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1996 Greensboro Bats - Fresh Fitted Friday!!!!

I admit that I might have gotten a little case of Yankee Fever after last week's showcase of the 2007 All-Star Game cap. I wore that cap to the Yankees game that night as they hosted the visiting Seattle Mariners but the game was only exciting if you are a home-run addict.

The Yankees won that night and thankfully the run tally was not lopsided as it had been in a few of the recent games that I've attended. I also enjoyed a healthy serving of second-hand schadenfreude watching a former beloved Yankee struggle at the plate as a visiting player. Robinson Cano went 0-4 and the Yankees fans had a tad too much fun booing him every time he was denied access to a base.


Even though Cano had a rough night, he was 3-4 the next day and clubbed his 9th homerun of the season to boot. I'm sure even those who jeered him Friday could applaud his efforts Saturday despite him playing on another team. They probably won't though.


I can relate to the frustration that Yankees fans experienced when Cano decided to switch things up and sign with Seattle. As a San Francisco Giants fan, I pretty much wanted to watch Pablo Sandoval crumble to dust when he signed with the Boston Red Sox. 


So I can understand how the Yankees fans' tempers flare up when another team outspends them on such highly prized free agent signings. In contrast, I think it might have taken Yankees fans about 3 games to completely forget the fact that Jacoby Ellsbury was on the Boston Red Sox before 2014.

I'll always enjoy watching Cano hit no matter what uniform he's wearing, except for a Dodgers uni of course; it's important to remember I'm a Giants fan above all else! Because I have always appreciated Cano, I decided to take a look at his minor league stats when he was a prospect in the Yankees organization.


Something that I did not know but was happy to learn is that he spent most of the 2002 season with the Greensboro Bats of the South Atlantic League. He had a decent season in Greensboro, but his plate discipline wasn't on point as he only walked 29 times in 507 plate appearances. His 78 strike outs isn't too bad but it would have been nice if he had been a little pickier with his pitches as I'm sure he would have liked to have hit more than .276 that year.


Actually, I don't think Cano is currently concerned about how well he hit when he was a teenager in A-ball. He's getting paid big ducats now so the Greensboro chapter of his life is probably just one blurry little part the one really big happy story that is his life. Since there's no sense in harping on the past, here is a fun shot of a 19-year old Robinson Cano courtesy of our friends at comc.com:



2002 Multi-Ad Sports South Atlantic League Top Prospects #4 - Robinson Cano - Courtesy of COMC.com
That bigote is muy rico although it channels Carlton Banks somewhat.


Before I share some fun photos of this cap, I think I should let everyone know that this post might turn into a two-parter, mayhaps even a three-parter so stay tuned for that in the coming weeks. Until then, enjoy some glamour shots of this fresh 1996 Greensboro Bats cap!



I'm big on this dastardly looking bat coming out of the "G" here, but not as crazy about the 1990's purple and teal colorway.





Even a New Era loyalist can get down with Pro-Line caps every once in a while


The MILB tag on the right of the Pro-Line tag is indicative of a mid-1990's edition cap.


As per usual, there is no MILB batterman in Pro-Line caps. Very clean.

I've got somewhat of an emotional connection with this cap so it is not going on the Trading Block but 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 caps on my Wish List.


As always, thanks for coming back to read about minor league baseball hat geekery. I have comments disabled here so if you'd like to get in touch with me regarding a trade or just to chat about hats, feel free to reach out via the following social sites:


Twitter: @FittedFriday

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