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Welcome to another edition of “Tip of the Cap,” where I explore cool baseball hats from across the minor leagues! Last week, we toured the northern teams of the South Atlantic League, and now we’re heading south to check out the rest of this historic circuit.
I’ve always had a thing for minor league caps – they’re often more creative, more colorful, and frankly more fun than their MLB counterparts. The South Atlantic League’s southern teams don’t disappoint, featuring everything from moons and cheeseburgers to emperors and sinkholes (yes, really).
So grab your favorite beverage, settle in, and join me for this tour of headwear from Asheville to Winston-Salem. And as always, if you see something you like, the affiliate links are there if you want to add to your own collection!
Introduction to the South Atlantic League
The South Atlantic League (often called the Sally League) is a High-A Minor League Baseball organization with teams along the eastern seaboard of the United States.
Throughout baseball history, several leagues have carried the South Atlantic name, though they’ve been only loosely connected. The original league began in 1904. Today’s version emerged when the Western Carolinas League adopted the name in 1980 to honor the region’s baseball heritage. After a brief stint as “High-A East” in 2021 while MLB acquired historical league names, it returned to being the South Atlantic League in 2022. This season brings a change as the Hub City Spartanburgers join the league, replacing the Hickory Crawdads who moved to the Carolina League.
The league has helped develop some of baseball’s greatest players, including Hank Aaron (Jacksonville Braves), Derek Jeter (Greensboro Hornets), Mariano Rivera (Greensboro Hornets), Nolan Ryan (Greenville Mets), and CC Sabathia (Columbus RedStixx). Interestingly, none of these teams still operate under their original names.
In 1953, Hank Aaron made history by integrating the league—a pivotal moment that deserves more recognition in baseball history. While his MLB record of 755 home runs often takes center stage, it’s fitting that he was the first player inducted into the SAL Hall of Fame.
The Baseball Hats of the Sally League
Last week, I dove into the baseball hats of the North Division of the Sally League with the Aberdeen Ironbirds, Brooklyn Cyclones, Hudson Valley Renegades, Jersey Shore BlueClaws, and Wilmington Blue Rocks. A great collection of hats from those five offerings.
This week, I turn my attention south to the Asheville Tourists, Bowling Green Hot Rods, Greensboro Grasshoppers, Greenville Drive, the aforementioned Spartanburgers, Rome Emperors, and Winston-Salem Dash.
I’m excited to look at the the Spartanburgers, a new team that has yet to take the field. They are brand new, stepping in to replace the Down East Wood Ducks of the Carolina League. I love the fresh identity they are bringing to minor league baseball hats. Their hats showcase a fun vibe, have a great tie to local culture and history, and are sure to only get better with time. It’s exciting to welcome a new MiLB team, and I look forward to seeing their fan base (and hat selection) grow.
We also have another rebranded team, the Emperors. They are still listed many places as the Rome Braves but they have taken on the Emperors moniker since last season. I find their new look appealing, especially the emperor penguin mascot named Julius. The baseball hats are clever and engaging. It’s great to see teams evolve and embrace new themes. Each of these southern teams adds to the rich tapestry of the Sally League.
So let’s look at the cool hats!
Asheville Tourists Navy Authentic
The Mr. Moon logo on this Tourists hat rips. It’s got this perfect MiLB weirdness that just works. Yeah, I know – a moon for the “Tourists” seems random, but there’s actual history here! The team was originally called the Asheville Moonshiners back in the late 1800s. (And trust me, I’ve seen plenty of angry fans online who don’t know this connection – a quick Google search would save them some rage).
Team president Brian DeWine joked about it: “What is the ultimate tourist attraction? Well, it’s the moon.” That playful approach is exactly what makes the hat design work so well. Plus the moon is wearing another team’s hat, one of my favorite MiLB hat quirks.
The reflection of the moon’s surface in the sunglasses is a lovely touch. It adds just a little bit more to find as you study the hat. It’s little details like that that can take a hat from good to great. This is exactly the kind of fun, slightly bizarre mascot, that makes minor league baseball hats so much better than their MLB counterparts.
Bowling Green Hot Rods – Sinkholes
The Hot Rods have a rebrand to honor a unique moment in history. On February 12, 2014, a 40-foot sinkhole opened beneath the Bowling Green National Corvette Museum, swallowing eight classic cars. This incident caught the attention of car lovers all over the world.
In 2019, the Hot Rods embraced this quirky chapter of Bowling Green’s history. They rebranded themselves as the Bowling Green Sinkholes for their season finale. Apparently the idea had been on the table for several years, but the Corvette Museum didn’t see the fun until they were a half decade removed from the inspiring event. It seems to have been a perfect way to unite the community through baseball and a shared story.
One of my favorite aspects of this special edition is actually in the accompanying jersey design. The sleeve patch features a charming mole wearing glasses and a construction vest, swinging a broken axle like a baseball bat.
But we are here to talk about the HAT! We’ve got a car disappearing into a sinkhole (which admittedly looks a bit like a pizza crust) allowing us to see the mechanical underside. If you look closely, the underside of the car features all the great details that elevate this hat. First there’s half of a baseball at the top of the car. Then, hidden in the supposed piping, are the letters “B G” for Bowling Green to bring it all together.
The car appears just ready to disappear beneath the surface of the earth, but this hat’s not disappearing…it’s getting added to my wall of baseball hats for sure.
Greensboro Grasshoppers – Marvel Defenders of the Diamond
I absolutely love the Marvel Defenders of the Diamond designs. There’s so much energy and excitement in them. This has is no different. The green and orange colors pop brilliantly off the all-black cap. It’s a great design choice from the Marvel animators who created the logo.
We have another mascot wearing a different team hat! It always makes me smile. I am waiting for a mascot wearing its own hat though, I think that will be the perfect design inception. Unlike many Marvel rebrands that simply create muscly versions of a mascot, this one stands as a separate character. It could draw comparisons to Ant-Man, but it also evokes something unique. The character seems alive, ready to leap out and join the action.
The stars around the design enhance the comic book feel. They make it feel ripped out of a comic book page, which is not something all the Defenders of the Diamond hats achieve. All in all? This is one of the most complete Marvel MiLB hats in my opinion.
Greenville Drive – Ranas de Rio
When it comes to baseball hats, I gravitate towards the vibrant colors that the Copa De La Diversion series offers. The Greenville Drive’s Ranas de Rio hat does not disappoint. This hat caught my eye immediately. Bright colors are what I love, and this hat embodies that. The blue brim and squatchee paired with the red back paneling and white eyelets create a striking combination.
The rest of the design is super smart as well. See how those white eyelets blend right into the front panel? They don’t distract from our star attraction—monsieur frog. That’s an excellent design choice that could be more utilized by other teams. The clever design makes the frog pop, and what a frog it is!
Speaking of our amphibian friend, check him out! He sports a devilish grin and a cocked eyebrow, adding a touch of character. I love an evocative facial expression, especially one that sets itself apart from other mascots. But my favorite design choice on this hat, look closer at those legs…they’re baseball bats! This optical illusion ties the whole design together and gives the hat a unique twist. It’s a perfect blend of fun and sport, making this hat one of my favorites in the league.
Hub City Spartanburgers On-Field Home
As I mentioned in last week’s articles, I’m excited about the Spartanburgers. Hub City, not a real place. It’s a nickname for Spartanburg South Carolina, named that way because it used to be circular with train lines heading out like spokes from a wheel. Incorporating the town name into the team branding, while using a nickname as the primary location is awesome, frankly. So the team gets a huge +1 from me. They’re brand new, so we need to give them a second to hone in their merch game. Building from scratch takes time, and their designs will only get better.
I adore this hat, but this picture is not great. Let’s get past the photography though, and talk about the hat itself! We’ve got a cheeseburger who’s also a train conductor. Bam, done. Full description given. That’s what minor league baseball designs should be all about. It’s fun, it’s quirky, it’s memorable. I would wear it on my head, gladly.
I’m excited to swing back around to this team in the future and see what new merch they’ve got in store for us. But for now? I might just be a Spartanburgers fan!
Rome Emperors On-Field Home
I love penguins, I love a gold color design, I love this hat. When the Rome minor league baseball team rebrand was announced from the Braves to the Emperors, they also rolled out Julius the Emperor Penguin. A penguin is an excellent team mascot. It creates a massive amount of merch opportunities, and it’s a beloved animal. Well done.
Design-wise? This hits every checkbox for me. While I love a brightly colorful hat, smart color design scratches a very specific part of my smooth fish brain. A black and white penguin could easily disappear on an all black hat with traditional design principles. Using gold as the outline / stroke perfectly sets it apart while also giving it an elevated feel. Gold just feels good as a color, you know?
Using gold, then, allows the secondary color of the team, the red, to power through and catch your eye. Julius’ red toga is like the bow on the present that is this hat. I would wear this daily.
Winston-Salem Dash – Hyphens
Y’all know me. I love a bit. This is a good bit. What is a dash? Why it’s a hyphen. Apparently after Winston-Salem rebranded to the Dash, a lot of their fans asked “isn’t it technically a hyphen?” Yes, yes it is. But the Hyphens isn’t exciting, the Dash rocks. So a rebrand was put together and for a one night rebrand the team took the field under a grammatically correct moniker.
A dash is a stop, a break, it often means changing thoughts or an interrupted thought. Hyphens bring words together. Winston-Salem is a town of two separate towns being brought together. A hyphen is a much better example of its purpose in the sentence.
But let’s talk about the hat. I am on record that purple hats are good. So this hat already gets a huge upvote from me. The large blocking of the Dash is also something kind of fun and retro? You often find this design type on hats looking for a nostalgia feel. The parenthetical around the dash also helps to fully sell what the hat is and why.
It’s two colors, purple and white. Can’t go wrong.
This isn’t the only fun and smart name rebrand this team has, but I have to save something for when we return to the league!
Looking ahead to the Midwest League Baseball Hats
I’m going to miss the South Atlantic League, y’all. These teams have some absolute bangers in their hat collections. Seriously – some of my all-time favorite MiLB hats are right here in the Sally League. I’ve had a blast showing you the wild color combos and weird designs these teams rock.
Next week we’re sticking with High-A baseball hats but heading to the Midwest League, starting with the eastern division. If you think the Sally League hats were fun, just wait until you see what these midwestern teams are cooking up! There are some designs that’ll make you hit “add to cart” faster than you can say “impulse purchase.”
The Midwest League teams know how to represent their communities through killer hat designs. Each one tells a story about the place it comes from – and I can’t wait to dig into all those stories with you. Get ready for some absolute gems next week!
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