When playing
baseball there are three main pieces of equipment you need to be successful, a baseball glove, a baseball, and a bat.
Sure, one could argue that as long as you have something that resembles a bat and a ball, you could still play the game, but for the sake of argument a glove is still going to be necessary to safely play the game in the way it was intended. a
So, when it comes to a glove, how do you know which size to get?
Different Types of Baseball Gloves
Before we get into the physical size of a baseball glove it’s important to know that there are different types of gloves as well.
The glove (or mitt) that a catcher uses is not the same as that of a pitcher. There are also different gloves for infielders, outfielders, and even first baseman. In the case of little league and younger kids, you’ll probably only find that the catcher uses a catcher’s mitt while most of the other players just have a glove that fits their hand. Sometimes you might find a kid that is using a first baseman’s glove, but for the most part younger kids are just using a more traditional glove during their games.
These different styles of gloves are designed for the different types of play that those players encounter during a game.
Obviously, a catcher’s mitt needs to be more padded than an outfielder’s glove as the catcher is responsible for catching all of the balls that a pitcher throws during a game. If they didn’t have ample padding in the glove, they would undoubtedly hurt their hand pretty quickly.
A first baseman’s glove is also designed around the type of plays he will most likely encounter during a game. A first baseman’s glove is designed to be wider than a traditional glove, with a more rounded side which is more suitable for scooping balls out of the dirt that are thrown at them while trying to get an out.
The glove also has a deeper pocket than most gloves so that the ball is more easily absorbed and controlled when caught.
When it comes to infield and outfielder’s gloves there is also a difference. Outfielder’s gloves need to be a bit larger than an infielder’s glove. It also needs to have a deeper pocket which can help wrangle in those fly balls.
Infielder’s gloves tend have a bit less length and shallower pocket to them when compared to outfielder’s gloves. This allows for the player to be able to remove the ball more easily from the glove in order to make plays quicker.
What Size Baseball Glove Should I Use?
Let’s start off with children and youth sports where the type of glove (outside of the catcher’s mitt) doesn’t really affect the gameplay. We’re talking about those that are just getting into t-ball or little league and may not know what position they like best or what they are good at.
These players are just out to have a good time and play the game, so the overall style and length of the glove isn’t really going to matter that much. The one thing you want to make sure of is that the glove is comfortable on the child’s hand and the pocket is larger than the ball.
Getting a glove that seems like it might be just a little bit too big in these situations is probably a good thing as kids grow quickly and before you know it, you’ll have to buy another glove to fit their growing hands.
When it comes to older players and adults the first thing you’ll want to do is figure out what position the player is going to be playing the majority of the time. This will help determine what size glove you’ll need to get.
Of course, you always want the glove to be comfortable on your hand when in the field. If it’s not comfortable, or it feels too loose then no matter what the size is you’re going to have a tough time.
When it comes to infielder’s gloves, an adult or teenager should have a glove that is between 11-12”. While an outfielder should have a glove that’s 12-13”.
Overall, the size of the glove will depend on the size of the person and the position they are playing. Comfort and overall fit are the most important things to consider, while worrying about position specific gloves second.
There’s nothing saying that you can’t use an outfielder’s glove in the infield or vice versa, some even prefer it, but as you progress in the sport you may decide to switch it up.
The most important thing is that you’re able to play the game and you’re having fun.
