Minor League Baseball and Rawlings announced that Rawlings S100 batting helmet will become the mandatory helmet in the Minor Leagues starting in 2010. The helmets, which offer increased protection at ball speeds up to 100
miles per hour, will make their Minor League Baseball debut later this
year in the Arizona Fall League before becoming mandatory in 2010 for
all 185 teams throughout 16 leagues.

Meanwhile, all 30 teams in Major League Baseball will receive six S100 helmets for players to try or use in MLB games during the balance of the 2009 season.

The helmet has been in development for more than two years, said
Mike Thompson, Rawlings senior vice president of sports marketing and
business development, in a statement.

“The availability of the S100 helmets for MLB players this season
and the Arizona Fall League later this year is timely, topical and
important,” Thompson said in a statement. “Many of today’s pitchers
consistently hit the radar at 90-plus, so safety in the batter’s box is
at an all-time premium.”

According to an article on mlb.com Chicago Cubs pitcher Ryan Dempster became the first player to game-test the S100 in last Saturday's game at Wrigley Field against the Mets. New York Mets third baseman David Wright, who has been out since August 15 after getting suffering a concussion from being hit in the head with a ball, is set to make his return on Sept. 1 wearing the new headgear.

The S100 features enhanced protection from a composite insert and an expanded liner made of Polypropylene, a hard, supportive material that is also used in some industrial and bicycle helmets. Rawlings has subjected the new model to extensive testing over the last two years, including firing Major League balls at it from an air cannon to ensure it would hold up.

“We're confident that it will withstand a pitch up to 100 mph,” Mike Thompson, Rawlings senior vice president for sports marketing and business development, told MLB.com. “Many of today's pitchers consistently hit the radar at 90-plus, so safety in the batter's box is at an all-time premium. The S100 helmet will answer that need at all levels of baseball.”

“We are gratified that Rawlings has developed a helmet that will offer increased protection for baseball players at all professional levels,” said Tim Brosnan, MLB's executive vice president for business.

The MLB.com article noted that the first Major Leaguers to try the helmet mentionedthe added weight and expressed some concern about comfort levels.