Cervelli to Wear Huge Helmet

(Photo by: Marc Carig)

Last year baseball fans saw third baseman David Wright of the Mets don a giant helmet after he was hit in the head with a pitch during an at bat. Wright ultimately gave up the big helmet after being ridiculed by teammates.

Now we will see the first Yankee to wear the S100 over sized helmet, Francisco Cervelli.

Here is more from Bryan Hoch of MLB.com:

"

With the Yankees recommending that Cervelli try wearing the bigger Rawlings S100 batting helmet this season, Jorge Posada has taken to calling his understudy “Gazoo” — as in, the floating spaceman from “The Flintstones.”

Cervelli knew the reference came from a cartoon, but he gasped when he laid eyes upon the goofy green character, hands on hips and antennae poking from his oversize helmet.

“Oh my God,” Cervelli said. “They’ll have something for the video screen all season.”

The wardrobe change came after Cervelli sustained a concussion after being hit in the head by a fastball from the Blue Jays’ Zech Zinicola on Saturday.

It was the second concussion in four months for Cervelli, 24, who was hit by a batter’s backswing while playing in a November Winter League game in Venezuela.

“They’re worried,” he said. “I have to stay healthy. It’s not for now, it’s for my whole career.”

"

Thoughts: I can’t see this helmet catching especially among smaller, skinny, speedster types like Brett Gardner, but it is certainly reasonable to expect players coming off head injuries to wear these while recovering. Although, ultimately I see Cervelli going back to the more typical helmet eventually. At least for now we have something to joke about.

What do you think of these helmets? Faux-pax or here to stay?

(Link to the photo).

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• March 6, 2010 -- Hit and Run: Cervelli is OK, Burnett’s Changeup, and Brackman (0)
• March 6, 2010 -- Cervelli Exits Game Early with Concussion (1)