Gloves and mitts

What size glove does she need?

Glove size depends on two things: her age and her position. Players 8 and under rotate positions, so one utility glove covers everything. Around age 9 or 10, position starts to matter.

Glove sizes are the length in inches. Catcher's mitts are measured around the outside, which is why the numbers are bigger. These are starting ranges, so check the brand's chart too.

How a glove is measured

How it should fit

• She can close it with one hand. If she has to squeeze with both hands or can't close it at all, it's too big or too stiff.
• Her fingers reach into the finger slots. A little room at the tips is fine. Fingers stopping halfway means it's too big.
• The wrist strap is snug. The glove shouldn't slide off when she shakes her hand.
• Read the label for the hand. "RHT" means right-hand throw, so the glove is worn on the left hand. "LHT" is for lefties.

Fastpitch gloves are different from baseball gloves

A softball is bigger, so fastpitch gloves have wider, deeper pockets. Most fastpitch gloves also have narrower finger slots and a smaller wrist opening, made for girls' hands. A baseball glove works in a pinch, but a fastpitch glove holds the ball better.

First base mitts

A first base mitt has no separate fingers. It's longer, with a scoop-shaped edge for picking low throws out of the dirt. A player who only plays first now and then can use her regular infield glove. A player who plays first base most games should have a mitt.

Catcher's mitts

Catcher's mitts have thick padding and a deep pocket for catching pitch after pitch. They're measured around the outside, so a "33-inch" mitt isn't three times bigger than a 12-inch glove. Because the padding is so thick, the pocket on a 32-inch and a 34-inch mitt can feel about the same.

Young catchers who catch a coach or a pitching machine can often use the team's mitt. Ask before buying.

Common mistakes

• Buying big so she can grow into it. A glove that's too big is hard to close and hard to control, and it makes fielding harder to learn.
• A stiff, expensive glove for a young player. Young players don't have the hand strength to break in stiff leather. A soft glove she can close is the better buy.
• A glove the color of the ball. Gloves can't be optic yellow or have markings that look like a softball. Umpires check pitchers' gloves most closely.
• The wrong hand. Double-check RHT or LHT on the label before you leave the store.

Breaking in a new glove

• Play catch. Using it is the best way to break it in, and it takes a few weeks of regular catch.
• Store it with a ball in the pocket, wrapped loosely with a band to hold the shape.
• Use only a little glove conditioner. Too much makes leather floppy.
• Skip the oven, microwave, and hot car. Heat dries out leather and can ruin the glove.