2013_mainPaul Lukas of uni-watch.com and ESPN got a major (minor?) scoop with leaked images of all of the new MLB batting practice hats for 2013. Details below, but by-and-large, it's very similar to the interleague 2003-07 alternate hat with the blue star removed and sticking with the blue "P" which has been an odd hallmark of the BP hats since the early 2000s. The comparatively light red "body" of the hat with the blue brim is visually out of balance (just like those old alternates), but it's much better than the overly decorated BP hats from recent years. The colors are a little off in the rendering, but there's no reason to think they'll be anything other than the standard Phillies red, white, and blue. I don't love it (solid blue, please), but it's an improvement. Oddly, MLB didn't get these out in time for holiday shopping (but the complete leak was available two days after Christmas… hmm), and being that these are replaced with a pretty predictable cadence to get new "on field" merchandise into fans' hands, even for teams with relatively static identities like the Phillies, it seems someone dropped the ball.

Overview_1click to enlarge