MLB Pitchers Wearing Kevlar-Padded Hats For Protection
We have regularly covered the issue of head injuries in football, but baseball has had its share of scary head injuries as well. There have been several pitchers in the last few years who have been hit in the head with batted balls. This has forced the MLB to take a look at what it could do to better protect its pitchers. Recently, manufacturers have tried to come up with the solution with different paddings within the caps and different materials to protect its players.
ESPN reported yesterday that Rob Vito, CEO of Unequal Technologies, said that the New York Yankees’ Hector Noesi and Esmil Rogers along with four other pitchers in the MLB had used its Kevlar padding insert in their caps at some point this season. While pitchers are free to wear protective headgear of their choice, as long as it doesn’t give them a competitive advantage and it doesn’t interfere with the MLB licensing agreements, the Kevlar padding hasn’t been officially approved by the MLB yet.
What is interesting is that while six pitchers have worn what Vito describes as a 5.5-ounce military grade composite with a layer of coated Kevlar and airilon, not a single pitcher this year has worn the padding for pitchers that Pinwrest created, which was a protective solution approved by the MLB and the MLBPA last year.
Pinwrest’s padding is noticeably larger at 7 ounces and does increase the cap’s size of a pitcher. Pinwrest was able to get approval from the MLB after their product withstood baseballs coming in at 83mph, which an MLB-led study determined was the average speed of line drives.
Pinwrest Development Group develops, source-manufactures and distributes products for retail under the isoBLOX™ brand and technology.
Vito believes his product will also keep players safe and is looking to get approval from the MLB after doing independent studies. But this won’t be their first attempt as they looked to have their 9.5-ounce product approved two years ago but were rejected.
Unequal isn’t just thinking about pitchers, as there are about 20 catchers in the MLB who wear the company’s padding with a hard plastic layer.
Look for the league to approve more padded caps like this as the technology advances and protective gear can be worn unobtrusively.
