Baseball Gloves

A baseball glove is a vital piece of equipment used by defensive players to catch and control the baseball. Made of material such as leather with soft wool padding, the modern baseball glove is a far cry from those first worn back in the late 1860s when gloves first appeared. Back then, a glove with its fingers removed passed as a baseball glove, but now there are specific and detailed gloves for each position on the baseball field.

The largest baseball glove is the catcher's mitt, worn by the catcher behind home plate. These mitts do not have the individual finger slots that other gloves possess. They do have a large amount of padding in the palm area to absorb the shock of the baseball as it hits into the pocket and a large laced webbing to catch the ball. One of the greatest advances in baseball gloves came when a hinged catcher's mitt was introduced in the 1960s that would allow the mitt to close around the ball when it was caught. Catcher's mitts are measured around their outer edge, or circumference, with most falling between 32 and 34 inches around. Special mitts to catch elusive knuckleballs have been designed; they are much larger, with a circumference of as much as 45 inches.

The first baseman's mitt is another glove that has a unique design. These gloves also have no separate fingers and they are very wide and very long. The first baseman's mitt is built this way so the player using it can reach down and scoop up errant throws in the dirt from other fielders. These baseball gloves have a very large webbing area to catch throws.

An infielder other than the first baseman will be equipped with the smallest baseball gloves in comparison to other positions. These gloves have distinct finger slots that the player can slip his fingers into and the pocket is much shallower than other gloves. The shallow pocket allows a player to take the ball out of his glove much quicker than if it was deep and then make a throw to another player. Infielder's gloves will have a more open webbing area so dirt that is scooped up with the baseball will go through and not hinder the player. These gloves are also more rounded than other gloves to give the infielder a better chance of getting to a ball and corralling it.

Pitchers typically use a large glove for two reasons. First, it allows the pitcher to keep the ball hidden from the batter before delivering it so that the grip on the baseball does not give the pitch away. Secondly, the proximity of the pitcher to the batter makes a larger glove prudent as it can help the pitcher catch or at least deflect line drives hit back at him or her. The webbing of a pitcher's glove will be closed so the batter can't glimpse the ball through it prior to the pitch.

Outfielders will employ a long glove that has a very deep pocket. The length of the glove comes in handy when the outfielder has to reach up, down or dive for a baseball, and the deep pocket works to his advantage in keeping the ball from popping out after it has been caught. Outfielder's gloves are normally broken in so that they can squeeze a ball once it goes into the pocket.