Mitts and Gloves For Baseball – A Little History and Some Recommendations on Finding the Right Glove

Baseball players wear gloves, also known as mitts. These baseball gloves are made of leather, and you can choose between different types. They are worn by the catchers in the defending team or by the batter who is hitting the ball. The gloves are come handy when the catcher has to stop a throw which is thrown by his team mate.

Gloves were not used in the early days. Catchers used to play with bare hands. But the days of the bare hand catchers are over; today, players use gloves known as mitts. Among the first players, to use the glove or the mitt was Doug Alison who played with the Cincinnati Red Stockings. This was in the 1870’s though Charles Waite is credited for having used it first.

Spalding was one of the companies which made and still makes baseball mitts along with other sports equipment. In the year of 1920, Bill Doak suggested that a baseball mitt had a web placed between the thumb and the first finger in order to create a pocket which will help the catcher catch the ball much easier. This new designing soon became the standard for a baseball mitt. Soon after, baseball mitts also grew to a size where a ball can be caught with just one hand instead of using two hands as it was the case earlier.

Nowadays, the shape and the size of baseball mitts are governed by the baseball rules. Modern baseball mitts are made to be more precise and more efficient. Different manufacturers have created different types of baseball mitts in order to suit people of different types. The best quality baseball mitts are made out of heavy leather. There are indeed many types of mitts. Catcher’s mitts usually lack individual fingers. They usually have extra padding and the shape is similar to a claw which helps the catcher catch the ball at high speeds. Sizes of the mitts unlike the other gloves are measured around their circumference and they have about 32 – 34 inch patterns on them.

Different companies make baseball gloves or mitts, some of them are Wilson and their famous serial A2000, Nokona and Rawlings gear. Wilson’s mitt, universally known by its original stock number A2000, was constructed in 1957. Now it comes as Pitcher, Catcher, Infield, Outfield, First Base mitt. They even have new A2000 Showcase.

Nokona offers great quality of their gloves, more over they have names such are Bloodline, Buffalo Combo, Kimera, Pro-Line, Black Shadow, American Pro, Elite

Rawlings also has different mitts for different positions; more over they offer mitts for youth league. In addition, they come in a range of different prices, from very cheap to the expensive ones. Rawlings glove series are Primo, Pro Preferred, Heart of the Hide, and Heart of the Hide Dual Core etc.

Though these are made of leather different companies choose different leathers to make the gloves. The leathers could be of kangaroo, buffalo or cowhide. The gloves are normally machine made though custom made gloves are also available. These gloves are made by hand and have a distinct style of their own and are comparatively costlier.

A type of a glove that you may choose depends on few factors such as the age of the player and the level of play. The price is also an important factor while purchasing a baseball glove. The extra money spent on the glove is worthwhile.