Courtesy of MLB.com
New Era just released each MLB team’s new spring training hats as well as the new batting practice hats. I am going to compare the two and choose which one is better for each team, starting with the American League East.
Tampa Bay Rays
Both hats are on theme with Tampa’s typical colors, and I like that a lot. However, the batting practice hat is too similar to the typical Rays’ hats. While I like the colors of the TB logo with the stingray at the bottom of the lettering, the spring training hat differentiates just enough from Tampa’s typical hat, while still staying on brand by essentially switching the color of the star and the base of the hat. This is something that I really like about it.
New York Yankees
The Yankees new hats for 2024 are both extremely similar to the typical Yankee look. The spring training hat is essentially the same as the standard New York hat. The batting practice ones, however, deviate a little bit by having the logo inside the circle with the signature Yankee pinstripes. So, with that being said, I prefer the batting practice ones over the spring training ones because while they are both similar to the typical Yankee hats, the batting practice ones have that extra little element of a Yankee staple.
Baltimore Orioles
Again, I like both hats a lot. I love the nickname ‘O’s’ on the spring training hat and I also really like the oriole on the batting practice one. Both hats stay on theme to typical Orioles colors and logos, which is great. This one was a tough decision for me but while I really like both, I think I lean more towards the batting practice ones. It incorporates all the team colors, they are all proportional to each other, and like I said I love having the actual oriole on the front.
Toronto Blue Jays
Both of these hats are also really similar to the typical Toronto hats with the color scheme and the logo being the same on the standard hats as well as these. As much as I like all blue on the batting practice hats, I think I like the spring training ones just a little bit more because I really like the white front with both dark and light blue accents on the brim and the back.
Boston Red Sox
Both hats’ designs are similar to typical Boston hats with one base color and the signature “B” logo. However, I do like that they both differentiate from the typical hats by having a red base as opposed to the normal navy base. I especially like the batting practice ones because they have that color switch with the ‘B’ being navy rather than red and having the base be red rather than navy. I do really like that color switch; but I am also a big fan of the white accent color on the spring training one. This was another tough decision for me, but I think I lean more towards the batting practice one because of the color switch of the navy and red.
Next, the AL Central!
Cleveland Guardians
I like both of these hats; they are similar but not exactly the same. The different base colors do a lot to differentiate the two while keeping the same concept. I like the two stripes with white base on the batting practice ones, but I think between these, I like the spring training one more. Even though I really like the white base of the batting practice one, I think I like the all red base on the spring training ones more.
Minnesota Twins
I like both hats. I love the red base with the navy ‘M’ and ‘S’ flags to represent Minnesota and the twin cities that are the origins of the Twins’ name. I also like the stripes with the basic Twins ‘M,’ and I like the simplicity yet differentiation in the style of the batting practice hat. This was yet another tough decision for me, but I think I like the spring training one more. I just like the color of it and how it stays on brand with their normal colors. The two flags represent the twin cities, which is cool, and I think that element is what sways me toward spring training over the batting practice one.
Detroit Tigers
I like both hats; they capture the Tigers' colors and themes. I like the simplicity of the batting practice hat with the traditional Tigers logo and colors. The gray background with the Tigers’ colors striped across the middle is cool. However, I like the spring training hats with the tiger on them with the Detroit orange, it serves as a nice accent to the Tigers’ uniforms. So, with that said, the spring training hats are my favorite.
Kansas City Royals
I really like both of these hats as well; they both represent Kansas City really well and they fit into their overall theme. I like the simplicity of the spring training one, it has the KC logo with the Royals’ blue as the two primary colors and the white accent. I also am a big fan of the batting practice one because it has the alternate logo on it rather than the traditional KC on it which is something that I really enjoy. I also like how the Royals’ colors are incorporated, but also have that white front, serving as that front primary color as opposed to an accent color. I think of these two, I prefer the batting practice one. It stays with the Royals traditional theme while embracing the alternate logo and making white the primary color on the front, the fact that it deviates a little while staying on theme works well.
Chicago White Sox
I like both hats because they fit the White Sox well. I like how the spring training one has the traditional White Sox logo on the gray background. It goes well with the uniforms and fits Chicago well. The batting practice ones are definitely my favorite of the two with the vintage logo on it and the all black hat; it has a really cool look to it, which I like.
Rounding out the American League, the AL West!
Texas Rangers
I really love both of these hats! I love the color on the spring training one with the standard ‘T’ Rangers Logo, and the baby blue coordinates well with their alternate uniforms. I also really like the batting practice ones that perfectly match the home uniforms, the different color scheme still stays on theme with the Rangers colors. These were tough for me to choose between because I really like them both, however, I think I am more drawn to the spring training ones just because the color stands out to me a little bit more.
Los Angeles Angels
These hats are both very simple and I think that is what I like about them. The spring training hat is essentially the same as the Angels’ typical hat, so it does not stand out to me. I think I like the batting practice ones more because I really like that black base, it makes the red of the logo and the brim stand out that much more.
Seattle Mariners
I really like both hats and I think these might be my favorite set in the American League! I like the colors of both of them and the use of both Mariners’ logos between the two. They both work well with the Seattle theme, and I love that about them. This is the hardest decision in the AL for me, but I am going to go with the spring training ones. I love the turquoise base and the compass logo with the darker brim. It has a good look, and I am drawn to it more.
Houston Astros
I like both hats because they are on trend with the Astros typical style, color, and theme. I like the simplicity of the spring training one with the Astros typical logo. I think between these two though, I like the batting practice ones better. I say this because of the different shades of orange and yellow on the front of the hat with the Astros logo, and then the navy color on the back and the brim as the contrast, similar to the logo.
Last but not least, the Oakland Athletics!
I really like these A’s hats! I like the color inverse of the spring training one with the yellow being the primary color rather than the green. However, I think the batting practice one won me over. I love the elephant with the bats and the sunglasses. This is such a cool spin on the A’s logo, while still keeping the same concept and colors!
Overall, I think the AL has some great new hats that I look forward to seeing around the ballpark this spring and summer! The Mariners’ set was definitely my favorite with the Rangers and the Royals getting an honorable mention. Overall, my votes between spring training and batting practice hats were a pretty even split, but the batting practice ones had the slight edge; I ended up choosing seven spring training hats and eight batting practice hats.
Edited by Giana Robertaccio
Graphics created by Giana Robertaccio
Social Media Content Created by Simran Sandhra and Thea Heckel