearing red bills with their new batting practice caps. The hats, with a royal crown, red bill and red button, feature the T-flag alternate logo, which was used in the Early 2000s on batting practice jerseys and hats, but has not been used since.

Ranger legend Jim Sundberg in their red billed hats of the 1980s.

The hat also features a red T, matching it with a hat marked their “road hat” in 2001, but never worn in that capacity. Personally, I loved that hat, as it was very reminiscent of the Red T that Nolan Ryan and company wore in the late 1980s.

Former Ranger Mark Teixeira in the team’s 2003-2006 look, which featured the same T Flag logo as their new batting practice cap.

The team in large part had dropped many of the marks besides the Rangers T, the Texas script, and the flag logo in recent years, so perhaps it isn’t surprising that this mark, a combination of two of those, has found it’s way back into the team’s look.