Guardian Baseball Headgear powered by SoftShox™
Low-Profile Baseball Headgear That Mitigates Up To 90 mph Baseball Impacts
Guardian Baseball Headgear will undergo expanded biomechanical evaluations and player feedback during Spring Training, followed by fit and comfort studies across player positions and league medical reviews. MLB team evaluations are now happening, with broader availability planned following league feedback and final production validation.
BASEBALL HEADGEAR BENEFITS
WHY GUARDIAN BASEBALL HEADGEAR?
Guardian Baseball Headgear is invisible head protection for baseball, engineered to defeat up to 90 mph impacts using SoftShox hydraulic technology, all inside a traditional baseball cap.
The Guardian Baseball Headgear is the first low-profile, invisible protective headgear engineered specifically for MLB-level impacts. Powered by SoftShox® hydraulic technology, it converts high-speed baseball energy into controlled lateral dissipation — better protecting the temple and lateral skull without adding bulk or changing the look of a standard baseball cap. In pre-production testing, the headgear defeated impacts exceeding 90 mph while keeping safety metrics well below critical thresholds. It’s lightweight, flexible, and designed for pitchers, catchers, and umpires who need elite protection without sacrificing comfort, mobility, or appearance. Simply put, the Guardian Baseball Headgear is next-generation safety that players and teams will value.
For over 15 years, Guardian has better protected players by reducing severity of head impacts with the widely adopted Guardian Cap and more recently against facemask-to-facemask collisions with the Guardian FLEX chinstrap powered by SoftShox technology. When asked to introduce a baseball headgear, Guardian incorporated the SoftShox hydraulic technology. The mission of SoftShox is to make products safer and give their users peace of mind. Their vision is to safeguard athletes so they might live healthy, active, social lives. The “Soft” -ness of a waterbed combined with the energy-absorbing superpower of a Hydraulic “Shox” are two ideas combined into one to create a new standard in athlete safety.
THE PROBLEM
High-velocity baseball impacts to the temple and lateral skull pose a catastrophic injury risk for pitchers, catchers, and umpires.
- Side-of-head (temple) impacts have been identified as the most dangerous impacts
- Current caps and helmets do not provide adequate energy management
- A 70+ mph baseball impact can exceed critical injury thresholds
THE OBJECTIVE
Develop a low-profile, invisible protective headgear that fits inside a standard MLB cap and:
✔ Defeats up to a 90 mph baseball impact
✔ Keeps Severity Index (SI) < 1200
✔ Better protects Front, Front Boss, and Side (Temple)
✔ Preserves comfort, mobility, and appearance
THE SOLUTION
Guardian® Baseball Headgear powered by SoftShox® Hydraulics
- Uses proprietary SoftShox hydraulic energy-management
- Converts high-speed impact energy into controlled lateral dissipation
- Engineered for thin, flexible, non-intrusive fit
- No bulk, no visual change
SAMPLE PRE-PRODUCTION TEST RESULTS
Target Impact Speed: 90 MPH
Test Date: January 26, 2026
| Impact Location | Severity Index (SI) | Measured Velocity (MPH) |
| Front | 341 | 93.9 |
| Front Boss | 106 | 93.5 |
| Side (Temple) | 766 | 94.5 |
| Between Side & Front Boss | 53 | 92.9 |
✅ All results WELL BELOW the 1200 SI safety threshold
✅ Side (Temple) impact defeated at >94 MPH
✅ Exceeds target performance across all zones
Performance & Safety
- Mitigates up to 90 mph baseball impacts
- Keeps Severity Index (SI) well below critical injury thresholds
- Better temple and lateral skull protection — the most dangerous impact zones
- Tested and validated in pre-production MLB-velocity lab simulations
Design & Comfort
- Ultra-low profile, fits inside standard MLB cap
- No bulk, no visual change
- Maintains full mobility, vision, and comfort
- Flexible, breathable, and game-ready
Technology Advantage
- Powered by SoftShox® Hydraulic Energy Management
- Reduces peak impact forces through controlled lateral energy dissipation
- Zone-specific protection: Front, Front Boss, and Temple
- Proprietary SoftShox system trusted across multiple sports and in Guardian’s FLEX Chinstrap
Adoption & Practicality
- Designed for pitchers, catchers, and umpires
- Seamless integration into existing caps
- Enables preventive safety without disruption
We’re excited to introduce our newest piece of safety equipment for baseball athletes. This is our first product for the baseball field. After proving ourselves with the success of the Guardian Cap, LOOP, and FLEX chinstrap we knew we had technology that would benefit baseball players that were getting hit with 90 mph balls. Guardian Baseball Headgear addresses a critical gap in baseball safety. We’re happy to work on a product that is not only safer, but also uncompromising on comfort and performance.
Every athlete, coach, mom and dad shouldn’t have to sacrifice performance for improved safety. I am excited that the Guardian SoftShox partnership is expanding to bring the best of science to serve the 65+ million baseball athletes worldwide.
Our goal is to make impact safety equipment as protective and attractive as possible. This project demonstrates how SoftShox technology can efficiently dissipate projectile impacts in a thin, low profile envelope that pushes the boundaries of what was once believed to be impossible, all while exceeding athlete expectations on comfort and aesthetics.
No helmet, headgear, or chinstrap can prevent or eliminate the risk of concussions or other serious head injuries while playing sports or otherwise. Researchers have not reached an agreement on how the results of impact attenuation tests relate to concussions or other injuries. No conclusions about a reduction of risk or severity of concussive injury or other injury risk should be drawn from impact attenuation tests. All headgear, helmet pads and chinstraps must be used along with properly fit and maintained helmets.