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.
The American League’s Central Division. The only division in all of MLB in which every member has won the World Series. Quite a proud tradition amongst it’s teams and several members went back to the past in order to create their BP caps. We will show you the caps, the jerseys, the past inspirations or closest matches, as well as what the team wore last year. Our images will even show you the past decade of batting practice caps for each team, ever since they started releasing a new edition every couple of years.
KANSAS CITY ROYALS
The Royals have a light blue cap with a light grey front panel. It features their traditional KC logo.
Quite interesting, as they have been pretty dedicated to the solid, darker blue cap of late. They wore a cap with a grey top and a blue bill in 1995. That style looks quite similar to today’s from the front, though the 2013 edition will be blue on the sides and rear.
It remains to be seen if the blue is as light as pictured, though it is certainly a lighter tone than the navys that abound in the other cap images. Here is hoping its the actual baby blue instead of royal. Though, with that name, how do you not make everything royal? In fact, these images also make it a little bit difficult to ascertain the difference between a light grey and white. Based on the white trademark and the outline of the logo, we feel confident calling these grey.
Last year, the Royals wore royal blue batting practice caps with light grey side stripes on the bills. Only small tweaks were made between previous editions, mostly centered around sandwiching and piping.
Like most all the other teams, the BP uniforms stay the same, but the whole set really has a new feel with the light-grey-front caps.
CLEVELAND INDIANS
The Indians made one of the least noticeable changes in the league in their BP hats. Simply reversing the color scheme, and sporting red caps with navy bills and a navy C. Same as their primary logo and BP hats of the recent past.
It has been covered before, when they changed to the letter C, but this is a historical look for the Indians.
Cleveland wore the navy hat, red brim, with a red C and white outline. (Say Hi to Bert Blyleven.) That’s the origination of the block C, so here it is on the BP hat. Those looking for excitement are going to have to get theirs from the red.
In 2012 the Indians took to the field in Spring Training and in batting practice with the inverse, navy hat, red brim. Oh, and some needless goofy piping that doesn’t line up with any existing seams.
Again, the batting practice jerseys are largely the same — they have removed that swatch of red around the collar and shoulders, but are now topped with the red caps with the blue bills.
DETROIT TIGERS
Tigers fans not only have an interesting design to look forward to, but two different BP caps listed as Home and Away. The home is quite a departure for the Tigers, sporting a white front panel on the otherwise navy cap. We couldn’t find any evidence of a white front cap in our research for the Tigers, so this is quite a unique look for the 100+ year old franchise.
The classic Detroit D is still in effect, in matching navy, making this a two tone hat.
Last year, the Tigers wore their BP hat, all navy with the league templated striping.
The white piping did coincide well with the navy piping on their white jerseys. A reversal of colors from top to jersey.
The Detroit baseball team will continue to mix a classic look with many color combinations in 2013, with two batting practice jerseys, one navy with white, the other for the road in navy with orange outlined in white.
Their road cap will push bounds even further, sporting an all-grey crown, navy bill, and a navy D outlined in orange. Again, no evidence we can find of a grey cap in their modern past, so something new for Tigers fans. New hat color? Two BP jerseys and two BP hats? Nothing “snoozer” about that!
MINNESOTA TWINS
In what could perhaps be the first time of a professional team following the design of one of their players personal gear, the Twins have a navy cap, with a white front.
The red bill and navy sides and back match the TC Twin Cities logo. The white panel, whether intentional or not, almost directly copies Joe Mauer’s catching helmet he has been wearing for a couple years now.
He only wears it under his catching mask and sports the normal navy hard hat when at bat. But this is the only place we could find a white front twins cap. The TC is common, and they have worn navy and red iterations, but this white front panel seems to be a first. Suddenly, Mauer’s catching helmet will blend right in to the BP gear.
During the 2012 season, the batting practice caps looks almost like a precursor to this year’s. Same navy base, same red brim, same TC logo. Just slap a white front panel and correct the T color, and you’ve got this years. Well, after you resew to get that piping off of it.
Another team with a second BP hat, the Twins also add last year’s cap, but with the inverse colors. The BP jerseys stay the same.
CHICAGO WHITE SOX
Another team to add to the list of those who dipped into their past, but stayed familiar and classic. The Southsiders went with a traditional black cap, with a grey bill.
It’s a return to the grey bills the club had worn for Spring games from 1999-2006
Though, perhaps not really an important release as the Sox are not known for breaking out their BP caps often, if at all. In fact, like the Boston Red Sox our research team came up with a big goose-egg when looking for photographic evidence of the team wearing their offical BP hat in 2012.
Black jerseys with silver/grey side panels will be matched quite nicely with the grey billed black caps… if they actually wear them on the field.
Thusly closes the AL Central. You can check out our 2013 MLB BP Preview guide here to find the other divisions in the league and their plans for BP-wear in the new year.
Let us know what you think of all the selections. Also, feel free to point out anything we may have missed or forgotten. You are always more of an expert in the history of your favorite team than anyone covering all the teams in most of the sports, so be kind, but let us know if we screwed up!
2013 MLB Batting Practice Cap and Uniform Guides:
AL EAST • AL CENTRAL • AL WEST • NL EAST • NL CENTRAL • NL WEST
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