New Helmet to Be Required in Minor Leagues in 2010

Two weeks ago New York Mets third baseman David Wright took a fastball to the head and hasn't played since. It's a scene that was not only scary for Wright, but for anybody who saw him fall to the ground in a heap afterward. It's just one of those instances that nobody wants to see happen in a baseball game, but is bound to from time to time. Just ask Scott Rolen, Marco Scutaro and Edgar Gonzalez.

So it's no surprise that baseball is always trying to further protect its players, and their latest step in doing so involves a new helmet made by Rawlings called the S100. Every team in the majors has been sent a few for players to try out for the rest of the season, and starting in 2010 the helmet will be mandatory in the minor leagues.

Minor League Baseball and the St. Louis-based company announced Monday it will be required in the minors beginning next season. Six S100 helmets are being sent to each major league team for its players to try out for the rest of this year.

The thicker protection features a composite insert and an expanded liner made of Polypropylene, a hard, supportive material also used in some industrial and bicycle helmets. It faced extensive testing over the last two years that included an air cannon firing major league balls to ensure it would hold up.

"We're confident that it will withstand a pitch up to 100 mph," said Mike Thompson, Rawlings senior vice president for sports marketing and business development.

Wright plans on wearing one when he returns to the Mets lineup on Tuesday night, and don't be surprised if other players give the helmet a shot as well. Of course most players will probably be a bit reluctant to wearing the new helmets because they're all so resistant to change anything in their routine. Some players who have already tried the helmet claim it's too bulky, and the Cubs' Ryan Dempster said wearing it made him feel like a "human bobble-head doll."

Still, they may not have a choice if the helmet proves to be effective in the minors next season as MLB could make it mandatory for their players as well if it works.