It’s that magical time of the year again… new Phillies Special Event Jersey and Hat Dump Day! BUT, it’s actually not as bad as it has been in years past.

Some thoughts:

  1. The Stars and Stripes hat is easily the best design since 2011. By a long shot. Of course, this requires the answer to the question “Does the MLB need special hats for the Fourth of July?” to be “Yes, of course,” but that toothpaste can’t be put back in the tube. Especially given that red is already part of the Phillies uniforms, in terms of star-spangled headgear, this looks spectacular. More on this later.
  2. Mother’s Day and Father’s Day no longer get bespoke uniforms. They do still get blue-themed and pink-themed hats, but no longer are they putting every team in identical uniforms.
  3. There’s a new, fun batting practice hat (actually unveiled just prior to Spring Training).
  4. Well, #4 is that there were even three positive things with this year’s set!

Let’s take a look:

Last year’s Star-Spangled Sweatband™ wasn’t sufficient, so they’re going the football and basketball route of somewhat hidden messages on the uniform parts. I get that “We the People” has, uh, brand recognition, but that’s in the Constitution, not July Fourth’s Declaration of Independence. And “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness” (the Oxford Comma is a tool of the King) won’t really fit on the brim and “certain unalienable rights…”, well, that’s not making the cut. It’s fine.

Unexpectedly, 2017’s “Liquid Chrome” team logos have been replaced with traditional stitched logos. This is an odd move in that uniforms generally only move forward in terms of technology (and its accompanying branding). The heathered effect from last year is also gone. Some more interesting details: the gold stroke around the logo. The field of stars is only at the top-left… like the real flag. This is a detail they’ve never captured in the 11 years they’ve used special hats. The seal of the National League is sitting there on the right side for some reason, but it looks passable despite having some detailed features which don’t get executed well in thread, similar to the stars on the front.

Memorial Day is a different execution of the color palette introduced last year, with a subtle camouflage pattern on the crown. Eh. I wouldn’t expected to have said this, but the full-on camouflage from 2013-2016 is probably a better option.

This will be worn with matching jerseys (only home is shown, but there’s an away that’s identical except for grey fabric instead of cream/white):

Finally, Father’s Day and Mother’s Day avoid special uniforms, but they do have special hats, which if you wanted a blue or pink Phillies hat that wasn’t just swapping red for blue or pink on the regular solid red hat, this is your lucky day. I have to say that the “highlight” color around the “P” is nice touch. These hats don’t need to exist, but they could be worse.

Finally, another good design to showcase. The Phillies have new batting practice hats (which they’ve been wearing throughout Spring Training). The regular season version will omit the Florida patch. One might think the Liberty Bell is low hanging fruit, but what else would be chosen for a non-“P” logo? (WELL, THE SWOOPY LATE-60s–1991 “P” LOGO IS ONE IDEA.) Anyway, it’s the most significant design departure since the Phillies first Batting Practice hats in 1999: