Spring is in the air, and with that comes baseball season. As I write this article, the snow is melting, its wet out and in this house we are gearing up for another season of Little League. Time to check the equipment to see what fits and does not fit. See whats lost or not in good condition anymore which got me thinking about my boys batting gloves.
How long do batting gloves last? The answer to this question will be different for everyone. My rule of thumb is that a new pair of batting gloves should last you an entire season. Older kids and adults will use them more often so they might not last as long.
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Over all if you take care of your equipment you should expect to get season or two out of your batting gloves. There are some other reasons why they might not last as long, or last longer than you thought. But for that you’ll have to bear with me and read on to see what information I was able to dig up for you.
How Long Do Batting Gloves Last?
First we should look at a couple things that might cause the gloves to not last as long as they should.
Frequency of use
This is the amount you use them. This one may be pretty obvious but here’s a little twist. My boy’s tend to use them as bike gloves, use them in practice and just generally just wear them around the house. Now of course this will cause the gloves to wear out faster.
In general if you’re using them just for games and practice, they should be able to last you a lot longer. Take good care of your stuff, remind your kids that they should be used for baseball only.
Quality of Glove
The better the glove typically the longer it should last. As the saying goes, “You Get What You Pay For.” This might not always be the case but for the most part, if you buy a good quality glove you will be in good hands
pun intended
So what makes a quality glove? I’d say the brand. The top brands all make good products that consumers want. They have tested things for many years and know what works. If you decided to go with knock off brand of a look alike then they will more than likely not last as long.
This might not always be the case. I know a friend who bought a pair of Easton Adult Walk-Off Batting Gloves (link to amazon) from a sporting good store and within a few weeks the seam at the index finger started to come apart.
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They were able to exchange the gloves without issue and the new pair lasted the entire season and then some. This just goes to show you that one bad pair doesn’t speak for every other pair of the same type of batting glove. Sometimes its just the luck of the draw.
What are Batting Gloves Made of?
Batting gloves are made mostly of leather. The palm and fingers are leather and the back of the hand can be made from a synthetic fibre, nylon, polyester and some plastic or rubber pieces for logos or other markers or design.
Leather has been used for thousands of years. Leather is a durable and flexile material and can be used to make footwear, automobile seats, fashion and obviously most important the this article; baseball batting gloves and baseball gloves.
Leather come from the hide of an animal, about 65% comes from cattle. Other types of leather include:
- Sheep (13%)
- Goats (11%)
- Pigs (10%)
This varies from all over the world because some cultures use other animals such as
- Ostrich
- Horse
- Lamb
- Deerskin
- Reptile Skin; Aligator, Crocodile, Snake
- Kangaroo
- And in Thailand; Sting Ray Leather
But we’re not here to talk about leather. The point of this article is what kind of material’s are batting gloves made of. I have found some gloves made from goatskin leather, sheepskin leather but the major brands are good old fashioned leather made from cattle.
Now the example from the story above are made from Premium goatskin leather. The back of the glove is made from LYCRA, which is a brand of material made of polyurethane-based synthetic fiber AKA Spandex or Elastane.
It’s fused with matte and gloss silicon to add strength but maintain flexibility. Most gloves are made this way. The logo and wrist brand are made of neoprene which is a synthetic rubber.
The materials mentioned above are specific to the Easton Walk-Off Batting Glove, but most gloves these days are made with the same materials just in different styles.
Do Batting Gloves Shrink?
Batting gloves are mostly made from leather, and leather can shrink when exposed to heat such as hot water. But if you wash and dry your batting gloves they will be ruined. You don’t need to shrink batting gloves. You should buy a pair that fits snuggly but not too tight around the wrist.
If you buy a pair that is too big and try to shrink them to fit you will risk ruining the gloves. Instead find a pair that fits you properly, try on several styles and different brands to find the pair that fits you.
Some issues with shrinking your gloves with hot water could be, when they dry they become hard and possible brittle. This could cause the close to tear over time. Also the leather might not be a soft on your hands which could cause skin irritation.
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The more you use them the better they should fit to your hands. Hot weather and sweating should help them shrink to the shape of your hands without trying to purposely shrink them.
What is the Purpose of Batting Gloves?
So what are batting gloves used for? Are they just meant for looks? Well the answer to that burning question is this. Batting gloves are meant to help prevent the bat from slipping in the batter’s hands during a swing. They can also help a little with the sting when you hit a ball, although that mostly depends on how you contact the ball on the bat.
Some players prefer gloves to help with grip and others prefer no gloves as they like the feel of the bat. Slipping occurs more when you use a wooden bat as oppose to the aluminum bat. Aluminum bats have a grip tape or padded grip to help with that.
No matter what type of bat you use, a good pair of batting gloves will help keep a better grip on the bat and prevent slippage during your swing.
5 Best Batting Gloves
These are just a few gloves I dug up from BaseballMonkey.com
- Bruce+Bolt Pro Natural Series Premium Cabretta Leather Long Cuff Men’s Batting Gloves
- Franklin CFX Chrome All Star Game Men’s Batting Gloves
- Easton Walk-Off Adult Batting Gloves (Baseball Monkey Exclusive)
- Franklin Shok-Sorb Neo Men’s Baseball Batting Gloves
- Easton Walk-Off Adult Batting Gloves
Click through the links to check out the prices. They vary and are in no particular order. There are many many other options as well. And there could be better or worse options out there. Have a look around and find a pair you like.
Related Questions
What Batting Gloves do the Pros Wear?
Pros wear all kinds of batting gloves. Let just pick a few of the best hitters in the MLB and see what they’re wearing.
- Mike Trout (Los Angeles Angels): Nike Diamond Elite Pro
- José Altuve (Houston Astros): Franklin Powerstrap “MVP”
- Joey Votto (Cincinnati Reds): Franklin Powerstrap
- Mookie Betts (Boston Red Sox): Jordan Batting Gloves
- Francisco Lindor (Cleveland Indians): Franklin Pro Classics (Lindor Edition)
Theres just a few examples I found from What Pros Wear. There are a lot of professional baseball players out there and many many different kinds of batting gloves.
Are Batting Gloves Necessary?
Batting gloves are not necessary and come down to personal preference. Some players will choose to wear them to help with grip and prevent bats slipping and others will prefer no gloves. The hotter weather creates sweat which causes bats to become more slippery in your hands. So a good batting glove will help with this problem.
How do you Size Batting Gloves?
Batting gloves come in different sizes. Small, Medium, Large and Extra Large. There are Mens, Women and Youth sizes. It is important to have a snug fitting glove but not too tight around the wrist.
You should have a little play in the finger tips and over time the glove may shrink a little bit. You don’t want to buy bigger gloves hoping to grow into them because it might affect your swing. If you plan on shrinking the batting gloves you could risk ruining the leather.
Try on different sizes before you buy.
Do Batting Gloves Help with Vibration?
Batting gloves can help with vibration, but their main purpose is to increase grip on the bat. Vibration comes from where the ball is contacted on the bat. A good swing and connection will lessen the vibration more than any glove will. That being said, A batting glove can help slightly with vibration.
Source: https://t-tees.com
Category: HOW
