About a month and a half ago, MLB began releasing City Connect batting practice caps, because PT Barnum’s maxim holds true there was apparently a need for another cap teams could offer for sale. In some cases, the BP cap is actually superior to the gamer CC cap, while in other cases there is literally no need for a BP CC cap to exist. OK, that’s all cases, but at least some of the new BP CC caps could and should replace what teams are currently sporting with their City Connects.
I’ve taken a look at all the CC batting practice caps which teams received this year, to pair with their CC version 1.0 uniforms. The eight teams who got new CCs this year (and the obligatory CC BP caps) were reviewed earlier, and so won’t be included here. This list features BP caps for teams who introduced CC uniforms from 2021-2024. Three teams are currently without City Connect uniforms (Yankees, Athletics and Cubs), and as such, have no CC caps at all, so obviously, no CC BP caps have been created.
We’ll go over all the caps, and note whether or not the BP cap is better, worse, or about the same as the regular CC caps.
National League
EAST:
The Nationals and Marlins got new CC’s this year, so their BP caps are shown in the link above.
BRAVES
The Braves got a great cap with their CC, which is of course a harkback to the uniforms worn when Henry Aaron broke Babe Ruth’s home run record. The BP cap, on the other hand, is terrible. Not only is it solid red, it includes “THE A” as the cap logo, repeating the worst feature of the CC jersey.
NEW YORK METS
The Mets’ graphite gray CC cap may have its fans, but the BP cap, with purple brim and purple subway-token outlined logo on the side, bring some much needed color to the cap. While I prefer the interlocking “NY” of the regular cap to the “NYC” abbreviation on the BP cap (which mimics the “NYC” on the jersey), overall the BP cap is slightly better.
PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES
While most people are not fans of the gradient-heavy Phillies CC uniform, the CC cap was generally considered excellent. The BP cap, in solid light blue with a dark navy brim with a bespoke “P” (the same font as found on the jersey) is a total downgrade. Another cap with no reason to exist.
CENTRAL:
The Cubs are the only NL Central team without a City Connect.
CINCINNATI REDS
The Reds CC is almost entirely black, so the black cap works well with the uniform (and is probably the only good part thereof), but the CC cap brings some actual red into the uniform, with a modified buckeye leaf and “Juncta Juvant,” a Latin phrase meaning “strength in unity” is beneath. Juncta Juvant is the motto of both the City of Cincinnati and the University of Cincinnati
MILWAUKEE BREWERS
The BP cap in this instance is so far superior to the regular cap, it should be substituted immediately for the current cap, with the ridiculous “MKE/414” abbreviation/area code combo. Using the excellent grill sleeve patch should be a no-brainer swap.
ST. LOUIS CARDINALS
The Cardinals, like the Brewers and several other teams, went with a city abbreviation (the STL is in a Tuscan font) for the cap. But the BP cap, with the fleur de lis/arch logo, is a bit better. It’s still a busy logo (and there’s still a “STL” on there), but it’s better than the almost-generic looking regular CC cap.
PITTSBURGH PIRATES
One of the nicer CC caps is the one Pittsburgh is pairing with their uniform, and it actually looks like a normal Pirates cap. The classic “P” on a black/gold cap looks good, though the fabric pattern is only visible up close (probably a good thing). Unfortunately, the solid black “PGH” abbreviation cap, mimicking the “PGH” abbreviation jersey, doesn’t work.
WEST:
The Rockies, Diamondbacks and Giants all got new CCs this year, so their BP caps are seen in the link above.
LOS ANGELES DODGERS
The Dodgers were the only team to get a CC version 2.0 last season, but they’ve never really produced a good CC cap. Their first CC cap used Los Dodgers, which they adjusted to a black-brimmed “LA” after the first season — a minor upgrade. Their new CC caps, in Dodgers blue like their first generation, now have a combo “LA” inside a script “D” which is too busy, but at least it’s in Dodgers blue. The BP cap features the same logo, but in a light blue shade. It’s a downgrade.
SAN DIEGO PADRES
The seafoam/mint green of the club’s CC cap isn’t great, but at least it has the classic (if several times modified) interlocking “SD” logo. I love the yellow-gold color of the CC BP cap, and the swinging friar is always welcome, but rendering the friar in a pink logo makes him tough to read due to low contrast. I’d say it’s a push here, but neither cap is all that great.
American League
EAST:
The Yankees don’t have a CC uniform, while the Red Sox CC was reviewed in the link in the introduction.
TORONTO BLUE JAYS:
The entire Blue Jays CC uniform is awful, but at least their CC cap is interesting, using a new logo based on the CC uni. The BP CC cap, which contains the team’s classic Blue Jay logo and contrasting royal brim, is on par with the regular cap. Either one would be fine to use with the CC.
BALTIMORE ORIOLES
The Orioles original CC cap was based on a specialty cap sported by former skipper Buck Showalter. That B was in orange, so the team made the B white for the CC. Their CC BP is the same style, only multi-colored. I’d say the BP cap is a hair better.
TAMPA BAY RAYS
The Rays may have MLB’s absolute worst CC uniform, but the cap is one of the better offerings. Their new BP cap, featuring a skateboarding ray, in a bright chartreuse, certainly stands out. And I do like the logo — but the original BP cap is really, really good. Too bad it’s wasted on such a terrible, terrible uni.
CENTRAL:
The White Sox got new CC uniforms this year, so their caps are reviewed in the link at the top.
CLEVELAND GUARDIANS
The Guardians have one of the best CC uniforms in MLB, and the cap is pretty good as well. Their new BP cap, with the new logo now on the front panel, is a slight downgrade. Not bad, but the regular CC cap is better.
KANSAS CITY ROYALS
I wasn’t — and still am not — a big fan of the Royals CC uniform, but I do love the KC (with its “fountains” font) cap. I don’t necessarily love the team is using navy blue, but the cap is solid. The powder blue cap with bespoke “R” (in the same fountain font) isn’t nearly as good. The R logo, rendered in white, also gets lost in the light blue.
DETROIT TIGERS
Poor Detroit. They not only have a crappy CC uniform, their CC cap spelling out “DETROIT” didn’t help. Unfortunately, the BP CC is even worse, somehow.
MINNESOTA TWINS
I rather liked the Twins’ CC cap (and don’t hate the CC uni), but never liked the “10,000 Lakes” logo on the side of the cap. The BP cap is also rather attractive, though the brim and squatchee look black. The regular cap is a much better fit for the CC uniform.
WEST:
The A’s don’t have a CC uniform, and the Astros CC is new, so three squads in the Division all are shown below.
LOS ANGELES ANGELS
The Angels city connects were quietly one of the better offerings, and they absolutely parked it with their cap. The BP cap, unfortunately, uses the full “Angels” wordmark, but inexplicably also an off white squatchee. It’s a downgrade, for sure.
SEATTLE MARINERS
I know many of you don’t like the M’s CC uniforms, or at least the black pants part, but I think they’re quite good. Part of the reason for that is the incredibly good cap. Giving the team an all-black BP cap, with the “PNW” logo isn’t doing the uni any favors. It should not exist.
TEXAS RANGERS
The Rangers are another team I thought did a nice job with their CC uniforms, although I wasn’t the biggest fan of using the jersey “Tx” logo on the cap. The solid red BP cap, featuring the “Peagle,” is awesome. I don’t think it pairs as well with the uniform, but it’s really nice by itself.
And there you have it. While there is clearly no shortage of caps New Era/MLB are willing to introduce — including the totally superfluous CC BP caps, at least a few of those could replace the current CC caps. We’ve got home BP caps, road BP caps, and now CC BP caps. I’m guessing the next step will be alternate home and road BP caps. Because PT Barnum knew of what he spoke.
Your thoughts? Do any of these BP caps stand out? If you’re a collector (or fan of any of the teams listed above), will you cop a CC BP cap?
Fire away…
The Cubs labeling their baby blues as an alternate bugs me so much since they don’t get to be in these types of articles. They have a different BP hat just like these teams with just the bear guitar logo. I just can’t see them keeping this uniform for longer than 3 years, just call it a City Connect
The one positive for the batting caps are a cooler fabric. Regular MLB hats can be warm to wear in the summer.
using the BP for Texas but with the colors of the one they wear wouldd be awesome. like the peagle a lot
Caps with logos instead of letters can be well designed, but they just appear minor league for baseball uniforms. Put the city (or state) letter on the cap and that’s that (Athletics’ A being the exception).
Toronto would look much better with the split T (with or without the maple leaf) as their cap logo on their standard royal blue hats. Ditto for Baltimore; an orange hat with a black brim, and the B in black.
Angels should adopt the signature A and the wordmark from the CC to their standard uniform. Guardians should make their CC statue logo their primary non-hat logo instead of winged G.
Not a Mets fan but that BP one is fire.
I bought this cap recently and I get a ton of compliments on it. If they put a black NY with a purple outline, it becomes elite.
Typo in the first graf: “…the BP cap is actually suprior….”
And what the heck is a Peagle?!?
Good catch, now fixed.
And here: link
The Peagle was created as a design element for the Rangers’ City Connect uniforms, which combines the imagery of the Fort Worth Panthers (who later became the Fort Worth Cats) and the Dallas Eagles, both of which played in the area before the Rangers.
The Peagle is a mythical beast, depicted as a blend of a panther and an eagle.
I swear to I don’t know what, if the Rangers end up ditching the Peagle in any way, there needs to be a riot. I hope they realize how we fans have taken to the mythical Peagle, not to mention the CC set (which is damn near the best uni they’ve ever put on. Trade the dark pants for matching creams and this would be a great permanent set). To create such a cool element that fuses the history of baseball in the DFW area and then ditch it would suck.
When I first saw the Rangers City Connect uniforms, I thought, “Wow, that’s a bold choice to honor the history of woman’s sports on a baseball uniform by recognizing “Title IX.” Still can’t unsee the IX.
Nobody asked but here’s my opinion of which is better:
Atlanta: CC
New York (NL): CC (though it would benefit from the purple brim)
Philadelphia: Equal
Cincinnati: BP
Brewers: BP
St. Louis: Equal
Pittsburgh: CC
Los Angeles (NL): CC (BP is underrated though)
San Diego: CC
Toronto: CC (BP is garbage – there have been soooo many hats like that for the Jays)
Baltimore: Equal, though BP fits the uni better
Tamapa Bay: Equal (put the skateboard logo on the CC hat!!!!)
Cleveland: CC
Kansas City: CC
Detroit: Equal(ly bad)
Minnesota: Equal(ly bad)
Los Angeles (AL): Equal
Seattle: CC (barely)
Texas: CC (barely)
Those not included here:
Washington: CC
Chicago (AL): CC (Cap 2)
Arizona: Equal
Houston: Equal
Boston: CC (barely)
Colorado: CC
San Francisco: Equal(ly bad)
Miami: BP
You might not think much of the Padres CC cap but fashion-wise (which is the whole stupid point of these caps), they are extremely popular among the fans. I live in SD and see them everywhere. I’m from LA so I go back to visit frequently and have never seen a Dodgers CC cap in the wild.
If I put aside my team allegiance to the Dodgers, the cap I would most like to buy would be the Phillies.
As a Rays fan, I do like the BP for it’s use of the skateray. I do think it does look good being used as a BP cap on field and in BP photos, but chartreuse is such an obnoxious color that I don’t think I could bring myself to buy it to wear casually. Which I feel does go against the whole point of it being an extra bit of merch.
Ugh. They’re all tacky, minor league garbage. But fans will happily shell to buy these silly caps, so they’re here to stay.
Phil, I really like what you’ve done with Uni Watch. Lots of good news and not insulting folks who like different types of looks.
So I gotta say, I’m disappointed with the PT Barnum “There’s a sucker born every minute” reference. I’m not a sucker if I decide I like a baseball cap and have the resources to buy one. No one is tricking me into buying one, and I like having options. I’ve bought some CC caps, and think others are awful so I don’t buy them.
Loved the rest of the column. I think the Blue Jays are a nice option, along with the Brewers and my Mets. A lot of the rest are pretty meh.
someone had to tell you
Nice list…I’m glad they have them just for the fact it creates a bit of discussion. Agree that most of them are unnecessary….but so them look good.
The Twins took a Brewers Spring Training cap, slapped a “MN” logo on it, and called it a day.
Typo in the Rays: I think you mean to put ‘CC’ before “is really, really good” and not ‘BP’. Also a minor note, the current Dodgers ‘regular’ CC hat isn’t QUITE Dodger Blue. It’s closer to navy, but it a bit paler to my eye than the navy that the Rays or Brewers use for their standard uniforms. It’s definitely obvious with a standard Dodgers hat and CC Dodgers hat next to each other.
I feel like this article may have been inspired by my comment on the linked article lol.
Here’s my list:
Baltimore: BP is better, but an orange B would be the best
Boston: BP is better
Rays: Push, honestly. Love the whimsy of the skating logo, but the bridge logo should honestly be their standard Ray logo, and I like the brim and squatchee being different colors from the crown AND different colors from each other
Toronto: CC is better
..
White Sox: BP is better than their red/pinstripe CC, black/red CC is better than their BP. Would be a push if the BP had a red squatchee.
Cleveland: CC is better
Detroit: BP is (barely) better
KC: BP is (barely) better
Minnesota: BP is better, but would be better still with a royal brim and squatchee
..
Houston: CC is better
Angels: CC is better
Seattle: CC is better
Texas: CC is better
\\\\\\\\\\//////////
Atlanta: CC is better
Mets: CC is better (regular CC with purple brim would be the winner, though)
Miami: BP is SO MUCH BETTER HOLY CRAP
Philly: BP is better
DC: BP is better; prefer the DC logo to all Ws, always
..
Cubs: so weird that their new light blue doesn’t count as a CC, especially since Chicago sports stores are selling what they call a CC-BP hat with the bear holding a guitar…in regular fabric, though.
Cincy: CC is better, BP doesn’t need the slogan and looks too much like a maple leaf otherwise, especially in red
Milwaukee: BP is better, the biggest gulf between any CC and BP on this list. By far.
Pittsburgh: CC is better
St Louis: BP is better, but would be better still without the little ‘StL’ in the middle of it
..
Arizona: CC is better, would be a push if the BP had a purple squatchee
Colorado: Push
Dodgers: BP is better (side logo on the regular is unnecessary, and it’s a weird blue, not Dodger blue)
San Fran: CC is better
San Diego: CC is better
The Angels CC uni + cap should be their full-time look. Classy, fun, hip, unique.
I hate the team with a fiery passion, but just wanted to point out that the Dodgers’ CC 2.0 is most definitely NOT in Dodger blue. That is navy.
The Tigers couldn’t possibly make their CC batting practice cap worse than their CC cap. They did.