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Overall, the Houston Astros have done well when it comes to rolling out new gear. The Space City City Connects were well-received and the new retro-style City Connects have gotten positive reviews as well. Generally speaking, the Astros have done a good job in understanding what their fans want and their latest hat release is no exception.
This week, the Astros released a new hat that is a homage to El Tiempo, the popular Tex-Max restaurant chain. While Houston has done these sorts of collaborations before, this particular one seems to have gotten the attention of future NFL Hall of Famer and Texans legend JJ Watt who made an appearance in the Instagram comments section voicing his approval.
We're bringing the heat with El Tiempo!
— Houston Astros (@astros) May 5, 2025
The Astros x El Tiempo Cantina hat is available now! Only at the Astros CF Team Store. pic.twitter.com/63l5iWLQfN
Astros accomplished their mission with latest hat collaboration
There are certainly some fans that clutch their pearls every time they see these alternate designs for team caps/jerseys/etc., but the Astros' mission is clear. The team is wanting to make as many connections with the community as possible to broaden the Astros' appeal. Their other collaborations with other Houston favorites such as Shipley's Donuts, Truth, and Pinkerton's BBQ were done with the same idea in mind.
Right now, it appears as though this El Tiempo collab may be the most successful of them all. Getting Watt's attention could be seen as scripted and a publicity stunt, but it also drew the attention of football fans to what is going on with the Astros when they likely wouldn't have checked them out otherwise.
One can have quibbles over color schemes, stitching, and which brands are getting love over others. However, the Astros seem to be working towards trying to have something for everyone and they are making great progress so far.
But seriously, bring back the old Tequila Sunrise Astros uniforms from the 70's and 80's more often. They were such a huge part of Astros history and fans would likely be throwing money at the team to buy them up.