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The best baseball glove is more than a piece of gear: It’s an extension of your hand and fingers. And that’s true for all baseball players — whether you’re playing catch with your kids or competing at a high level.
But finding the best baseball glove for your hand, position and play style can be tough. Below is a quick guide to understanding the different types of baseball gloves, plus four of our favorite baseball gloves to buy right now.
How to Choose the Best Baseball Glove
When picking up a new baseball glove, you’ll want to consider the build quality and the glove’s intended position. Quality is pretty straightforward: Respected brands use high-quality leather and solid stitching for a glove that can hold up for years. A glove’s intended position is a bit more complex. Different positions require a specific kind of glove, although some gloves can be transitional in friendly games.
Infield gloves are typically smaller and lighter for fast movement. The pocket also needs to be relatively shallow so infielders can quickly switch the ball to their throwing hand.
Pitcher’s gloves have the unique job of hiding the pitcher’s hand and therefore need closed webbing. Otherwise, pitcher’s gloves are about the same as an infield glove with a slightly smaller size for quickness.
Outfield gloves are on the large side with longer fingers and a deep pocket. This allows for maximum reach when wrangling fly balls and a secure catch.
Utility gloves are ideal for most beginner to intermediate players enjoying friendly games. They feature closed webbing for pitching, a mid-range size for playing outfielder or infielder and an in-between pocket depth for fast movement infield.
Catcher’s mitts are the most distinctive of the bunch, sporting a large size and lots of padding for handling fastballs without any pain. In serious play, first basemen often wear a special padded mitt as well.
