Rawlings Sporting Goods Co., Inc., a subsidiary of Jarden Corp, added its new S100 Pro Comp batting helmet line to its on-field assortment of protective headwear during Major League Baseball Opening Day festivities last week. Rawlings is the Official Batting Helmet and Ball Supplier of Major League Baseball.
Approximately 300 MLB players chose to wear the Rawlings S100 Pro Comp this season before the league-wide rule goes into effect in 2013. The mandatory use of the updated version of Rawlings S100 batting helmet is outlined in the new, 5-year collective bargaining agreement signed last November by Major League Baseball and Major League Baseball Players Association. This protective provision was specifically included in “Health and Safety” category (Section VIII) of the labor agreement.
“Rawlings' long-standing history and ongoing commitment to help protect athletes' bodies served as our central focus during the S100 Pro Comp's development from idea to production,” said Mike Thompson, senior vice president of marketing for St. Louis-based Rawlings. “We worked collaboratively with MLB and the Players Association in order to create a solution that increased protection with the performance qualities and style players demand to play at their best.”
Constructed of aerospace-grade carbon fiber, the new Rawlings S100 Pro Comp batting helmet continues to provide technologically-enhanced protection for ball strikes up to 100 miles per hour.
Based on feedback from Minor League players wearing the S100 the past two years and MLB stars who tested the S100 Pro+(TM) during the 2010 MLB All-Star Game in Anaheim, Rawlings' product development team sought to maintain the same protective attributes in the new batting helmet while significantly enhancing the overall fit and comfort level to meet the performance needs of players at baseball's highest levels.
