My top ten of baseball caps

In the past, I have made several blog posts about my ten favorite MLB, MiLB, Dutch and European caps. This time I want to post an overview of the ten caps of my own collection that I like best.

Nr. 10: High Desert Mavericks
This is the former home cap of the now-defunct High Desert Mavericks. The team used to play in the California League before it was moved to the Carolina League together with the Bakersfield Blaze. I bought this cap at their stadium, where I attended my very first minor league game. The cap may be not very special but it reminds me of a lot of good memories.

Nr. 9: Brooklyn Dodgers
I have always been a big fan of the Brooklyn Dodgers. I still think it is heartbreaking the way the team was stolen from Brooklyn. I was lucky enough to buy this cap in a baseball shop in Haarlem in the Netherlands. The cap was produced by Roman Cap Co, one of the foremost producers of throwback caps. Unfortunately, the company doesn’t exist anymore.

Nr. 8: Pittsburg Pirates pillbox
I have always been a sucker for these old pillbox caps. This one is the replica the Pittsburgh Pirates wore two seasons ago as part of their Sunday uniform (gold pullover jerseys and black pants). There is no special memory, I just like this cap. I don’t wear it that often but it is simply a very nice cap.

Nr. 7: Ogden Raptors
This is the home cap of the Ogden Raptors (Pioneer League, Advanced-Rookie). The reason why this cap is in my top ten is that it was a gift by a Dutch player that played for the Raptors. In fact, he traded it for a cup of coffee. In fact, this cap was always on my wish list but this player was so kind to “trade” it.

Nr. 6: Pittsburgh Pirates Camo
Like the pillbox caps, I have always been a sucker for camo caps. To me, they are a nice twist to the original ones. But I only like them when they are really worn on the field. Nowadays there are plenty of these caps that are created as fashion caps. To me, that’s a no-no.
About four-five years ago, the Pirates wore this cap as their alternate. Two years ago they turned to a dark greenish/brownish cap which I don’t really like. The one shown on the picture has it all IMHO.

Nr. 5: New York Yankees with 2008 All-Star Game patch
As you may know, the Yankees are my favorite MLB team. My previous Yankee cap was all worn out, so I decided to get a new one. As this was in 2008, I decided to buy the cap with the All-Star Game patch on it. Mainly because it is a memory to the old Yankee Stadium.

Nr. 4: Eugene Emeralds alternate cap
This cap was always on my wish list. About three years ago, I got it as a birthday gift. What I like about the cap is the forest green color and the E in the shape of a Sasquatch footprint.  A couple of years ago, the Eugene Emeralds switched to a couple of new logos that sported a Sasquatch. This E-logo is a nice spinoff. As Eugene is located in the area where the Sasquatch is supposed to live, the logo makes a lot of sense.

Nr. 3: Dohren Wild Farmers
This cap was also a gift. This time by the club itself. In 2018, I wrote a blog post about this club, the Dorhen Wild Farmers. I was intrigued by how a club in a small village like Dohren is, was able to make it to the playoffs of the German first Bundesliga. When I visited the club last year, they presented this cap as a gift, which I was very pleased with of course. Dorhen is situated about 30-40 kilometers Southwest from Hamburg. The village has about 1,200 inhabitants of which 25% is baseball crazed.

Nr. 2: Lancaster JetHawks home cap
This cap was a gift from an American friend of mine. He lives in Lancaster, California. What I like about this cap is the shade of blue and especially the 2018 California League All-Star Game logo on the side.
I also like the uncommon logo on the front. The logo looks like a coat of arms from where a stylized hawk head is popping. For sure I hope this won’t be the second Cal League cap I have of a defunct team, as the JetHawks are nominated to be contracted by Major League Baseball, together with 39 other MiLB teams.

Nr. 1: Team Sweden
I always had this cap on my wishlist but never had a clue how to get it. Until it was up for sale at a baseball stand at the 2016 European Baseball Championship. Even though the price was rather steep (40 Euros at the time), I didn’t hesitate to buy it.
What I like about this cap is the three crowns (Tre Kronor in Swedish) that pop out. These three crowns are the national symbol of Sweden. In the past, Sweden used to sport a similar cap in the colors of their flag (which has a lighter shade of blue) but eventually switched to navy. Personally, I like this combination of colors better.

Even though it is not in my top ten, the following cap has an honorable mention:
L&D Amsterdam Pirates
L&D Amsterdam Pirates is one of my two favorite Dutch hoofdklasse clubs. The cap sports an owl which is the logo of the main sponsor L&D Support.
The cap is unique and simple at the same time. Even though the sponsor logo is adapted, the colors of the cap are still in the main colors of the club (black and yellow).
Unfortunately, L&D Support will not be the main sponsor of the club after 2020, so expect a different cap in 2021.