Yard Goats Unveil New Baseball Team Uniforms — All 5 Of Them

 

 

HARTFORD — Some may snicker at the nonsensical name, mock the cartoonish logo.

 

But say this for the city's new minor league baseball franchise: Your Hartford Yard Goats will be wearing some classic baseball duds next summer.

 

The franchise formerly known as the New Britain Rock Cats unveiled its uniforms at a fashion show at Infinity Hall Tuesday night. The private show for season ticket holders, sponsors and people connected to the franchise featured local television and radio personalities modeling the uniforms.

 

So what will the Yard Goats be wearing when the first pitch is thrown at Dunkin' Donuts Park next April?

 

The home uniform features a classic white, button-up top that is framed with royal blue and Kelly green outlines on the sleeves, around the collar and down the center of the front. Across the front in the team's royal blue script is "Yard Goats" above the player's number in green.

 

The road uniform has the same look, although the outfit is gray and the word "Hartford" is across the chest in royal blue above a blue number. There is also a solid blue Aero Mesh batting practice jersey with the word "Goats" on the front with the number, both in white

 

There's a Sunday uniform that features blue sleeves with the team's distinctive logo and the player's number in green on the front. And there's a Saturday alternative cream jersey that features "Yard Goats" in Kelly green lettering and royal blue numbers on the front and back.

 

The Saturday jersey, in fact, may have the most traditional "old-time baseball" look. And all of the tops include a patch of the team's logo on the right sleeve.

 

With the uniforms are five previously released hats — they've been big sellers since the team unveiled the caps last summer. The home cap is a solid blue featuring the goat logo, the road cap is green with the goat logo. The blue Sunday hat features an "H" logo that includes goat horns and the alternate hat has a blue top and green visor with the logo out front.

 

Finally, the batting practice hat is solid blue with a white "YG" on the front.

 

That's five hats and five jerseys. That's also an opportunity to sell lots of merchandise to the sports fan thirsting for outside-the-box apparel.

 

"We looked at what we wanted to give Hartford as an identity," general manager Tim Restall said. "We wanted a classic, traditional look. When you look at our font, it's a classic look, We wanted a look that fit with that."

 

In the summer of 2014, the team announced it was moving from New Britain to Hartford for the 2016 season. The name was selected through a "name-the-team" contest and the team unveiled its logo, lettering and color scheme, drawing praise for choosing the colors of the dearly departed Hartford Whalers.

 

But while the name and logo have been mocked in some corners, the team's lettering — based on the signage of the old New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad Co. — has provided the brand with an element of elegance. The uniforms are a nod to the lettering.

 

"We're really happy with the look," Restall said. "We had to think about how we want our brand represented."

 

The team's hats and T-shirts have been selling well, according to team officials. The Yard Goats have a Trumbull Street storefront and they recently opened a kiosk at the Westfarms mall.

 

Opening Day is April 7 against the Richmond Flying Squirrels.