Signs of Well-Made Baseball Gloves
Shopping for baseball gloves is harder than it looks. It's is an investment that can last you years, if not decades. Before you take the plunge, know what you’re looking for.
Materials
As you would expect, the glove’s material goes a long way toward determining whether or not it’s any good. If the glove seems plastic and overly synthetic, move on to the leathers. Leather continues to be the most popular material for baseball gloves. It is durable, and can be broken in for ideal comfort over a short period of time. If the player in question is a young child trying the game out for the first time, plastic is acceptable for trial baseball gloves.
If The Glove Doesn’t Fit…
If a glove doesn’t fit at all when you’re trying it on in the store, chances are all the oils and ovens in the world won’t help you much, either. Of course, that’s a reference to the old-school way of breaking in baseball gloves—oiling them up and sticking them in your oven. The good news is, that isn’t always necessary today, as many gloves are designed to loosen up more quickly. But don’t be fooled by treated leather gloves, which appear to be broken in from the get-go: all that treatment means that they have a short playing life.
It’s All in the Pocket
If you go to a yard sale and come away with a funny-looking glove with five detached appendage compartments, congratulations—you’ve just purchased an antique. The bad news is, you won’t be able to do much other than look at it. All modern (as in, 1920-on) baseball gloves feature a well-defined pocket between the thumb and index finger.
Bad baseball gloves would feature enough space between webbings to see through them, while good baseball gloves would feature snugly woven leather that won’t break no matter how hard you try. But it shouldn’t be too tight—as this will cause the ball to pop right out.
Does the Glove Fit the Position?
A catcher’s mitt is not the only position-dependent glove on the market. Also available is the first baseman’s mitt—which features heavier than usual webbing and is somewhat longer than an outfielder’s glove. An infielder glove is markedly shorter, so that players can more easily get the ball out and turn a double play. When purchasing a glove, bear in mind the position it’ll be used for. And there you have the makings of good baseball gloves.
Gloves & Pitching Tips Articles, Videos & HowTos
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