Finding And Understanding The Right Baseball Glove.

Mar 7
06:55

2011

Jim Rosenau

Jim Rosenau

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Deciding what type of baseball glove is needed. There are different styles and types of baseball gloves to choose from. Understanding what to look for in a baseball glove, so you can pick the right one.

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The baseball season is around the corner. The season is turning to that summer time journey,Finding And Understanding The Right Baseball Glove. Articles were every male's dream of playing under those lights and for those cheering crowds come with the crack of the bat. There is all types of equipment that you need to play baseball, but the most important is the good'ol baseball glove. There has been many different kinds of gloves through the years. The gloves now days are a result of years of changing and finding what works best for particular positions. Baseball gloves usually come in two different categories, youth and adult. Youth gloves usually are not made in mind of everyday type of playing and usually not made of high quality. Adult gloves are made for everyday play and are of high quality.

Knowing what position you will be playing, has a baring on what type of glove you will need. Different sized baseball gloves are used for different positions. So you want to look at the positions you believe you will be playing.

Catchers Glove or Mitt ( most common name): It is designed with heavy padding to reduce the impact from the pitcher's throw and reinforced to withstand the heavy use throughout a game. It also has a thumb pocket and mitten instead of fingers.

First base Mitts have less padding and a more shallow pocket. It is designed to have a longer back to help the first baseman catch throws from infielders.

Infield Gloves are designed with a shallow pocket for rapid transfer of the baseball to the infielder's throwing arm. Shorter infielder gloves are made for second basemen, shortstops, third basemen, and pitchers. Second baseman generally have the smallest gloves on the team ranging from 10 ½ inches to about 11 ¼. As we move over to short we will see most gloves between 11 ¼ and 11 ¾. Continuing on to third base, the most popular size is probably 11 ¾. You will see some 12's and a lot of 11 ½ 's among the more sure handed guys over there.

Outfielder gloves have a longer, five-finger outfielder gloves with deeper pockets are designed to cushion the impact of fly balls. The longer length provides the glove with more reach and range. Outfielders' gloves are a lot simpler to judge because just about every pro stock adult glove will be about 13 inches.

Pitchers will vary the most out of any position. Many pitchers use gloves as small as 11 inches and some will use gloves as large as 12 ¼ inches. I would say the average is 11 ¾. If you play on the Nomadic side and play all over the field I would recommend something in the range of 11 ¾ or 12 inches.

There are dozens of different types of leather gloves out there today, some very good quality, some rather poor. Higher quality gloves start with the leather. A higher grade leather normally means a better glove. Learn the grades of leather and research what the glove is made of. Remember, the higher quality leather gloves will have a higher price. It seems that the latest craze in glove leather is the new oil treated gloves that are injected with oil while still in the factory. This results in a quicker break in period but these gloves will not last as long as the "stiff" older models. You should go for the stiffest glove you can find, it will take much longer to break in but in the end it will last longer and become a part of you.

We also need to talk about the webbing. The webbing also depends on what position you play as well. Infielders need a single patch webbing which is a square piece of leather with two X's holding it to the body, or a simple basket web. Outfielders tend to like these as well as some large H webs. Pitchers tend to like the two piece webs. So they can be more secretive. You may also see some modified trapeze gloves and some one piece webs.

These are just a few tips on finding the right baseball glove for you. You need to try different gloves on and see what feels the best. Like shoes, a glove needs to be comfortable and functional. One thing to consider is the open and closed back. What this means is that an open glove exposes the back of the hand, while a closed one covers the hand. Feel and comfort is the most important aspect of any glove.