Safer Batting Helmet Draws Resistance

Rawlings is about to introduce its newest batting helmet, the S100, a bulkier but far more protective helmet that can withstand the impact of a 100-m.p.h. fastball, according to Rawlings and an independent testing organization. Most other models, when hit flush by a ball, are compromised at speeds in excess of 70 m.p.h. As helpful as the new helmet may be, there is resistance to it from some major league players who are not prepared to sacrifice comfort and style for added protection.

Three weeks after absorbing the potentially deadly impact of a 93-mile-per-hour fastball on his batting helmet, Edgar Gonzalez still feels dizzy whenever he lies down. Because of the lingering effects of a concussion, Gonzalez, a second baseman for the San Diego Padres, has not played since that experience. When he finally returns, it may be with the newest protective device, one that could one day come to define the look of a major league batter. “After this happened to me, I would wear anything,” he said. “I don’t care how goofy it is, as long as it could help protect me.”

Athletics infielder Nomar Garciaparra said, “I want a helmet that’s comfortable, and that doesn’t look bad.”

”Yankee first baseman Mark Teixeira said the new helmet would make him feel as if he were wearing a football helmet in the batter’s box. “The one I’ve used for my entire career is fine,” he said.

It will be hard to predict the number of professionals who will convert to using the new helmet as Major league players are a fearless and traditional bunch. For many, any kind of change (even for the sake of safety) is anathema. I think the Mets third baseman David Wright, who last week dodged a Brad Thompson fastball traveling on a frightening vector toward his head, summed it up best: “I’m not worried about style or looking good out there. I’m worried about keeping my melon protected.”