The first baseball caps were made of straw.
The First Baseball Caps Were Made of Straw
On April 24, 1849, the New York Knickerbockers—baseball's founding organization—stepped onto the field wearing the sport's first official uniform. Atop their heads sat something that would seem bizarre on a modern baseball diamond: straw hats.
These chip hats (as they were called) were the ancestors of today's fitted caps, but they had almost nothing in common with the comfortable headwear we know now. They were stiff, itchy, and spectacularly impractical for athletic competition.
Why Straw? It Seemed Like a Good Idea
In the mid-1800s, straw hats were everyday wear for men, especially in warmer months. They were lightweight and provided shade—two things that mattered when you were standing in the sun playing a newfangled bat-and-ball game. The Knickerbockers simply adapted the common headwear of their era.
But what worked for gentlemen strolling through Manhattan didn't work for athletes running bases.
The Problems Became Obvious Fast
The straw caps had a fatal combination of flaws:
- They were rigid and inflexible, making them uncomfortable during physical activity
- Strong gusts of wind sent them flying off players' heads mid-game
- They couldn't absorb sweat, leaving players dripping and miserable
- The material was scratchy against the skin—especially problematic during hot summer games
Within just a few years, the Knickerbockers abandoned their straw experiment.
Enter the Wool Cap
The team switched to caps made from fine merino wool, produced by sporting goods company Peck & Snyder. This "No. 1" cap featured a flat, paneled crown and a short visor to shield players' eyes from the sun. Wool solved every problem straw created: it was elastic, stayed put in wind, and absorbed moisture.
By 1860, the Brooklyn Excelsiors popularized a refined version with a rounded crown and longer visor—the direct ancestor of modern baseball caps. This "Brooklyn-style" design dominated the sport until the 1940s and established the template that evolved into today's fitted caps.
So yes, baseball's first caps were made of straw. But the sport quickly learned that fashion and function don't always align—especially when the wind picks up.
