P.O. 54 Pitsburg, Ohio 45358
| - Sizing Chart - | ||||||||||||||||||
| Use the chart below as a general guideline for determining glove size. | ||||||||||||||||||
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| - Glove Buying Information - | ||
How to Measure Baseball GlovesFieldersgloves and first base mitts are measured by starting at the top of theindex finger of the glove down the finger along the inside of thepocket and then out to the heal of the glove. A flexible tapemeasure has to be used, not a stiff ruler. Measure from the highestpoint on the glove (normally the index finger). Lay the tape measureacross the palm of the glove, so that it folds across and into theindenture, down to the heel of the glove. |
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Glove Quality Higherquality baseball gloves and mitts are usually distinguished by highergrade leather, better construction and better design. These worktogether to produce a glove or mitt that is durable and helps the ballinto and out of the pocket. The highest quality gloves are usually madeof heavy leather that will need some time to break-in and typically donot have palm pads or Velcro adjustments. |
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Break-In Mostmanufacturers agree that a glove oil or leather conditioner creamshould be used as long as it does not contain silicon. Mostmanufacturers recommend not using anything that requires a microwave oran oven. |
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Gloves vs Mitts Themain difference between baseball gloves and mitts is that gloves havefingers and mitts don't. Mitts tend to do a better job of controllingballs that don't hit in the pocket and can aid scooping ground ballsand short hops. First base and Catcher are the only positions allowedto use mitts. |
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Female Gloves Baseballgloves and mitts that are specified as women's or female are usuallydesigned with narrower finger stalls and smaller wrist openings toprovide a better fit. |
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Youth Gloves Youthbaseball gloves and mitts typically are designed to be easy to break-inand will sometimes have a notch in the heel to help the glove break-incorrectly. These gloves are usually designed with smaller finger andwrist openings to better fit smaller hands, and often have oversizedpockets to aid youngsters learning how to catch. |
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First Base Mitts Mostfirst base mitts are designed for baseball use and are 12 to 12 1/2inches. First base mitts have a thin but stiff pad that runs around thecircumference of the mitt and little or no padding in the palm orfinger area. Larger baseball first base mitts can be effectively usedby softball players. Some manufactures will make softball specificfirst base mitts. These are usually 13 inches or larger and are notvery common. Many softball first basemen use a 13 to 14 inch softballoutfield glove at first base. |
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Catchers Mitts Baseballcatcher's mitts usually have a very thick pad around the circumferenceof the mitt and thick padding in the palm and finger area and a smallpocket. Softball catcher's mitts are similar to baseball catcher'smitts except the with less padding and a much larger pocket. |
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Open vs Closed Web Formost positions, an open web vs a closed web is a matter of personalpreference. Open web gloves tend to trap the ball a little better thanclosed web gloves. Closed web gloves tend to get the ball out of thepocket a little quicker. First and Third base players tend to preferopen web gloves. Middle infielders tend to want closed web gloves tohelp get the ball out of the glove quickly. Pitchers usually wantclosed web gloves so they can hide the ball easier. |
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Conventional Back vs Closed Back Conventional(open) vs closed back is mainly a matter of style and personalpreference. Conventional back gloves tend to be a little lighter andcan fit a bit tighter in the wrist. Some closed back gloves have strapswith Velcro that allow you to adjust how tight or loose the glove fits. |
| - Glove Buying Tips - | ||
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Price Agood glove does not have to be expensive. There are gloves that willgive many seasons of satisfactory service for under $75. You can paymore, but more money does not necessarily mean a better, moreserviceable glove. There are expensive gloves ($100-$200+) which maylast one or two seasons, and there are inexpensive baseball gloves thatcan last for ten years or more with routine maintenance. Themore expensive gloves do tend to use better (often heavier) leatherthan less expensive gloves. All things being equal, with carefulmaintenance, the higher quality glove should last longer. The questionis "is the more expensive glove worth the price"? |
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Size Selecta glove for the position you will be playing most often. Use the chartat the top of this page as a general guideline for determining glovesize. A glove should feel fairly snug when adjusted. Check to make surethe glove adjusts to your hand. Allow room for batting glove if youwear one. Except for pitchers, most players should wear a batting gloveinside their fielders glove. The batting glove will absorb most of thesweat from your hands, thus protecting the lining of your glove. Changethe batting glove when it gets wet or rotted. |
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Quality Theleather should be fairly sturdy. A stiffer glove will have to be brokenin, but once done, the glove will be serviceable for many seasons. Thesofter "pre-broken" gloves feel great, but many of them wear out veryquickly and may be difficult or impossible to repair. The leather inthe pre-broken gloves is usually thinner and therefore weaker than thatin a sturdier glove. The thinner, softer leathers tend to show signs ofstress at the lacing holes in the web and fingers after a few months ofcontinuous play. |
| - Glove Materials - | ||
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Manufacturersusually tout a glove's materials whenever they are made of somethingconsidered "premium" enough to provide a selling point. If a glove ismade of full-grain leather or premium steerhide, the two top grades,the manufacturer will definitely print that fact prominently on theglove. Top-quality leather makes the best gloves, but the reality is,for a kid's glove that will be outgrown and discarded after a fewyears, premium materials are nice but not crucial. The originalmethod of turning animal skins into leather is known as "vegetabletanning," which means the skins are tanned with tree bark or tree-barkextracts containing tannin. Vegetable-tanned leather undergoes alengthy tanning process that results in a leather that is flexible andhas superior moldability. The other primary method of tanning is called"chrome tanning," in which the skins are tanned with mineral salts.Chrome tanning can be done in a fraction of the time of vegetabletanning, and results in a stronger, more abrasion-resistant leather.Almost all baseball gloves today are chrome tanned leather. "Oiltanning" is a specialized process that is rarely seen today, and isused exclusively in split leathers such as chamois and buckskin.Rawlings claims to use oil-tanned leather in some of their gloves, butmore likely the leather is chrome tanned and then oiled. Leatherspecialist Steve Laliloff, who made the gloves for the movie "Eight MenOut", stated that vegetable tanned leather is preferable and will lastlonger than chrome tanned leather, however, it's very difficult toobtain vegetable tanned leather, especially when a volume of gloves isbeing manufactured. Here are the basic Leather Grades and Types used in Baseball & Softball Gloves: |
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Buffalo Skin Buffaloskin is used by only one manufacturer, Nokona. Buffalo skin is said tobe tougher and lighter than full grain steer hide, but breaks in justas easily. Most people aren't going to want to get a Little Leaguer abuffalo skin glove because of the high price, but if they want to, it'sout there. |
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Full Grain Leather "Full-Grain"leather is steer hide or cow hide leather on which the entire naturalgrain remains. It will either be the original thickness of the skin, orthe bottom grain will have been sanded off until the leather is thedesired thickness. This grade is uncommon in youth gloves, but isreadily available in premium adult gloves that come in sizes suitablefor older Little Leaguers. Although in theory full grain leather can beany weight, in practice, gloves made of full grain leather tend to bestiffer and heavier than other types, and require longer break-inperiods. These leathers are rarely pre-oiled, because the players whobuy gloves of this quality usually want to apply their own particularbreak-in method. Once broken in, full grain leather gloves are superiorin both performance and durability. Catchers' mitts are almost alwaysmade of full grain leather or premium steer hide. |
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Top Grain Leather "Top-Grain"leather" is a misnomer; it is usually leather in which the "top" grain(the fur side) is sanded off until the leather is a desired thickness,and then filled or treated, where an artificial grain is introduced,usually by pressing. Many baseball gloves probably are top grainleather, but the manufacturers may not always use the phrase todescribe the leather. Often they use a brand name instead. Nokona isthe only manufacturer that says its gloves use "top grain leather." InNokona's case, the leather is heavy weight and very durable. Wilson's"Quick-Stop" leather is also a top grain leather, but it is mediumweight and has average durability. |
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Premium Steer Hide Steerhide, which comes from neutered bulls, is somewhat stronger than cowhide. Manufacturers are free to call any steer hide "premium," but inpractice they reserve this designation for their better grades of heavyweight steer hide, usually top grain, occasionally full grain. Glovesmade of this leather tend to be stiff and somewhat heavy, with longerbreak-in periods. These leathers are sometimes pre-oiled. Manymanufacturers have gone away from premium steerhide both because themarket now demands softer gloves, and to save money because fewconsumers know the difference. |
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Leather or Cow Hide "Leather"means cow hide, usually medium weight, but sometimes heavy weight. Thiscategory encompasses the greatest range of quality. Cow hide performswell, and will break in faster, but also wear out faster than steerhide. Usually this grade will come "pre-oiled" or otherwise treated toreduce break-in time. Cow hide is probably the best all-around choicefor a youth glove for ages 10 and up. There are many good Leather glovebargains in the $25-$50 range. |
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Kangaroo Skin Kangarooskin is stronger than steer hide of any grade, and weighs a fraction asmuch. It is fairly new to the baseball glove market, and what gradesare being used is anybody's guess. Some manufacturers use kangaroo onlyin premium gloves, while others use it only in their budget baseballgloves. Early reports say it breaks in easily but doesn't hold itsshape as well as the better cow hide or steer hide grades. Often glovesare made with steer hide or cow hide palms for durability, and kangarooskin backs for light weight. |
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Pigskin Pigskinis far less durable than cowhide. However, it is more flexible andbreaks in far more easily than cowhide, and costs less. Pigskin glovesare inexpensive, and can be ideal for a youngster who wants agood-performing glove but who may grow out of it in a year. |
| - Youth Glove Manufacturer Reviews - | ||
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Mizuno Mizunogloves are universally well made, even their bargain models. Mizuno'stop leather is "Double-Tanned Steerhide." This is a full grain steerhide. It is both vegetable and chrome tanned, which is an expensiveprocess. Most of the rest of Mizuno's lineup is cow hide leather.Mizuno has several leathers, each with its own particular tanningprocess: "Retro Leather" and "Full Grain Leather" are heavier weightand more durable; "Tsunami Leather," "49er Leather," "Select Leather,"and "One-Touch Leather" are medium weight and break in quickly. Mizunoyouth models are generally found in their "Prospect" line of gloves,but gloves small enough for youths can be found in many of Mizuno'slines. Note, don't always rely on Mizuno's sales literature whendeciding whether a particular glove size is right for your child.Mizuno's recommended glove sizes are often Too Large for the agesrecommended. Mizuno's Youth Glove Line:
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Rawlings Rawlingsoffers a range of gloves priced from budget to premium, and uses avariety of materials, ranging from very good to very poor. Rawlings'top grade is called "Heart of the Hide." It is heavy-weight full grainsteer hide that has been "oil-tanned" to greatly reduce break-in time.These gloves are popular with major leaguers. Rawlings' cheapest modelsare vinyl and probably should be avoided. Rawlings Youth Glove Line:
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Wilson Wilson'stop grade of leather is found in their "Pro-Stock" models. It isheavy-weight full grain steer hide. Wilson has a variety of otherleather brand names, each with its own tanning process, but the bottomline is all other Wilson brands are cow hide leather. Most Wilson youthmodels are found in its "Advisory Staff" and "EZ Catch" models, butWilson makes gloves small enough for youths all the way up to the A2000models. The EZ Catch models are youth-size gloves with extra-large,pre-broken-in pockets. I recommend the leather versions (avoid thevinyl versions). Wilson's Youth Glove Line:
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Easton Easton,traditionally a bat manufacturer, is new to the glove market but hasquickly established itself as a top glove manufacturer. Easton's bestgrade of leather is called "Gladiator" steerhide. Easton makes a verypopular "Natural" series of gloves using pre-oiled "Walnut tanned"leather. It is difficult to tell from Easton's press releases, but the"Walnut tanned" leather may be a vegetable tanned leather. Easton's Youth Glove Line:
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Lousiville Slugger LouisvilleSlugger's top brands are designated "TPX." TPX's top grade of leatheris called "Maruhashi", which is roughly comparable to "premium steerhide". Louisville Slugger's Youth Glove Line:
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Nokona Nokonais a premium glove manufacturer whose roots extend to the dawn ofbaseball. Nokona makes gloves out of top grain leather, cow hide,combinations of kangaroo and top grain or cow hide, and the ultimate inglove material: buffalo skin. Nokona's buffalo skin gloves, if you canfind them, command prices over $250. Nokona's kangaroo-skin hybridgloves are the next most expensive; they command a premium price overeven the top grain models. Nokona "top grain leathers" are heavier andslightly more expensive than their "cow hide" gloves. Nevertheless,Nokona's cow hide gloves are heavy weight, and are generally consideredequivalent in quality to other manufacturers' steer hide or evenpremium steer hide gloves. Nokona's leathers are "vegetable-tanned".Nokona is unique among glove manufacturers in that you can order aparticular glove pattern with a choice of open or closed web, and oftenwith a choice of the leather as well. Nokona makes three glovepatterns that are small enough for youth baseball players: AMG66 (10"),AMG125 (10 ½"), and AMG100 (11"). |
| - Breaking In A New Glove - | ||
Applya small amount of Glove Oil in the triangular area shown. Rub it intothe leather until most of it has been absorbed, then wipe off theexcess with a soft towel. Next, fold the glove at the hinge andexcercise that area a bit. Then, fold the glove and squeeze the fold sothat a crease can be formed along the triangle line from the indexfinger side to the hinge. 
Aftersetting this crease, re-fold the glove and form a similar crease fromthe thumb side of the triangle to the hinge. The final step is tore-fold the glove so a crease can be formed from the center of the webcrotch to the hinge. When finished with these steps you should be ableto see three distinct creases fanning out from the hinge to the webcrotch. After completing these steps (about 20 minutes) put the gloveon your hand and close it a few times. You should be able to feel adifference in the way the glove responds. Repeat this procedure in afew days, but do not use the glove oil in excess. Here's a tip from oneof our readers. He conditions a new glove using the above procedure,and then goes to a batting cage (at an off-peak hour, so there will befewer distractions and less chance of injury). He buys a bucket ofballs to catch, not to hit. He says that after one session the glove is game ready. |
| - Caring For Your Glove - | ||
| Themost important part of caring for your glove is to recognize thatleather will deteriorate if subjected to repeated exposure to moistureand heat. Saliva will also result in damaged leather, so Don't Spit InYour Glove. Leaving your glove out in the weather will ruin it, as willputting it away wet from perspiration. Always wear a batting gloveunder your baseball glove (except for pitchers) - this absorbs thesweat from your hand. When your batting glove gets wet, change it. Thiswill add years to the lining of your glove. When your glove gets wet,dry it with a towel or soft cloth, and leave it exposed to room air fora few hours until the lining is dry. After it dries, use a little gloveconditioner to moisten the leather. When you put your glove away, put asoftball in the pocket and wrap it with a wide rubber band. |
