Baseball Glove Buyer's Guide

A baseball glove is one essential item that is necessary to play on the field. They come in all shapes and sizes and there are different web designs. The main thing that separates a baseball glove from a softball glove is the smaller pocket.

Baseball Glove Brands

The 3 major brands we sell are Rawlings, Easton, and Wilson. All of these brands are high-quality and come in different sizes and levels.

Rawlings -- Rawlings has been around for a very long time. The great thing about them is that they offer an option for every level. Whether your son is between the ages of 4-11 and is a recreational player, has moved up to become a club/travel player, or is a serious high school/college player, Rawlings has some really nice options. The leather is high quality regardless of the level you choose.

Wilson -- Like Rawlings, Wilson has also been around for a quite a while. They also offer a glove for every level of player: recreational players, club/travel players, and serious high school/college players. Wilson puts out a high-quality product year after year. The Wilson product lines that people know the most are A2000 and A2K.

Easton -- This is where my heart is. I am a little biased toward Easton because this is what I grew up using. They have a large variety to choose from for recreational players, club/travel players, and serious high school/college players. All of the Easton gloves have what is called a VRS Palm Pad, which is extra padding where the ball hits 90% of the time. Easton also includes Bio-DRI padding, which helps absorb sweat.

Basic Features of the Baseball Glove

Right-Hand vs. Left-Hand Throw

The concept of right-hand throw and left-hand throw can be confusing but is actually very simple. Sometimes people think, "He throws righty, so I need a lefty glove," but actually, you choose the style that matches the hand he throws with. So if he throws right-handed, order a "right-hand throw" glove.

Choosing the Right Baseball Glove

It may seem a little complicated, so we've decided to make it real simple. We have split our gloves up into five categories: Beginner, Good, Better, Best, and Professional. Beginner and Good are gloves that are more youth-oriented, and Better, Best, and Professional are geared more toward adults.

Just click the heading below for the category of glove that best fits your needs, or narrow your search even further by selecting the exact skill level and position you are looking for!

Beginner Baseball Gloves

-- When buying a glove for your beginning player, you want to make sure the glove is soft enough so he can close it with ease. At this level, there aren't really set positions. If a youth-oriented player has a bigger hand, he will have to have a bigger glove. A soft, true-to-size glove is what you are looking for.

Good Baseball Gloves

-- In a "Good" baseball glove we move to the level where there will be positions, and if your son is playing first or catching it might be a good idea to get him one of those gloves. These gloves move away from the fake leather and go into a softer leather material. Again, you are looking for a glove that will fit true to size and will be easy to break in. These gloves generally last about two years, or until he grows out of it. These gloves are great for your rec player but can also play travel.

Better Baseball Gloves

-- The "Better" baseball gloves are for kids that are getting pretty serious in baseball and are on the borderline of moving out of the youth gloves and into a more serious glove. In these models, you can even find a glove with a Pro Taper, which means they will have a tighter fit inside the glove. These are gloves you will get your money's worth They will generally last 3-4 years. More geared toward your travel player.

Best Baseball Gloves

-- The "Best" gloves are top-notch gloves. These are geared more for the 7th- to 9th-grader. It's a glove that will last a long time and will take some time to break in. When going with a glove like this, you want to make sure you are getting the correct size and something that he really likes because he will be using it for a while. This is the age where we move away from the youth model and into the adult models. More geared toward your club baseball player.

Professional Baseball Gloves

-- There is no question these are the top-of-the-line gloves. These gloves will last a lifetime for sure, as long as the proper care is met. The best time to get these types of gloves is in December because they will take until April to break in and get soft. It is important to oil them up and care for them. I would NOT use a steamer because it will ruin the glove. Instead, take advantage of our Glove Break-In Service. These gloves are perfect for high school or college players who are doing showcases and traveling to Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina.

How to Break in a Glove

The EASIEST way to break in a glove is have us do it for you!

Breaking in a glove can be one of the hardest things for a young player to overcome. It is possible that Dad might have to break in your first glove for you (sorry, Dad). The good news is that a lot of the gloves for beginners come game-ready, meaning the leather will be soft enough that there will be hardly any break-in period. As your son gets older there will be a time when they need to break a glove in themselves. I know that it sounds silly, but the best way to break in a glove is simply using it. It comes down to having a catch and just beating on it. When you are not using it, it is best to keep a baseball inside it.

If the glove is just not breaking in, the only trick I suggest is to pour a cup of lukewarm water over the glove.

Check out this video of the Wilson glove guy breaking in a glove.

Things NOT to Do to Break in a Glove

There are a bunch of tricks and shortcuts that people try, but generally, they just damage the glove. Two of the most common are:

Steam treatment -- When you think about it, what is the worst possible thing for leather? It is steam and moisture.

Oven -- Putting your glove in the oven will just dry out the glove.

Choose our Glove Break-In Service instead!

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