MLB approves external padding on pitchers' caps
Major League Baseball has approved a revised product for pitcher's head protection that it hopes will be user-friendly enough to trigger widespread use.
The league introduced a padded cap for the first time last season, but San Diego Padres lefty Alex Torres was the only pitcher to use it in a game. Pitchers complained the isoBLOX hat was uncomfortable, affected depth perception, and hindered their ability to hold runners on.
The manufacturer of the cap, Pinwrest, has since made several revisions to the product, including removing the padding from inside the hat and replacing its function with an external one-size-fits-all attachment. Pinwrest CEO Bruce Foster said the safety accessory increases padding by 20 percent over the previous model and provides more coverage over areas like the temples.
"It's ready for primetime," Foster told ESPN's Outside the Lines on Friday.
MLB vice president and deputy general counsel for labor relations Patrick Houlihan said that all 30 teams have been informed that the new product passed independent laboratory testing and will be available to any pitcher who wants to wear it this season.
"Our first priority is making sure of safety," Houlihan told OTL, "and hopefully this product that is worn over a normal cap will be more user-friendly and versatile for pitchers to try on and determine if it's for them."
The padding will be secured by an adjustable strap and customized to match team's official colors.
From ESPN:
Houlihan said the new isoBLOX product, like last year's, earned approval of MLB and the players' association after meeting a safety standard at 83 mph - which was determined to be the average speed of liners reaching the mound. Industry sources say protection against higher speeds requires bigger, harder and heavier headwear, such as a helmet, but even the official Rawlings MLB batting helmet is not billed as a fail-safe device against baseballs traveling faster than 100 mph.
Houlihan noted the league has not abandoned the inside-the-cap approach, and will continue considering alternative options.