Full disclosure: This article may contain affiliate links. I make a small commission if you buy minor league baseball hats through those links. Think of it as buying me a hot dog at the ballpark — except it definitely pays less than a hot dog costs!
“I hate that this works for you.”
That’s what my friend said to me after someone asked me about my Portland Sea Dogs Red Snappers hat for the third time that day. But how could they not? A flatbrim hat featuring a tough looking, baseball bat wielding red snapper hot dog with a fur-lined trapper hat all superimposed on an outline of the state of Maine? Perfect. And the moment the question gets asked I get to launch into one of my favorite topics. I talk team rebrands, local food items, one-night-only merch sales, and my personal collection.
You see, I collect minor league baseball hats. I have a wall full of them that expands every year. If I have a free couple of hours, I’m often found trawling MiLBstore.com looking for a cool design to add to my collection. This obsession therefore comes with limits. I don’t allow myself to buy any hat where I haven’t been within 25 miles of the stadium. Otherwise I would be thousands of dollars in debt, drowning in hats.
THAT’S HOW MANY COOL MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL HATS THERE ARE!
I used to write for the now-shuttered sports journalism website, The Turf, and on it I ran a weekly MiLB hat review called “Tip of the Cap”. Well guess what? IT’S BACK, BABY!
Welcome to Tip of the Cap
Every Thursday starting 1/9 will be a new article spotlighting a hat from a minor league team that I think is awesome. Sometimes I will do a league-wide roundup, other times I’ll be dedicating an article all to a single hat. We’ll see what works and adjust along the way.
Local baseball culture is special. Minor league teams often carry rich histories and vibrant traditions. Their caps showcase quirky logos and bold color combinations that stand apart from standard sports gear. Why would we not celebrate such exciting apparel options?! These hats do more than cover our heads — they bring us closer to the game we love. So let’s celebrate the creativity and character that make minor league baseball unique.
Oh, and if you’ve got a favorite MiLB hat? I want to hear about it! You can find me @neddonovan almost everywhere (@neddonovan13 for the other places). For a complete list, head over to my website to find all my links.
Welcome to Tip of the Cap. We’re gonna have a lot of fun.
Get started on your journey by reading our first hat breakdown.
