The Top 10 MLB Fitted Hats

Image via Complex Original

Sure, the Mets might be second in the race forever when it comes to New York’s baseball teams, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have some good caps of their own. The signature blue and orange look has been tied to the team since 1962. The color combo is a nod to New York’s two former teams that relocated to the West Coast, blue for the Dodgers and orange for the Giants. When it comes to cultural relevance, there might be nobody who has repped the Mets more than Queens rapper Nas, rather fitting given his storied rival Jay-Z’s connection to the Yankees cap. While not remixed with quite as much regularity as their neighbor’s headwear in the Bronx, there has still been some solid Mets fitted collabs over the years from the likes of Queens natives like Futura, Ronnie Fieg, and Teddy Santis of Aimé Leon Dore to name a few that prove New York’s  orange and blue franchise has carved out a legacy of its own. 

While some might think of the red “STL” cap worn by Nelly in countless 2000s music videos when they think of the St. Louis Cardinals, the team’s best cap is the one that acts as a literal representation of its mascot. The two-toned navy blue and red option boasting a cardinal perched on a bat is one of the few caps that actually displays a mascot, but it just works so well for some reason. It’s been kept in the team’s rotation since 1998.

A favorite of Pittsburgh acts like Wiz Khalifa and the late Mac Miller, the black and yellow Pirates cap experienced a surge in mainstream popularity as both rappers were blowing up back in the late 2000s and early 2010s. The team first made the switch to their signature black and yellow motif back in 1948 and has kept the look ever since. There have been a few variations over the years, but nothing beats the classic black with the yellow “P.” Thankfully, the Pirates left the pillbox style in the ‘80s. 

The Philadelphia Phillies have undergone some drastic changes to their uniforms over the years. Plenty of fans still love the maroon and powder blue kits from the ‘80s accompanied by a burgundy cap and swirling “P” logo. While that look will always be tied to a 1980 World Series title, it’s the bright red look that the team has donned since the ‘90s that we are talking about for this list. Like most of the selections on this list, simplicity is key here. Red cap. White “P” logo. It’s easy to just toss on and go. While the Phillies fitted might not have as much widespread appeal as some other teams’ caps do in pop culture, you are sure to find the style fixated on plenty of heads if you talk a stroll around the City of Brotherly Love one day. 

Whether floating on the side of TI’s head or worn by Big Boi in every colorway imaginable, there is no shortage of Atlanta rappers who have chosen to rep their city with an Atlanta Braves fitted. The all navy blue option is just fine, but the two-toned navy blue with red brim style gets the slight edge. We wish more teams used the two-toned look. It just looks so good. Aside from a brief stint from 1972-1980, the Braves’ signature capital “A” logo has donned their cap since the franchise officially moved to Atlanta in 1966. Thanks to aforementioned names like TI and Big Boi, among countless others, that “A” doesn’t just represent the Braves now. It is a symbol for an entire city. 

Like most of the styles seen on this list, the Cincinnati Reds hat owes its mainstream popularity to hip-hop. The team itself doesn't have a big fan base  in the way the Yankees or NFL’s Dallas Cowboys do. But the reason the Reds cap got so big in the 2000s and 2010s was because it was frequently rocked by rappers like Lil Wayne and The Game for its ties to the Bloods. While the fad of completing your fit with a Reds fitted has come and gone as Weezy’s time at the top of the rap world faded away, the hat itself is still timeless. There’s a reason the team has been wearing it in some form since 1957.

The Oakland A’s cap has changed a handful of times over the years, but none are quite as iconic as the two-toned green and yellow option. Introduced by the ball club in 1971, it stands out as one of the few hats in the league with a different colored bill. The A’s are also the sole team in the MLB still using green as their primary color. It’s been that way since 1963 when the team’s then-owner Charlie Finley made the swap from blue and white to green and yellow. It’s stuck ever since. Thankfully, it did too, or else we wouldn’t have these amazing fitteds to still wear. Green and yellow shouldn't be able to go with anything, but they somehow do. 

The White Sox cap, ironically, is perhaps most closely associated with a legendary West Coast rapper. The late Eazy E, and Dr. Dre, kept the black and white cap on their domes throughout the ‘80s and ‘90s. Just like the Oakland Raiders, Eazy E and his fellow NWA members made the White Sox logo a fashion statement far beyond the southside of Chicago. It has been a staple in plenty of wardrobes for its simplicity ever since. There just aren’t many things you can’t match up with a black and white hat. The logo, which debuted in 1948, was designed by Chuck Comiskey, grandson of White Sox founding owner Charles Comiskey. It was abandoned by the franchise after the 1975 season, but brought back in 1990. More recently, the White Sox cap has been championed by a local Chicagoan too. Whenever Chance the Rapper isn’t rocking his signature “3” design, he’s usually in a Sox hat. He even got to collaborate with New Era on his own collection in 2016. 

What the Yankees hat is to the East Coast, the Dodgers cap is to the West Coast. It’s timeless. The Dodger blue cap doesn’t just represent the MLB franchise, it is a symbol of the entire city of Los Angeles. Its been worn by the team since it initially moved from Brooklyn to the Golden Coast back in 1958. The signature interlocking LA logo seen on the cap was designed by Tim McAuliffe, the cap provider of the MLB at the time, but was actually suggested by someone within the Dodgers organization. They have never been specified. Like the Yankees hat, the Dodgers cap has also had its fair share of remixes from streetwear brands with recent options including Eric Emanuel, Aimé Leon Dore, and Los Angeles-based Supervsn. From Dr. Dre to Kendrick Lamar, the blue cap has been embraced as a symbol of the city by numerous rap stars over the years as well.

No surprise here. Love them or hate them, there’s really no denying how iconic a navy blue Yankees fitted is. There’s a reason why the team has been wearing the style since 1922. There’s a reason why people thousands of miles away from New York City, who may not even have ever watched sports a day in their lives, can rock the Yankees cap. There’s a reason why people wear them with no brim. It’s bigger than sports. Jay-Z is probably one of the biggest reasons, even going as far as to say that he “made the Yankees hat more famous than a Yankee can.” Spike Lee is another notable Yankees fan. He’s said to be the reason why New Era began to mass produce the signature style in various colors after he asked for a red version in 1996. Nowadays, it feels like every New York streetwear brand has provided their take on the Yankees fitted. Aimé Leon Dore and Kith are two of the more notable recent examples. And of course there is the popular MoMa version too. However you choose to rock your Yankees cap, just make sure it isn’t a “black nasty.”