Best Baseball Gloves For Kids, Youth & Adult In 2018

The position you’ll be playing will determine what kind of glove you need.

A first baseman wears a larger mitt to protect the catching hand. In addition, catcher mitts need to be the most protective as they have the position most susceptible to injuries.

This mitt will have a round appearance and will include more padding. It also features a deep oval-shaped pocket with a closed web to make it stronger and more durable.

Someone playing the infield will want a smaller and more lightweight glove that contains shallow pockets for getting the ball back to your pitching hand fast.

Someone in the outfield is, however, not looking for a quick release of the ball he receives, but is more concerned with catching it properly. For this reason, they will generally pick a larger glove with deep pockets for cradling the ball.

If you’re playing in multiple positions, you need a glove that will accommodate you anywhere. Picking a standard, multi-purpose glove would be your best option.

The size of a glove is etched on the thumb or pinky finger. Sizes are going to range from 8-13 inches and up to 35 inches for a catcher’s mitt. You'll want a glove that has plenty of room and it should never be too tight.

Remember to keep enough room inside to wear your batting glove as well. In fact, your best bet is to try on the glove with your batting glove so you know how much room you’ll need.

It's always nice to have an adjustable glove to achieve different fits when you need them.

Standard sizes are 8-10 inches for children aged 4-6, 11-inches for children aged 7-9, and 12-13 inches for children aged 10 all the way through adult.

Many people think that you can use baseball and softball gloves interchangeably, but that simply isn’t true. While they share a lot of the same basic features there are specific sizes for fastpitch and slowpitch softball.

Softball gloves are larger to hold the larger balls. The widths vary from 12-15 inches depending what position is being played. Baseball gloves on the other hand typically range from 10 ½ - 13 inches wide.

The design of the gloves is also quite different. A softball glove is going to feature deeper and rounder pockets. The baseball glove is generally shallow and longer except for the catchers and first basemen.

Baseball gloves feature larger hand openings and finger chambers. Both softball and baseball gloves feature the open or closed types of webbing, so that is one similarity.

A high-end baseball glove will cost more money than a softball glove which is why many people attempt to use softball gloves instead.

While it's feasible to use a softball glove for baseball, it would be much harder to use a baseball glove in substitution for a softball glove.

Your best bet would be to purchase a mitt designed for baseball and the position you're planning to play.

Once you’ve received your new glove, it can take a few weeks up to an entire season to get it broken in. The very first thing you want to do is condition the leather. Use a special leather conditioner and lubricate it well.

Work your glove around at hinges and fingers. Be sure you do this as often as you can to get the glove moving.

Make sure you also shape the glove by putting a ball in the pocket and wrapping a band around it. Keep it like this overnight at room temperature for best results.

The best way to break a glove in is to use it! Practice at least once per day so you can start creating that custom pocket right for you.

You may want to punch the glove a few times and help get it in shape. Many people find success with this method.