Pitchers are starting to try out the new options for protective headgear.
Pitchers are starting to try out the new options for protective headgear. (@BrinkPG)

This spring, pitchers so inclined will be trying out new protective helmets on the mound. On Sunday, we got our first look at those helmets in action thanks to a Grapefruit League bullpen session. Via Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, here's a look at Pirates relievers Mark Melancon and Jared Hughes trying out the safety devices ... 

So they're perhaps not as "visually instrusive" as the model worn by Alex Torres last season, but what probably matters most is whether pitchers can flow through their deliveries without being too aware of the fact that they're wearing helmets. For the interested hurlers, spring will be about balancing those concerns with the desire for increased safety when it comes to batted balls.

(Wink of CBS eye: @drewsilv)