The Best MLB Road & Alternate Caps

After a long hiatus, my obsession with uniform aesthetics continues with a look at Major League Baseball's road and alternate caps.

The baseball hat plays the integral role in a baseball uniform and it is one of the great American inventions and traditions we've ever seen.

Be aware that this list constitutes hats worn only during the 2009 season and will not include teams that do not have road or alternate caps (Yankees, Dodgers, Angels, etc.).

Also, note that I have included the newly unveiled Twins road hat that they will wear in 2010.

Let's get to the list!

*All photos courtesy of New Era*

31. Houston Red Alternate

This hat just doesn't do anything for me. I've never been crazy about the Astros modern uniforms and this hat (and its accompanied red jersey) are about as bad as it gets in my opinion.

30. Washington Blue Alternate

I'm all for Patriotism and I can even understand wearing hats like these once a year, but to adopt it as a full-time alternate cap? No way. If this were a hat someone wanted to wear casually I'd be fine with it, but it is not a Major League baseball hat.

29. Toronto Black Alternate

Does anyone like the new Toronto uniforms? They've gotten progressively worse as the years go on. This hat just makes me angry because the team is called the BLUE Jays and this logo is ridiculous. Maybe Toronto can redeem themselves later in the countdown?

28. Cincinnati Red/Black Road

Here's a hat that demonstrates how one little thing can ruin an entire look. In this case, adding a black brim and pin totally destroys the classic look of the Reds home caps, which they should be wearing on the road as well.

27. Texas Red Alternate

I don't really mind this hat, it's just I've always associated the Rangers with Nolan Ryan and blue rather than red. I wonder if Texas could do something about their logo, this reminds me of Tennessee so much.

26. Atlanta Tomahawk Alternate

I don't think there's any other way to put it: this is a minor league team's hat. And I'm talking AA and not AAA. The Braves are much better than this.

25. Arizona Black Road/Alternate

This hat isn't too bad and it certainly beats the current home caps worn by Arizona and anything they've worn before this. Still, it is a hat dominated exclusively by black and it lacks some character.

24. Atlanta Blue Road

Some people really liked this hat when it was introduced a while back. It's a nice simple hat, very classic, I just don't think it’s a color scheme the Braves should be using. It's a bit too boring and a rip off of the Yankees.

23. San Diego Blue Road

This is a pretty decent hat on its own, but when coupled with the Padres heinous road uniforms anything looks horrid. Whose idea was it to wear throw up tan colored pants anyway?

22. Colorado Purple Alternate

There are a lot of people who don't like the color purple I've noticed. I think purple can be very effective if used properly. In this case the Rockies are using way too much of it and it looks sort of cartoonish.

21. San Diego Green Alternate

Much like their road lid, this Padre alternate cap is classic all on its own, but is destroyed by the ridiculous alternate jersey the team wears this with. Green and gold are a great color scheme and San Diego could do so much better.

20. New York Mets Black/Blue Alternate

I want to make it clear that I in no way support the use of black in the Mets uniforms. They should be wearing the colors that won them championships in the past. As it is, this hat is decent but I can't bring myself to like it.

19. Colorado Black/Purple Alternate

Now the Rockies used purple a little more effectively with this hat. All in all, this is a nice job by the Colorado baseball team.

18. St. Louis Alternate

Two things should be considered with this hat: First, it doesn't look as good as the Cardinals other lids. And the bird on a bat logo looks far better with the script accompanying it on their jerseys.

17. Minnesota Blue Alt

Personally I think this "M" logo is pretty neat, although the Twins home cap is such a nice one that it makes this one look pedestrian. In the past, this has been Minny's road cap, but starting next season this will be their alternate lid to be worn with their navy blue jerseys.

16. Washington Blue Road

This is quietly one of the nicest hats in the Major Leagues. It's just that only 38 people have watched the Nats play in this so it is hasn't had much exposure. I like how they used an old school logo and kept it very simple.

15. Boston Blue Alternate

When this hat was first introduced I thought it would be an instant classic in terms of MLB alternate hats. Now after watching this cap in action I'm not so sure anymore. I can't put my finger on why this is, but I think it just looks weird to see the Sox in anything but their normal lids.

14. Oakland Green Road

I've always thought this was a good example of a road hat. It is sometimes as simple as switching the color of the brim and logo to blend into the rest of the uniform. Well done Athletics.

13. Cleveland Blue Throwback

This is a nice throwback hat by Cleveland, but it doesn't live up to the expectations created by their throwback uniforms. I thought the Cincinnati "C" logo was much better in the past but I'm sure the Indians wanted to go with something different.

12. Minnesota Blue/Red Road

I have to say I'm fairly excited that the Twins will be wearing this hat on the road this year. It is not unlike its home counterpart, except for the red brim, and it is a very classy looking piece of head-wear.

11. Philadelphia Red/Blue Alternate

This is one of those rare hats that I think doesn't look as good unless it is worn with a baseball uniform. I'm not crazy about the Phillies current hat, but I don't think they should switch to this, but it is still a nice looking cap.

10. St. Louis Blue Road

Another fine example of a great road hat. I love how the Cards wear two different colored hats, red for home, and blue on the road. This is one of the more underrated logos in all of sports and just so happens to be taken from my alma mater…so I’ve heard.

9. New York Mets Black Alternate

As previously stated, I do not like the Mets and their use of black. However, all prejudice aside, I've always liked this hat. The main reason is that, although there is more black than the other Mets alternate cap, the white outline on the logo really brings out the colors of the crest.

8. Oakland Black Alternate

This Oakland alternate is much like the Mets hat in that the white outline brings out the logo. I really like this hat and it is a significant upgrade from the previous black alternate the A's had been wearing in years past.

7. Cleveland Blue Road

Who doesn't like Chief Wahoo? I don't care about political correctness, I just think this is one of the best logos in sports. The only beef I have is that the team shrunk the size of the logo in recent years and it's much too small now.

6. Pittsburgh Black Alternate

This hat isn't much of a difference with their normal cap but the addition of white trim almost makes me think they should adopt these full-time in the future. The Pirates can really pull off the black and yellow like few organizations. It's a Pittsburgh thing.

5. Cleveland Blue Alternate

Two things make this hat unique. First, the use of cursive writing and secondly, the use of a sparkily silver trim. Both of these come together to form one of the premier hats in the majors. The Tribe have one of the best alternate caps with this cap.

4. Detroit Blue Road

Nothing screams old time baseball better than the Detroit logo on their hats. Personally, I like the road version better because of the orange and this lid is an all-time classic.

3. Baltimore Black/Orange Alternate

In my opinion, this is the top alternate (non-throwback) hat in baseball. Once again, cursive writing makes it unique and the mixture of black and orange is thrilling in a way the Giants cannot pull off.

2. Milwaukee Blue Throwback

Straight up, the Brewers should have never stopped wearing this hat and using this logo because it is one of the greatest ever invented. Seriously, what a creative logo that is both hip, enduring and a million times better than Milwaukee’s current hat.

1. Toronto Blue/White Throwback

I've always thought this was the most beautiful hat in baseball. It's a shame the Blue Jays stopped wearing them shortly after their World Series victories. The Clemens era uniforms were not as bad as the current ones, but Toronto desperately needs to return to their roots. There are many baseball hats in the world but none of them stand out as much as this classic.