It wasn’t until November 1995 that the Devil Rays unveiled their new uniforms and caps for the 1995 season. The team’s first logo was a flop, and a new one was adopted just in time for the 1998 season.
Tampa Bay Rays had hoped that the colors they chose would be well-liked, but that didn’t happen. Thousands of retail caps were created, and it’s safe to assume that many more were in various stages of completion at the time of the production halt.
The 1998-99 tags on some of these caps are likely a result of the caps being finished later and then being sold at retail. Neither the primary nor backup caps were ever used in a game or practice setting. All-black was worn at least once in 1998 as an alternative.
In 1998 and 1999, the original all-black road hat was used as an alternative. Because the tags on these caps date from 1996-1997, it is evident that no new caps were manufactured and that the old ones were simply repurposed.
TAMPA BAY RAYS LOW PROFILE 59FIFTY FITTED
Embroidered Rays logo on the front panels and an MLB Batterman on the back panels decorate the low-profile 59FIFTY fitted cap.
TAMPA BAY RAYS 59FIFTY FITTED
TAMPA BAY RAYS THE LEAGUE 9FORTY
TAMPA BAY RAYS 9FIFTY SNAPBACK
