Protective caps for pitchers approved

[soxhop411]

http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/01/28/protective-caps-for-pitchers-approved/

 
 
The company says the caps are a little over half-an-inch thicker in the front and an inch thicker on the sides — near the temples — than standard caps, and afford protection for frontal impact locations against line drives of up to 90 mph and for side impact locations at up to 85 mph.
The cap weighs seven ounces more than normal caps which, themselves, only weigh three or four ounces
 

 
 
Four of the five pitchers who were hit in the head since Sept. 2012, including those most seriously injured — McCarthy, Happ and Tampa Bay’s Alex Cobb — were struck below the cap line. MLB, however, hasn’t contemplated exploring protective headgear for pitchers with broader coverage, such as a visor, mask or helmet, said Halem. “There would have to be widespread willingness among players to use such a device.”

http://espn.go.com/espn/otl/story/_/id/10363291/pitchers-protective-caps-approved-major-league-baseball
 
 

 

[Alcohol&Overcalls]

I wear a mask to pitch semi-competitive slow pitch softball (and nearly everyone else at that level does as well) ... pitchers are called off on pop-ups all the time, I just can't really imagine a downside to putting a helmet on a dude who winds up about 52 feet from guys dropping bombs.

 

[ForceAtHome]

The real test will be to see whether players actually wear these or not. I suspect a lot of pitchers will sound like David Wright. Wright ditched his giant helmet when he returned from a concussion after just 5 plate appearances.
 

 
"It's just not comfortable," Wright told reporters in Denver after the Mets' 8-3 win over the Rockies. "It's the last thing I need to be worrying about in the box is trying to shove it on my head. So I wanted to go back to the old one and just wait to see if there's going to be any adjustments made."
 
 

 

 

[PaulinMyrBch]

Apparently the marketing strategy includes not allowing anyone to be photographed wearing it until MLB forces all the teams to place the order.
 
Go to the home page of this link (if it doesn't direct you there) and you can see the mannequin wearing it.  Pretty large.  

 

[NickEsasky]

Is that how it's going to look? It looks like the statue of Ted Williams putting his hat on that little kid. No one is going to wear that. 

 

[SemperFidelisSox]

MLB has to work with Little League, NCAA, etc. on this one. Give today's pitchers the option of wearing it, but begin making it mandatory at all levels of baseball so the next generation of players become used to it.

 

[terrisus]

afford protection for frontal impact locations against line drives of up to 90 mph and for side impact locations at up to 85 mph.

 
Aren't batted balls at the point they reach the mound generally travelling significantly faster than that?
 
I guess some protection is better than none, but still.

 

[PaulinMyrBch]

It looks like the mannequin wearing the hat is already off the website.  Its not up there when I just checked the "home" on the link.

 

[PaulinMyrBch]

Found this on twitter.  This was the photo on the website
 

 

[MalzoneExpress]

Found this on twitter.  This was the photo on the website
 

Spoiler

 

[ifmanis5]

Works for Petr Cech.

 

[loshjott]

It looks really dumb but so did the first hockey players wearing helmets. Or the first baseball players wearing the current sized batting helmets.

 

[I am an Idiot]

Why not go with this?
 

 

[Curll]

Great, more removing the human element from the purity of the game. This will have such a real, tangible impact on the intangibles of each and every team.
 
Yet another win for the robo-basement dwellers out there.

 

[Fred not Lynn]

This particular device may not actually have the intended effect (as noted before, lots of square inches of face and head remain exposed - and engineering a practical solution for that could be rather difficult), but for one, I dont think improving player safety in this way changes the purity of the game, and even if it does, I will accept that compromise.

 

[Rudi Fingers]

Gaylord Perry would have had a field day with that cap 

 

[joe dokes]

Great, more removing the human element from the purity of the game. This will have such a real, tangible impact on the intangibles of each and every team.
 
Yet another win for the robo-basement dwellers out there.

 
Sox GM Ben Cherington chimes in: "Owing to its age, the basement area of Fenway Park has very low ceilings.  So as an organization, we will immediately mandate that all members of our analytics department wear the new caps for all 18 hours they are at their computers every day." 
 
 

 

[Statman]

So ugly that even Brandon McCarthy won't wear it!
 

 
On the same day Major League Baseball announced it had approved a new protective cap for pitchers, Arizona Diamondbacks right-hander Brandon McCarthy told ESPN.com that even though he was seriously injured when he was hit in the head by a line drive 16 months ago, he won't wear the new gear himself.
 
McCarthy, who tested the protective cap while throwing off a mound, playing catch and running, said Tuesday: "I won't wear it in its current form."

 
http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/10365050/brandon-mccarthy-arizona-diamondbacks-wear-mlb-approved-protective-cap

 

[PaulinMyrBch]

They need to come up with something in between, so you don't hit yourself in the head on a pic move to first. Rightys anyway.

 

[staz]

That's God-awful. Monty was "ahead" of his time. How will this hat protect pitchers if nobody wears it? Smacks of a liability concern than safety.

 

[bobbo]

I wear a mask to pitch semi-competitive slow pitch softball (and nearly everyone else at that level does as well) ... pitchers are called off on pop-ups all the time, I just can't really imagine a downside to putting a helmet on a dude who winds up about 52 feet from guys dropping bombs.

 
We wear fielders masks/pitchers hemlets in my slow pitch league as well...we've had some close calls as well as a few hit (luckily nothing too serious) but decided it's in our best interest to get something to protect us without interfering with our play. They're lightweight but still good for protection...wonder if any mlb players would ever wear these: http://www.pitchershelmet.com/shop/softball-fielders-maskpitchers-helmet-with-blackout-technology/

 

[bobesox]

Fielders masks would be "in place" before a batted ball was upon them. However a pitcher could have his mask wrapped around the side of his head (picture a catcher after a throw) when a batted ball is upon him.

 

[teddywingman]

 
Aren't batted balls at the point they reach the mound generally travelling significantly faster than that?
 

Just the ones that are moving too fast to catch.

 

[Sampo Gida]

I wonder if these caps would have helped Chapman who got hit just above the left eye.

 

[terrisus]

If it hit below where the cap was (as it sounds like it did), probably not.
 
Also, a morbid connection in someone with the last name of Chapman being hit in the head by a baseball.

 

[Rasputin]

If it hit below where the cap was (as it sounds like it did), probably not.
 
Also, a morbid connection in someone with the last name of Chapman being hit in the head by a baseball.

At least I wasn't the only one to go there immediately.

 

[terrisus]

At least I wasn't the only one to go there immediately.

 
Both playing for a team from Ohio as well.
 
 
Anyway, more on Chapman 
 

Cincinnati Reds closer Aroldis Chapman is undergoing surgery to repair a broken bone above his left eye but has no other serious injuries after being hit in the face by a line drive during a spring training game Wednesday night.
 
Team doctor Timothy Kremchek called Chapman "a very lucky guy.''

Kremchek said a metal plate will be inserted in the bone and will remain there permanently. He says Chapman has a very mild concussion but no other brain injuries and no injuries to his eye.

Also,
 

The heavier and bigger hats were available for testing during spring training on a voluntary basis but the cap apparently would not have helped Chapman in this case.

 

[Lose Remerswaal]

No, the hats are not yet available
 

 
Since the January rollout, the cap - made by manufacturer isoBLOX - has been sent back for further tweaking. Early testing showed the caps absorbed impact up to 90 mph in the front and 85 mph on the side