Welcome to Ball Gloves Online, your Headquarters for Baseball Gloves. Below is a summary of our best content on picking the correct glove, caring for your baseball glove, and other necessary information about gloves:
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Wilson A2K Review
Rawlings Heart of the Hide Review
Mizuno Pro Select Review
Wilson Superskin Review
Elysian Baseball Glove Review
A quick compilation of all the glove of the position players of the Arizona Diamondbacks:
| Position | Name | Glove |
|---|---|---|
| C | Carson Kelly | Rawlings Pro Preferred PROSCM43 |
| 1B | Christian Walker | Rawlings Pro Preferred PROSFM18 |
| 2B | Ketel Marte | Wilson A2000 1786 |
| 3B | Josh Rojas | Wilson A2000 1795 |
| SS | Geraldo Perdomo | Wilson A2000 1788 |
| OF | David Peralta | Wilson A2000 1775 |
| OF | Alek Thomas | Rawlings Pro Preferred PROS303 |
| OF | Daulton Varsho | Rawlings Heart of the Hide PRO601 |
We have used hundreds of gloves in the past decade. Good ones, bad ones, expensive ones, cheap ones. But one thing we never did was make an in-depth review for each glove and post it online. That changes now.
Over the next few months, we will be publishing more reviews of gloves we’ve used. Some will be from notes we have from years ago, some will be from gloves straight out of a box.
Either way, you can be sure that each glove we review will be thoroughly tested for many different criteria. We hope they are informative and help you find your next glove, but we know each review will be rigorous and accurate.
Here is our list of reviews currently posted on the site and other ones coming soon. We will adding more and more as time goes on, with the hope of trying every glove series on the market (and even some lesser known ones):
Mizuno is like a little brother to Rawlings and Wilson, equally good in many ways but just falls short in popularity to the big two companies. They have quite a bit of market share, but they don’t jump to most people’s mind when you ask them their favorite baseball glove brand.
I’ve used and abused Mizuno gloves in the past, but now I am doing a full-fledged break-in of a Mizuno Pro Select GPS1-600R (11.75″) to determine if and how much people are sleeping on Mizuno gloves. The Pro Select is a good starting point because it’s a mid tier glove and within the price range of many higher level ball players.
Here is our initial impression of the glove. I plan to update it frequently as I get further into the break-in, start taking ground balls, and eventually using it in competitive play.
Just a quick introduction to what this glove is. Our model is a GPS1-600R, an 11.75″ model with a cross web. It is built with Steerhide leather and features a beautiful darkish tan look. We paid $265 (retail price) for it and will have pictures posted within this article within the next few days.
The Pro Select series is not a Wilson or Rawlings. And that’s a good thing. Many companies are copying each other in different ways, but this glove feels unique in many ways. From the pattern, to the design, to almost every part of the glove, it feels unique.
And as we play around more with this glove, we’ll see if this uniqueness puts it over Wilson and Rawlings gloves that are both more popular and more expensive.
44 Pro Gloves is a company offering custom made gloves at an attractive price – $199 for the Signature Series. These gloves are made from Kip Leather, a lightweight leather typically considered the best offered on a mitt.
This review will reveal the good, the bad, and a final verdict on whether we recommend you buy a 44 Pro Gloves Signature Series mitt:
Customization Options: Tons of web styles, colors, sizes, and other options are all at your finger tips when building a mitt on their customizer. You will spend hours picking and choosing different options, but at the end of the day, the only limit is your imagination.
Leather quality: It doesn’t have the leathery feel of the Pro Preferred model (another Kip leather mitt), but the leather is nonetheless very nice. It’s smooth and surprisingly durable for its price, though it doesn’t quite match up to the A2000/A2K or HOH/Pro Preferred level.
Lace Quality: This is where I was the most surprised. Gloves at this price point, and even at higher prices, typically struggle with lacing, but the Signature Series has supple lacing that doesn’t stretch too much past the initial break-in period.
Dark Color Quality: The Black leather on our mitt was pretty much flawless after years of play. There was no discoloration and the majority of this part of the leather still looked like it was brand new.
Customer Service: 44 Pro’s customer service is ridiculously good. They give you updates on your glove, are more than willing to answer questions quickly via email, and put a lot of resources into place to ensure you’re happy. Out of all the glove companies, 44 was the most pleasant to work with.
Other Color Quality: Our mitt has a bit of red on it (we were too tempted by the many options), and the color faded quickly. Even in spots that don’t get used a ton. Although this is commonplace for most custom gloves, it just reminds us that bright and flashy colors aren’t always a good move.
Pattern: While 44 Pro has updated the patterns they offer, out mitt had quite the odd pattern. The natural squeeze was a bit goofy, and the double-laced palm made for an interesting break-in. They have improved this, however, so this point may be less relevant now.
Stiffness out-of-the-box: I personally love stiff gloves that require some break-in, but this glove was too much. If I were to assign a percentage to it, I would have to say around 10-15%. If you’r short on time or a bit impatient, you may end up messing up the break-in.
Palm Liner: The palm liner is super smooth out of the box and feels pretty nice, but it’s very slippery if you sweat at all. 44 Pro has also upgraded this recently, so perhaps we’ll have to give it another shot.
It’s tough to beat a fully custom glove for $200. And with the traditionally dominant models becoming more and more expensive each year, any quality glove at this price point is a bargain.
While there are certainly some areas their gloves need to improve, 44 Pro has consistently worked to remedy these issues. Even moreso than companies with much more R&D money.
If you’re in the market for a custom glove and simply do not want to spend anywhere from $350-$550 for customs from other companies, 44 is a more-than-excellent alternative that you will enjoy for many baseball seasons.
You can start customizing a 44 Pro Gloves Signature Series here.
Note: This review is based on an older mode 44 Pro Gloves Signature Series model. An updated review based on their new models will be coming shortly.
Accessories are hardly necessary for keeping your glove in top-notch shape. However, several of them can certainly make this ongoing process a lot easier. In this post we break down the best baseball glove accessories to make protecting your glove’s shape simple and easy.
Mitt Spit Glove Cleaner and Conditioner: This US-made product is the best conditioner on the market. It both smells good and gives your glove a clean, smooth feel after application. Pick it up here.
Extra baseball or softball: When you are not using your glove, it is helpful to leave a baseball (infield glove) or softball (outfield glove) in the pocket. This helps you maintain the shape of it in a cost-effective manner.
Lacing kit: Laces sometimes snap, leaving you in a tough situation to either send your glove away or fix the lacing yourself. With a lacing kit and a few Youtube videos, you can fix the lacing yourself both effectively and affordably. Here’s our favorite lacing kit, and Wilson sells a full-service one as well.
Glove Mallet: A wooden mallet is a good way to mimic catching a baseball when breaking in your glove. While not necessary, using a mallet is an affordable and effective way to break-in your glove quicker. Buy one here.
Webgem Glove Care System: The Webgem is a carrying case for your glove that keeps it protected and maintains it shape. They have models for fielders and catchers. Albeit pricey, they are a good way to maintain the desired shape of your glove. Get one here.
Accessories we don’t recommend:
Most glove conditioners: There’s a million types of leather conditioners for sale, but most are either a) not for baseball gloves, or b) contain chemicals that are questionable for your mitt. We recommend sticking with what we listed above.
Glove Wrap: Albeit cheap, most glove wraps are largely ineffective. They break-in and shape a glove unnaturally, and we recommend either carrying your glove or putting a baseball in the pocket if you must store it somewhere enclosed.
Sting Pads: Most sting pads are uncomfortable and provide limited benefit. If your index finger is stinging too much, we recommend going index finger-out grip or figuring out why the padding in your palm is failing.
Taking simple steps to care for your glove is the easiest way to ensure its longevity for many seasons. However, most players don’t know how to take care of their glove off the field, and in this post we break down the simple methods to keep your glove in tip-top shape:
Keep your glove out of extreme weather: You can’t always control this when on the diamond, but when you’re not using the glove, you should not let it sit in the rain, in a hot car, in the sun, or anywhere else where the climate may affect or damage the leather.
Store it correctly: Most players throw their glove in their bag. Instead, you should aim to either carry your glove or place it in a bag with a baseball (infield mitt) or softball (outfield mitt) in the pocket. A pricey option is a Webgem glove care kit.
Use Oil on it Infrequently: Glove Oil is an easy way to clean and condition your glove, but too much of it can damage and weigh down the glove. We recommend using Mitt Spit glove conditioner and only using it once every few months.
Wipe off excess sweat/dirt: If you’re on a dusty field or it’s particularly hot out on the field, your glove is going to soak up sweat and dirt. After one of these days, take a dry towel and wipe the excess sweat and dirt from the leather.
Tighten the Laces Frequently: Unless you truly like the loose-lace feel, tightening the laces on your glove is in your best interest. This protects the leather laces from unnecessary strain that will break it down over time. And when the laces are worn out, relacing them is a great idea.
Use It Frequently: The best way to keep your glove’s shape is to use it. While this isn’t a problem during the season, your glove may sit dormant over the winter. By using it regularly, even a few days per week in the offseason, you’ll allow it to stay ready for the next season.
Breaking in a glove can be a time-consuming and difficult process. But it can also be a fun and interesting one if you employ the best methods of doing so. In this post we detail the best methods to break-in your baseball glove in the most time-efficient and effective manner:
Glove Steaming: A process in which you or someone else heats your mitt in a steamer, oven, or microwave. This breaks the glove in quickly, but it damages the leather of the glove significantly. We wouldn’t recommend in pretty much any circumstance.
Running Over Your Glove with a Car: This flattens the glove, giving it a broken-in feel, but it creates an unnatural squeeze that’s going to be uncomfortable. Never recommended.
Glove Wrap: Wrapping your glove with a rubber band and a baseball in pocket is a decent way to store your glove, but a bad one to break one in. This also creates an unnatural squeeze and honestly doesn’t really break-in your glove all that much.
Spin Control has made its return the Wilson lineup after a long hiatus. After being used in 1990s and 2000s gloves, Wilson finally revamped and improved the technology for the latest series of gloves. Here’s everything you need to know about it:
Right now there are a few gloves that come with this technology, as it roll-out has been calm and measured. These are the models where Spin Control is used:
Baseball gloves are getting awfully expensive, with prices pushing $300 on gloves that cost half that a decade ago. In this post we rank the best gloves for the infield on a budget, so you can ball out without spending a ton of cash.