Animal imagery is a prominent theme in many of the cap logos I share here with the most common types lately seeming to be some sort of bird or fish, with the latter being the topic of last week's Gwinnett Stripers post.
As I've mentioned in previous posts around Thanksgiving, a tradition I look forward to each year is spending the holiday with friends in Baltimore and this Chesapeake Oyster Catchers hat seemed like the fine choice for this week's Fresh Fitted Friday selection as it has both bird and fish elements!
I admit I was unaware there was a bird known as an Oystercatcher before the Double-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles unveiled their alternate "Oyster Catchers" identity at the beginning of 2025. While the visual element is a clear nod to the parent team, the name of the bird itself honors oysters which is just a small part of the legendary seafood for which the region is renowned.
This is currently my only cap of the Orioles' Double-A affiliate, which was formerly known as the Bowie Baysox from 1993 until their rebrand to the Chesapeake Baysox this past season. I never cared for the shark fins in their previous logo design and never understood why an American League East affiliate would even want their farm team to have the word "Sox" in its name so this logo seems like a great time for me to jump in.
I suppose now that the alliteration aspect of the Bowie Baysox name is no longer in play, the club might fully commit to the Oyster Catchers identity since it has proved to be popular thus far. Of course, that would also present an opportunity for their Triple-A counterparts in Norfolk to fully rebrand from the Tides although my former hometown team has had difficulties of its own in terms of innovation on the rebranding front.
On the topic of birds, I don't know the exact provenance of the turkey at the center of yesterday's holiday meal, but I can confirm it was a delicious bird. The only thing that would have made the day better would be if my hosts could have experienced a win from their “other” birds, the Baltimore Ravens, over the Cincinnati Bengals that night after we shared a most memorable meal together.
As a Buffalo Bills fan, it would be strange to explicitly root for the Ravens or the Bengals, but if I'm visiting my friends in Baltimore, I pull for their team every time! A Baltimore win would have made for a fine end to a splendid day so even thought it didn’t work out in Baltimore’s favor this time, I wouldn't hesitate to do it again as long as the Ravens are not playing the Bills!
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| Like last week's Stripers post, here's another Topperzstore custom colorway of the Chesapeake Baysox alternate identity. I love that it has crown teal as that hue has been present since the team first came into existence as the Bowie Baysox in 1993. |
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| I've gone on ad nauseum about my indifference to side embroidery but it provides valuable context here as the main logo doesn't exactly scream "Oyster Catcher" although what would be even better is if this script also displayed the much-discussed "oyster in glove" design that was first floated when this identity was first announced earlier in the year. |
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| The MILB batterman was updated for 2025 and while it not something I've discussed much, I welcome innovation and I like that each star represents the different levels of minor league baseball. |
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| Sweatband tags looking good too so not much more to add here! |
This week's Fresh Fitted Friday selection is not going on the Trading Block however please don't hesitate to reach out if you want any other cap from that list and you are willing to part with any of the hats on my Wish List.
As always, thanks for coming back to read about baseball hat geekery. If you'd like to discuss a trade or simply just chat about hats, please feel free to connect via the following social sites:
Instagram: @baseballmilquetoast
Twitter: @FittedFriday
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