Last night in the ER...

I'm guessing most people that are buying helmets for their own kid (travel ball) don't know there's a MPH rating...and just run to Dick's or go online and pick up the one their kids wants.  

That being said, a kid on my son's team hit a guy in the helmet with a 94mph fastball earlier this season and cracked a helmet rated at 100mph.  Keep in mind the rating is that the helmet will protect you from a 100mph fastball....it doesn't say the helmet won't crack.  Between the helmet material and the padding, the kid that got hit at 94 and cracked his helmet was fine...just what the helmet is supposed to do.....the helmet....well, not so much

I hope your son is OK.

And thanks for bringing this up as this is something I never even thought of.  How do you even tell what the rating is on the batting helmet?

Hope your son is ok.  I never knew helmets had mph ratings.  Thank you for sharing that and I agree.  I wonder what the helmets issued for HS are rated?

I don't think there is an agreed standard or standards body for batting helmet mph ratings (?).  Rawlings gives mph ratings for some of its helmets, maybe other manufacturers do also?  I don't know if there is any information out there about how those ratings are derived (although I assume Rawlings feels pretty confident about them, or its attorneys would not allow them to give an MPH rating).  NOCSAE has a helmet standard, but I don't think it is expressed in terms of pitch speeds (https://nocsae.org/about-nocsae/faqs/). 

A good helmet is a must.  I'd get a wrap-around face guard as well.  A player on my son's team ended up getting stitches in his face this spring--fortunately his arm partially deflected the pitch first.

And I am very sorry about your son's injury.  Concussion recoveries are tricky--I hope his is quick and complete.  

The high school I went to a few years ago as head coach had helmets that were rated 80 mph and all except one of the 6 they had, had cracks in them.  I threw them out immediately and bought 100 mph ones.  Our AD asked why it was such a big deal.  He was football coach and I asked if he would give a kid a football helmet with a crack in it or that was not up to standards.  He got it.  I say always research them from 13U and up.  Check your kid's helmet and make sure it is not cracked.

Even without cracks, helmets have a shelf life.  From the NOCSAE web page:  

Consumers should be aware that in the case of batter’s helmets, some helmet models are permitted by the manufacturer to be recertified, others are not. If a manufacturer does not permit a batter’s helmet to be recertified, that helmet must have a label that tells the consumer when the certification expires, or how long the original new helmet certification is valid. Once the helmet reaches that period, the certification of compliance with the NOCSAE standard is no longer good. If the rules of play require the use of a helmet certified to the NOCSAE standard, using a helmet with an expired certification could be considered the use of illegal equipment.

If a manufacturer does permit the recertification of a batter’s helmet, NOCSAE ND001 mandates that “Helmets intended to be recertified shall have a recertification interval provided by the manufacturer. Certification life is limited to this time period. Helmets not recertified during the stated interval shall no longer be certified. Recertification interval required for warranty validation shall satisfy this requirement.”

https://nocsae.org/about-nocsae/faqs/

Elijah,

Wishing your son a quick and thorough recovery.  Head injuries can be tricky and scary.  You bring awareness to a good topic.  I won't make excuses but will offer perspective to the current circumstances and reality with this topic...

Most batting helmets sold today are sold only with the information that the helmet is NOCSAE approved and not with the specific MPH rating.  Most HS baseball programs have a much more limited budget for baseball as compared to football.  The incidents where a player is struck in the head ON the helmet AND still sustains a head injury are very few and far between.  Usually, injury occurs when the impact is on the unprotected part of the head (cheek, eye, mouth, neck, etc.) or a glancing blow off the edge of the helmet into those parts of the head.  

So, with safety and budget in mind, when the average HS coach/AD make their team helmet purchases, they feel safe in thinking that the "NOCSAE approved" stamp is the adequate legal and safety protection they need and they often don't look beyond that.  Additionally, helmets tend to be left in boxes in sheds in the off season where weather deterioration causes quick breakdown of the liners, rendering them useless.  Sometimes, rodents get to the liners, doing the same.  So, team helmets often have to be replaced yearly.  And each team needs 6-8.  I applaud Pitchingfan for pushing the issue and taking the extra steps.

Again, you are totally right with your concerns... just giving the current background.  I agree with you - there is more education and awareness that needs to take place and perhaps further consideration on adjustments to the safety standards. 

On the flip side - Reasonable safety precautions should be in place.  But, beyond that, at some point, the inherent risk has to be acknowledged and accepted in all sports.   As with everything, cost does weigh into the equation.  Where do you draw the line?  As example, it is clear that Pitchingfan takes thoughtful extra steps with regard to safety.   But does he make all his players wear heartguards?  Probably not.  Does he make them all wear jaw guards with their helmets?  Probably not.  It's never easy when it comes to "reasonable safety".  There is always more you can do.  How much is reasonable?  How much is enough?  How much is cost-prohibitive?  No easy answers. 

Elijah-

I hope your son recovers quickly.

However, I doubt that a 100mph helmet gives better protection against concussion than an 80mph helmet.  Baseball helmets protect the skull, not the brain.

Thank you, everyone, for your concerns. He is feeling it today. We are monitoring him.

Cabbagedad, the line is easily drawn. Rawlings makes helmets that are rated for 100mph. These helmets withstand impact from all pitches more effectievly than those rated at 90 or 80 or 68mph. My son faces 80mph+ each game, so wearing a helmet rated for 80 mph is a line. 90 is the next line. He could face a 90 mph+ pitching this weekend. 

I brought up this issue just before Jerry left the forum and I thought he was going to address it with PG. Understand, I am not trying to tell anyone what to do regarding this issue, but it amazes me that so little is know about helmet ratings. It is a money issue. Rawlings told me that no one bought the helmets rated at 100mph because they were heavier. I told them that I questioned the effectiveness of their marketing department. 

Game7, I don't have the knowledge to counter your statement. Even so, that doesn't affect the issue if you have a son facing 90 mph+ pitching.

I agree CabbageDad and made my son wear a heartguard and suggested to all parents and a few did.  I never bought into the jawguard or I would have made them put faceguards on all the helmets since I think they are safer but understand it.  I thought it was my job to make sure that the minimum standards were met and I consider the 100 mph helmet the minimum standards since I knew we would face at least one kid throwing over 90.  I also made sure the catcher's equipment was up to date and strongly advised every player to wear a cup all the time, which very few do these days, even catchers don't see the need all the time.

I cannot imagine letting a girl pitch or play first or third in softball without a faceguard on especially after watching the incident at Auburn.

Watched Crochet at UT take one to the face off the bat this weekend.  He had a metal plate put in and will miss SEC tournament and dr. told him you are good to go when you feel like it.

This is an issue that has come up in hockey a lot. Just because a helmet is rated up to a certain speed, it doesn't mean that you will not get a concussion. All it means is that the helmet is not supposed to break. 

   My 2018 got hit under the earhole at HF by a 86 mph FB. It lifted the helmet up over his head, which tore up his ear, needing  a fancy stitch job at a  clinic from a great Doc. When my son went down I didn't know if he was going to get up...there was a lot of blood. Turned out it was just stitches and a bit of shock, no concussion. He went back the next day and played great. I do know that one other player there got beaned and he didn't come back(concussion) at the same Showcase.

Pitchers are trying to go full out with their velo(often at the expense of control), and batters are trying to hang in there and not bail, as they have very limited opportunities to show their stuff. As they say, no one is there to see how you take a walk.

 OP, I Hope your son heals up with no issues. 

How many players leave their helmet or entire bag in the trunk of the car? The heat is bad for the helmet in the long run.

Hope your son is ok Elijah. Looking at Amazon and some baseball gear sites, I wasn't able to find mph ratings for any helmets. Can anyone point me?

Rawlings is the only mfr I know of that gives an mph rating for some of its helmets. S90 = 90 mph, S80 = 80 mph... Link: https://www.rawlings.com/product/S90PA.html

As I said above, I don’t think any standards body assesses helmets in terms of mph. The Rawlings ratings seem useful, but I don’t know how you’d compare them with other makes.  

Praying for your son, Elijah. 

My oldest got drilled  on a sac bunt attempt last year. The ball just kept going up and in on him  like a teeth-seeking missile. Now he and practically every other teammate wears jaw-guards. That doesn’t address the mph level issue, which I had never heard of. 

The industry standard is developed by the age on the helmet.  Less than 12 is rated for 70 mph.  12-16 is 80, high school and college is 90 and pro is 100 mph.  These are the standards but no complete standards other than NOSCAE which is very liberal.  The requirements are a certain material which is supposed to help a ball deflect.

Chico Escuela posted:

Rawlings is the only mfr I know of that gives an mph rating for some of its helmets. S90 = 90 mph, S80 = 80 mph... Link: https://www.rawlings.com/product/S90PA.html

As I said above, I don’t think any standards body assesses helmets in terms of mph. The Rawlings ratings seem useful, but I don’t know how you’d compare them with other makes.  

The MLB does which is why they went to the 100mph rated helmet. I am concentrating more on Rawlings because they already make a helmet that needs to be made available to us. 

Related question — why is it that batters wear helmets and no one else — including umpires do? First base ump went over backwards after getting drilled in the head at a college game last weekend. Got nine stitches. We don't let kids chase foul balls on the field without a helmet, why can a pitcher be out there without one????