Murphy Canyon Little League: For Parents

How to Buy a Baseball Glove

Use the chart below as a general guideline for determining glove size.

Age Position Glove Size 5-6 General 10 to 10 1/2 (youth model) 7-8 General 10 1/2 to 11 (youth model) 9-12 General 11 to 11 1/2 (youth model) High School/Adult Infield 11 to 11 1/2 High School/Adult Outfield 12 to 12 1/2

	Measuring Baseball Gloves Fielders gloves and first base mitts are measured by starting at the top of the index finger of the glove down the finger along the inside of the pocket and then out to the heal of the glove. Use a flexible tape measure, not a stiff ruler. Measure the glove from the highest point (normally the index finger). Next, lay the tape measure across the palm of the glove, so that it folds across and into the indenture, down to the heel of the glove. Professional baseball has a 12 inch maximum height for a glove, although this rule has not been strictly enforced.
	Glove Quality Higher quality baseball gloves and mitts are usually distinguished by higher grade leather, better construction and better design. These work together to produce a glove or mitt that is durable and helps the ball into and out of the pocket. The highest quality gloves are usually made of heavy leather that will need some time to break-in and typically do not have palm pads or Velcro adjustments.
	Breaking In A Glove Most manufacturers will agree that a good glove oil or leather conditioner cream should be used to break in a glove. Do not use anything that contains silicon. Manufacturers do not recommend using anything that requires the use of a microwave or a oven.
	Gloves Versus Mitts The main difference between baseball mitts and gloves is that mitts don't have fingers and gloves do. Mitts tend to do a better job of controlling balls that don't hit in the pocket and can aid scooping ground balls and short hops. First base and Catcher are the only positions allowed to use mitts.
	Female Gloves Baseball gloves for women are designed with narrow finger slots and smaller wrist openings, providing a better fit.
	Youth Gloves Youth baseball gloves and mitts typically are designed to be easy to break-in and will sometimes have a notch in the heel to help the glove break-in correctly. These gloves are usually designed with smaller finger and wrist openings to better fit smaller hands, and often have oversized pockets to aid youngsters learning how to catch.
	First Base Mitts Most first base mitts are designed for baseball use and are 12 to 12 1/2 inches. First base mitts have a thin but stiff pad that runs around the circumference of the mitt and little or no padding in the palm or finger area. Larger baseball first base mitts can be effectively used by softball players. Some manufactures will make softball specific first base mitts. These are usually 13 inches or larger and are not very common. Many softball first basemen use a 13 to 14 inch softball outfield glove at first base.
	Catchers Mitts Baseball catcher's mitts usually have a very thick pad around the circumference of the mitt and thick padding in the palm and finger area and a small pocket. Softball catcher's mitts are similar to baseball catcher's mitts except the with less padding and a much larger pocket.
	Open vs Closed Web For most positions, an open web vs a closed web is a matter of personal preference. Open web gloves tend to trap the ball a little better than closed web gloves. Closed web gloves tend to get the ball out of the pocket a little quicker. First and Third base players tend to prefer open web gloves. Middle infielders tend to want closed web gloves to help get the ball out of the glove quickly. Pitchers usually want closed web gloves so they can hide the ball easier.
	Conventional Back vs Closed Back Conventional (open) vs closed back is mainly a matter of style and personal preference. Conventional back gloves tend to be a little lighter and can fit a bit tighter in the wrist. Some closed back gloves have straps with Velcro that allow you to adjust how tight or loose the glove fits.

	How To Buy A Glove
	Price A good glove does not have to be expensive. There are gloves that will give many seasons of satisfactory service for under $75. You can pay more, but more money does not necessarily mean a better, more serviceable glove. There are expensive gloves ($100-$200+) which may last one or two seasons, and there are inexpensive baseball gloves that can last for ten years or more with routine maintenance. The more expensive gloves do tend to use better (often heavier) leather than less expensive gloves. All things being equal, with careful maintenance, the higher quality glove should last longer. The question is "is the more expensive glove worth the price"?
	Size Select a glove for the position you will be playing most often. Use the chart at the top of this page as a general guideline for determining glove size. A glove should feel fairly snug when adjusted. Check to make sure the glove adjusts to your hand. Allow room for batting glove if you wear one. Except for pitchers, most players should wear a batting glove inside their fielders glove. The batting glove will absorb most of the sweat from your hands, thus protecting the lining of your glove. Change the batting glove when it gets wet or rotted.
	Quality The leather should be fairly sturdy. A stiffer glove will have to be broken in, but once done, the glove will be serviceable for many seasons. The softer "pre-broken" gloves feel great, but many of them wear out very quickly and may be difficult or impossible to repair. The leather in the pre-broken gloves is usually thinner and therefore weaker than that in a sturdier glove. The thinner, softer leathers tend to show signs of stress at the lacing holes in the web and fingers after a few months of continuous play.

	- Baseball Glove Materials -
	Manufacturers usually tout a glove's materials whenever they are made of something considered "premium" enough to provide a selling point. If a glove is made of full-grain leather or premium steerhide, the two top grades, the manufacturer will definitely print that fact prominently on the glove. Top-quality leather makes the best gloves, but the reality is, for a kid's glove that will be outgrown and discarded after a few years, premium materials are nice but not crucial. The original method of turning animal skins into leather is known as "vegetable tanning," which means the skins are tanned with tree bark or tree-bark extracts containing tannin. Vegetable-tanned leather undergoes a lengthy tanning process that results in a leather that is flexible and has superior moldability. The other primary method of tanning is called "chrome tanning," in which the skins are tanned with mineral salts. Chrome tanning can be done in a fraction of the time of vegetable tanning, and results in a stronger, more abrasion-resistant leather. Almost all baseball gloves today are chrome tanned leather. "Oil tanning" is a specialized process that is rarely seen today, and is used exclusively in split leathers such as chamois and buckskin. Rawlings claims to use oil-tanned leather in some of their gloves, but more likely the leather is chrome tanned and then oiled. The following are leather types and grades that are used in baseball and softball gloves:
	Buffalo Skin Buffalo skin is used by only one manufacturer, Nokona. Buffalo skin is said to be tougher and lighter than full grain steer hide, but breaks in just as easily. Most people aren't going to want to get a Little Leaguer a buffalo skin glove because of the high price, but if they want to, it's out there.
	Full Grain Leather "Full-Grain" leather is steer hide or cow hide leather on which the entire natural grain remains. It will either be the original thickness of the skin, or the bottom grain will have been sanded off until the leather is the desired thickness. This grade is uncommon in youth gloves, but is readily available in premium adult gloves that come in sizes suitable for older Little Leaguers. Although in theory full grain leather can be any weight, in practice, gloves made of full grain leather tend to be stiffer and heavier than other types, and require longer break-in periods. These leathers are rarely pre-oiled, because the players who buy gloves of this quality usually want to apply their own particular break-in method. Once broken in, full grain leather gloves are superior in both performance and durability. Catchers' mitts are almost always made of full grain leather or premium steer hide.
	Top Grain Leather "Top-Grain" leather" is a misnomer; it is usually leather in which the "top" grain (the fur side) is sanded off until the leather is a desired thickness, and then filled or treated, where an artificial grain is introduced, usually by pressing. Many baseball gloves probably are top grain leather, but the manufacturers may not always use the phrase to describe the leather. Often they use a brand name instead. Nokona is the only manufacturer that says its gloves use "top grain leather." In Nokona's case, the leather is heavy weight and very durable. Wilson's "Quick-Stop" leather is also a top grain leather, but it is medium weight and has average durability.
	Premium Steer Hide Steer hide, which comes from neutered bulls, is somewhat stronger than cow hide. Manufacturers are free to call any steer hide "premium," but in practice they reserve this designation for their better grades of heavy weight steer hide, usually top grain, occasionally full grain. Gloves made of this leather tend to be stiff and somewhat heavy, with longer break-in periods. These leathers are sometimes pre-oiled. Many manufacturers have gone away from premium steerhide both because the market now demands softer gloves, and to save money because few consumers know the difference.
	Leather or Cow Hide "Leather" means cow hide, usually medium weight, but sometimes heavy weight. This category encompasses the greatest range of quality. Cow hide performs well, and will break in faster, but also wear out faster than steer hide. Usually this grade will come "pre-oiled" or otherwise treated to reduce break-in time. Cow hide is probably the best all-around choice for a youth glove for ages 10 and up. There are many good Leather glove bargains in the $25-$50 range.
	Kangaroo Skin Kangaroo skin is stronger than steer hide of any grade, and weighs a fraction as much. It is fairly new to the baseball glove market, and what grades are being used is anybody's guess. Some manufacturers use kangaroo only in premium gloves, while others use it only in their budget baseball gloves. Early reports say it breaks in easily but doesn't hold its shape as well as the better cow hide or steer hide grades. Often gloves are made with steer hide or cow hide palms for durability, and kangaroo skin backs for light weight.
	Pigskin Pigskin is far less durable than cowhide. However, it is more flexible and breaks in far more easily than cowhide, and costs less. Pigskin gloves are inexpensive, and can be ideal for a youngster who wants a good-performing glove but who may grow out of it in a year.

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2009 Rule Changes for Baseball Bats

A rule change was issued by Little League International on October 9th, 2008 in regards to bat size and BPF numbers printed on the bats for the 2009 season. If you are going to play in the in 2009 season, please take note of these changes.

   

Use of 2 3/4 inch Diameter Bats no Longer Permitted in Junior Baseball

Beginning with the 2009 Little League Baseball season, baseball bats with a diameter of 2 3/4 inches are no longer permitted for use in the Junior League Division of Baseball. Baseball bats with a 2 5/8 inch diameter are now the standard for all teenage baseball divisions (Junior, Senior and Big League). The "minus-3" requirement - overall weight (in ounces) of a bat can be no more than three ounces below the overall length (in inches) of the bat - remains in effect in Senior and Big League Baseball divisions, but is NOT a requirement in Junior Baseball.

A committee at USA Baseball is in the process of developing a standard for bats used in the Junior League Division. Currently, there is no standard in place as there is for bats in Little League Baseball (Majors) and below, and for bats used in Senior League and Big League.

(USA Baseball is the governing body for amateur baseball in the U.S. Little League Baseball is a member of USA Baseball.)

This step taken by Little League, and to be taken by other youth baseball organizations in the coming year or two, is a first step in that process and a way to prepare for the new standard. Eventually, for the Junior League age group, only bats with a diameter of 2-5/8 (two-and-five-eighths) inches will be manufactured to meet the new standard when it is ready for implementation.

In the Senior and Big League Divisions, the standard is the Ball Exit Speed Ratio (BESR), with its "minus-3" requirement. The overall weight (in ounces) of a bat can be no more than three ounces below the overall length (in inches) of the bat. This mandate remains in effect in Senior and Big League Baseball divisions, but is not a requirement in Junior Baseball.

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   Bat Performance Factor [BPF] of 1.15 is required for Little League Baseball  (Majors) Divisions and Below

In effect for the 2009 season is the requirement that all non-wood bats used in Little League Baseball (Majors) Divisions and below shall be printed with a BPF of 1.15 or less. The BPF is a measure of a non-wood bat's performance relative to wooden bats.

This stipulation has been included in the Official Rules and Regulations for the past few years, leading up to 2009, so that leagues, parents, and bat manufacturers could prepare for it.

Most non-wood bats manufactured over the past several years for the age groups involved in Little League Baseball (Majors) and below have been permanently imprinted with the BPF. In fact, very few bats sold today with a diameter of 2-1/4 (two and one-quarter) inches are not printed with the BPF rating.

So, starting with the 2009 season, bats printed with a BPF higher than 1.15, or without a BPF printed (or not legible) on the bat, are not permitted in these divisions.