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Expansion | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008
The inaugural helmet was only worn for one season. This was worn for all home games, no matter which jersey or cap was worn. The snake "D" logo was used only on the helmets in 1998, but the next season it would be used on the road caps and helmets.
As with the home helmets, the original road helmets were only worn for one season. They were also worn for every road game, no matter which jersey was used.
The purple shell with the "A" logo had been used as the primary home cap since 1998, but it also became the design for the home helmet in 1999. This would be used for the remainder of the purple era, though it was also available in the CoolFlo style for 2006 only.
The second season saw a change in the road helmets as well, as the snake "D" logo from the inaugural home helmets was now used on both the road caps and helmets. As with the new home helmet, the design would remain unchanged, other than the addition of CoolFlo helmets.
Rawlings introduced a new style in 2006 which was adopted by a few teams. It featured vented holes along the sides, top, and back of the helmet. The Diamondbacks kept the basic style as well, so each player had the choice of which helmet to wear.
The design was first used by a few teams in the 2005 All Star Game, but it did not make its regular season appearance until the following season.
The new style was also available in the road helmet.
Identical to the home cap, the slightly altered snake "D" appeared on a red helmet for most home and all road games. This photo shows the standard helmet design, though this has actually never been worn in a game. All helmets used are now the CoolFlo style, but I have been unable to find a decent photo so far.
This is only used on Saturday home games when black jerseys and caps are worn. It also is identical to the cap style, all black with the "A" logo.
Most of the catchers for the Diamondbacks have used the traditional style of a helmet without an ear flap turned backwards. There have been a few that used the newer "Hockey Style" mask.
Almost always, the helmet has been the same as the cap being used in that game, other than 1998, where the helmets and caps did not match. For whatever reason, Damian Miller often chose to wear the road helmet no matter where the game was played.
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Damian Miller (far right) started the trend of wearing the road helmet at home way back in 1998. |
He would still wear the road helmet as late as 2002. |
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Only on the road did Damian Miller's helmet match the caps of his teammates. |
In 2003, Chad Moeller was exactly the opposite, choosing the wear the home helmet for both home and road games.
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Mismatching headgear would again return in 2007, as Chris Snyder would often wear the black helmet.
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Though he would also wear the red helmet on occasion, matching the caps worn by everyone else.
To my knowledge, there have been four catchers who have worn hockey masks.
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Kelly Stinnent (1998-2000, 2005), the backup catcher on the inaugural team, was the first to sport the hockey mask. |
Unlike hockey goalies, catchers are not allowed to have personalized paint jobs, as they must conform with the colors and logos of the rest of the uniform. Stinnett's style was fairly simple, with a large "A" logo on the front, small primary logos above the ears, and a purple/gold diamond pattern down the sides. |
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Robby Hammock (2003-2008) would bring back the same style as Stinnett. |
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Johnny Estrada (2006) came out with a flashy new design, with snakes wrapped around the shell, and many of the teams colors splashed across. | |
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Robby Hammock debuted a new helmet to match the new colors in 2007. There wasn't much as far as style, as pretty much the entire helmet was plain red. |
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Miguel Montero (2006-2008) had an equally bland design, with an all black shell. |
Montero changed early in the 2007 season to all gray gear, which he continued to wear throughout the playoffs. |