Batting Gloves

Baseball / Softball Batting Gloves

Materials

You can uses batting gloves on both hands. The batting gloves warm your hands, also it gives you grip when you hit the ball. Loose batting gloves can lead to slipping and tight gloves will impact movement. There are two materials used for protect the palm: leather and synthetic leather. Leather gloves give better grip than synthetic leather. Synthetic batting gloves offer comfort and flexibility and can also be easily cleaned. A lot of batting gloves are isolated, therefore they are waterproof and wind resistant. Also some batting gloves are made of sheepskin leather. There are also batting gloves for fastpitch. A padded glove is extra comfortable when you miss with hitting. Extra padded batting gloves have padding on de back of the glove, protecting the back of the hands from the ball. Most gloves have Velcro on the wrist. This allows the player to tighten or loosen the glove themself. Gloves also prevent blisters. Winter batting gloves are usually a bit thicker. These gloves are therefore always waterproof and windproof. 

History

Batting gloves were first used only in golf. Ken Harrelson was a golfer but also a baseball player. During a baseball game he got a blister while hitting. Coincidentally he had his golf gloves in his pocket and thought he could put them on for protection. This took place in 1961. From then on, more and more baseball players started to use batting gloves. But Ken Harrelson wasn’t the first player who started wearing batting gloves. People say that Hughie Jennings used batting gloves in 1901 and Johnny Fredericks in 1932, but then the gloves were not known at all. From 1980, batting gloves became very essential. From then on almost everyone began to used them, until it was standard practice.

User moment

You wear a batting glove on your top hand. The hand that is nearest the end of the bat. For a right-handed hitter, that's your left hand. This is the hand which will rub against the knob of the bat, and the hand which will stay on the bat through the whole swing. The most baseball players wear batting gloves, because they give you grip. Pitchers can wear batting gloves as long it is not on their pitching hand. Fastpitch softball batting gloves are an important piece of equipment designed to enhance your grip of the bat. Bat grip helps you produce a swing with maximum power and control through the zone. Many people think that batting gloves are just for protection, but a good batting glove not only gives you protection but it can also help you to hit the ball perfectly. Wearing a wrong batting glove can have negatively affect one your performance in a game.

Ages and gender

The sizes for youth batting gloves are: XXS, XS, S, M and sometimes L and for adults: S, M, L, XL, XXL. The difference between men and women gloves are often the colour combinations. Women batting gloves often have smaller hand openings and skinnier fingerstalls, because the average woman has smaller hands than the average man. So the men batting gloves are bigger. Fastpitch batting gloves are usually made for women softball players. These gloves are shorter and have smaller wrist openings. Good fastpitch gloves have special padding in the palm. Next to the baseball gloves used for fielding and catching, Batting gloves ar worn for a better grip on the bat and protection of the hands when sliding to the base. Another reason for using batting gloves, especially in younger leagues (youth baseball) that permit aluminum bats, is shock protection. 

Prices

For junior or adult players expect a price between 25 and 55 euros for a good batting glove. What makes an expensive batting glove better then a cheaper one?  Usually a more expensive glove has a better quality than a cheaper one, because expensive batting gloves are mostly made of sheepskin leather. This leather has better grip. Also expensive gloves are waterproof. Franklin and Rawlings batting gloves are the most expensive gloves. The price range for fastpitch batting gloves is normally 20 until 35 euros.

Durability

A new pair of batting gloves should last at least a season. It also depends on how often you use the gloves, but if you take good care of your equipment, you should expect to be able to use it for two seasons.

Brands

Adams

Adidas

All-Star

Atec

Axe Bat

Baum Bat

Benson

Blitzball

Bolco

Crep

Cutters

DeMarini

Easton

Evoshield

Franklin

Gorilla Gold

Jugs

Kenko

Lizard Skins

Louisville Slugger

Majestic

Markwort

Marucci

Masterpieces

Miken

Mizuno

Mitchell & Ness

Mpowered

New Balance

New Era

Nike

P2I

ProHitter

Rawlings

Richardson

SKLZ

Smitty

Trace

Twin City

Under Armour

Victus

Vulcan

Wilson

Worth

XO Athletic