Twins day at camp: Pitchers try out new protective headgear

Ervin Santana held something resembling a helmet with the top sawed off Tuesday, but it was the latest in technology to protect pitchers from serious injuries

Santana is one of many pitchers at spring training who are trying out new protective headgear designed to soften the blow if a line drive strikes them in the head. The effort is spearheaded by Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association. According to the New York Daily News, 20 pitchers have been selected to try out the headgear.

It looks like a helmet, except there's no top. There's a visor and an earflap on the right side, because Santana is a righthander. The headgear weighs about 10-12 ounces and is manufactured by a company called Boomerang. The ear area, forehead and temple are covered.

Santana said the headgear felt light enough not to interfere with pitching.

"The only thing is, when a line drive comes back at you, you put your head down,'' said Santana, who was concerned about the lack of protection for the top of the head.

But the Twins righthander is willing to try it out. He was going to wear it Tuesday during his bullpen session, but changed his mind because of rainy conditions. He said he plans to wear it later in the week when pitchers throw live batting practice. Santana normally throws live batting practice without the protection of an L-screen in front of him so, in the unfortunate event that a line drive comes back at him, the headgear could help protect him.

The headgear, according to reports, easily passed impact tests at 85 miles per hour.

"If [pitchers] are comfortable with it, and [the headgear gets] favorable reviews, yes," Ryan said.

LaTroy Hawkins, who pitched for the Twins from 1995-2003, is in camp as a special instructor. Among his duties are to help pitchers with holding runners on base. The Twins are making that a huge priority in camp this year, employing slide steps, pickoffs throws, the works.

But as pitchers warmed up Tuesday, Hawkins looked like he wanted to join in.

"This doesn't bother me,'' said Hawkins, who pitched for Toronto in the postseason last year before ending a 21-year career. "It's when they throw in the bullpen."

Hawkins pitched in 1,042 games for 11 different teams during his career.

2015 stats: .270 average, one home run, 29 RBI, 35 stolen bases in 120 games at Class A Fort Myers.

Acquired: Signed as a free agent out of Venezuela in 2011.

Role: Starting shortstop at Class AA Chattanooga.

Did you know? Vielma is listed at 150 pounds and might not be that heavy, but he doesn't play that way. He's learning how to hit, but it's his standout defense that makes him a decent prospect. He's so good that he often doesn't warm up before innings while everyone else throws the ball around. Why? "I'm ready," he said.