Tips, Care & Frequenty Asked Questions — Gloves & Mitts

These size recommendations are an average and may not pertain to every player. They will give you a guide whether you are a Baseball, Fastpitch softball, or Slowpitch Softball player.

First off, how is a glove measured?

Fielders gloves and first base mitts are measured by starting at the top of the index finger of the glove down the finger along the inside of the pocket and then out to the heal of the glove.  Lay the tape measure across the palm of the glove, so that it folds across and into the indenture, down to the heel of the glove.  A catcher's mitt is measured by the circumference.

Adult Baseball Gloves

Outfielder gloves are going to offer a larger pattern size in comparison to infielder gloves. This is due to outfielders needing a larger pocket to assist with pop flies while infielders need a smaller, more shallow pocket to help with quick transitions. But, ultimately, the size of your glove comes down to what is most comfortable for you. The best way to find that out is trial by error.

Second Base & Shortstop Gloves: 11.25 - 11.50 inch pattern

Third Base Gloves: 11.50 - 12.00 inch pattern

Pitcher Gloves: 11.75 - 12.00 inch pattern

Outfield Gloves: 12.25 - 12.75 inch pattern

Fastpitch Softball Gloves

Due to the larger softball being used, Fastpitch softball gloves for both infield and outfield feature a larger pattern in comparison to baseball gloves. But, similar to youth gloves, a lot of models will feature a smaller wrist opening and tighter finger stalls to accommodate a female athlete's hand. Typically, these softball gloves range from 11.75 inches all the way up to 13 inches.

Infield Softball Gloves: 11.75 - 12.50 inch pattern

Pitcher Softball Gloves: 12.00 - 12.50 inch pattern

Outfield Softball Gloves: 12.50 - 13.00 inch pattern

Youth Gloves

Youth gloves are recommended for younger players who have not stopped growing and are likely to outgrow their glove sooner rather than later. The age range of youth players is 12 years old and under. Because of the wide range in age, the sizes are going to have a larger range too. The difference in youth gloves is in the wrist opening and finger stalls. Manufacturers, such as Wilson and Rawlings, craft their youth gloves with a smaller wrist opening and tighter finger stalls for a more secure fit on a youth player's hand.

Infield Gloves: 9.00 - 11.50 inch pattern

Pitcher / Outfield Gloves: 10.50 - 12.50 inch pattern

Slow Pitch Softball Gloves

Slow Pitch softball gloves are in a realm of their own. Slow Pitch softball gloves tend to run much larger in comparison to both baseball gloves and Fastpitch softball gloves and range from 13 inches all the way to 15 inches.

Infield Slow Pitch Gloves: 13.00 - 14.00 inch pattern

Outfield Slow Pitch Gloves: 13.00 - 15.00 inch pattern

First Base Mitts

To be able to play first base, you need to be able to catch extremely well. Having the right sized mitt helps. First base glove sizes will range from 12 inches to 13 inches.

Baseball First Base Mitts: 12.00 - 12.50 inch pattern

Fastpitch Softball First Base Mitts: 12.50 - 13.00 inch pattern

Catcher's Mitts

These gloves range in size from 31 inches to 34 inches. This isn't because they are three times the size of a normal glove, but rather because these mitts are measured by their circumference rather than top to bottom.

Youth Catcher's Mitts: 31.00 - 33.50 inch pattern

Adult Catcher's Mitts: 32.00 - 34.00 inch pattern

Fastpitch Softball Catcher's Mitts: 32.50 - 34.00 inch pattern

The best way to break in a glove is to use specially designed glove oil.  Glove oil keeps the leather ''alive'' while providing a softening condition and minimizing weight gain.  Apply a small amount of glove oil to a sponge or cloth, then use the sponge or cloth to apply the oil to the areas of the glove that are currently firm. Start with the palm, the break point of the glove and then web.  Then use the glove oil on all other parts of the glove including the entire inside to help moisturize and protect the glove.  Work the glove oil into the leather evenly.  Do not apply the glove oil directly to the glove, as it will be too concentrated at the point of application.

Also, make sure that the laces get oiled so they can stay moisturized so they will not dry and begin to crack. Otherwise, the webbing of the glove will come loose.  Remember that leather is skin and leather experts tell us not to treat glove leather any differently than you would your skin. Therefore prolonged harsh temperatures (oven, microwave) excessive water soaking, especially use of hot water, abrasives, the salt and acids produced from perspiration and excessive dryness all or individually can be harmful to the glove leather.

Break In Quick Tips

• Play Catch!
• Use a Glove Mallet to simulate repeated ball impacts
• If you have access to a pitching machine stand and catch the balls and drop them in a bucket, breaks in the glove and works on hand eye coordination
• Keep your hand in the glove to break it it! If you let someone else break it in, it will fit their hand not yours!
• While watching TV or sitting keep throwing a ball into your glove.
• Constantly move the leather to help it loosen up.
• Don't add a lot of Oil or Conditioner! The more you add the heavier the glove becomes!
• DO NOT BAKE OR STEAM A GLOVE!!! It is a quick fix but will destroy the leather and drastically shorten the life of your glove!

 

Break Your Glove in Like the Pros

For nearly 40 years, Wilson Glove Master Craftsman Shigeaki Aso has applied his love for ball gloves by designing the glove of choice for the best players in the world, and then some. He works with players at every level, gathering feedback and information to help craft the most innovative and extensive line of ball gloves in the game. As his designs continue to advance, he's become the most respected figure in the industry.

 

Breaking In an Outfield Glove

Breaking In a Middle Infielder Glove

Breaking In a First Base Mitt

Breaking In a Catcher's Mitt

Breaking In a Nokona Brand Glove

How To Apply Baseball Glove Conditioner and Oil

 

A properly cared for quality glove will perform for many seasons. Improper handling, cleaning, adjusting and, in particular, over oiling can shorten the life expectancy of your glove. The most important part of caring for your glove is to recognize that leather will deteriorate if subjected to repeated exposure to moisture and heat. MOISTURE (Water / Steam) and HEAT (Oven / Baking) are the worst things for a leather glove.

• Use the glove oil sparingly, as you can always add more.
• NEVER put your glove in an oven or microwave, the heat can damage the fibers of the leather.
• Water / Steam will cause the leather to dry out, crack, and the laces to become brittle. Some stores will steam for you, in a pinch it works for a weekend not the long term as it drastically reduces the life of the glove.
• Applying glove oil to any non-black colored leather will likely darken it considerably.
• Excessive glove conditioner/oil will damage and shorten the life of a new glove.
• Allow the glove oil to absorb into the leather for 24 hours in a warm area, temperature between 70-90 degrees.
• At the end of the season, apply glove oil very lightly to keep your glove from becoming brittle.
• Store your glove in a dry place with a ball in the pocket to maintain shape.
• Do not use neat's-foot oil, linseed oil or silicon-type spray, these tend to close the pores of the leather, causing it to dry, harden and become heavy.
• Do not apply the glove oil directly to the glove, as it will be too concentrated at the point of application, apply to a cloth first.
• Pummeling a new glove speeds up the break-in, but the glove will be better served if this extra abuse is avoided.
• Wearing a batting glove under your glove absorbs moisture and prolongs the life of the liner of the glove.

Leaving your glove out in the weather will ruin it, as will putting it away wet from perspiration. If it is comfortable, wear a batting glove under your baseball glove (unless you are a baseball pitcher); this absorbs the sweat from your hand. This could add years to the lining of your glove.

When your glove gets wet, dry it with a towel or soft cloth, and leave it exposed to room air for a few hours until the lining is dry. After it dries, use a little glove oil to moisten the leather. When you put your glove away, it's best to put a ball or two in the pocket to help keep its shape.

Routine maintenance should probably be done at least once a season so that you can check the condition of the glove. A tune-up involves tightening the laces in the fingers and web; re-tying any loose knots and cleaning, conditioning and shaping the glove. If you find torn seams, split leather, or broken laces, be sure to have them repaired as quickly as possible. Playing with a damaged glove can damage the glove further and even cause errors. The off-season is also a good time to have the glove professionally re-laced if it requires this work. A number of companies offer this work in addition to complete rebuilding and repair services. At the end of the season, you can take a moderate amount of petroleum jelly, and cover the outside and inside of the glove. Don't ignore the laces or hard-to-get-to areas, both inside and outside the glove. Then take a clean rag and wipe off excess to remove grit and grime. This will also remove and help neutralize much of the salt and acid buildup inside the glove caused by perspiration, a chief problem to the leather lining, usually made of softer leather.

First and foremost not all gloves come with a warranty. For those that do, all Warranties go directly through the Glove Manufacturer not through Diamond Sport Gear. Once a glove has been used and/or conditioned we cannot take it back.

Does My Glove Have a Warranty?

The following companies offer Glove Warranties: Nokona, Wilson, Rawlings, Louisville Slugger, All Star & Diamond. There are certain rules for each brand to be eligible which are listed below. One common rule from all of them is DO NOT Bake or Steam Your Glove. It immediately VOIDS the Warranty!

How Do Warranties Work? What do I need?

• You will need Valid proof of purchase or a copy of your receipt from an Authorized dealer (We are an Authorized Dealer for every brand we carry).
• IMPORTANT NOTE: 3rd Party Sellers are NOT Authorized Dealers! This Includes Amazon, eBay, Walmart, Facebook, etc. If you are ever in question you can contact the Manufacturer of the model you are looking at and verify that the dealer you are wanting to buy from is in fact an Authorized Dealer.
• You have 1 year from date of purchase

Where do I go to Start a Warranty Claim?

Here are the Links for the Manufacturers and their Warranty Info is listed below.

• Nokona
• Wilson
• Rawlings
• Louisville Slugger
• All Star
• Diamond

Nokona

We stand behind our products! Nokona products are fully guaranteed for 1 year against defective workmanship and material – when used for the purposes intended under normal conditions, and provided it receives proper care. *This guarantee does not cover damage resulting from misuse, or from normal wear and tear.

 

Wilson

Baseball/Softball – Ball gloves/mitts, catcher’s/umpire’s protective equipment, batting helmets, batter’s facemasks all come with a 1 Year Warranty.

Wilson warrants the Products against non-conformance with Wilson material and workmanship specifications for the applicable warranty period listed above commencing from the date of purchase by the original purchaser from an authorized dealer (“Warranty Period”) under the following conditions ONLY:

• The warranty claim is made by the original purchaser of the Product with a valid proof of purchase from an authorized Wilson dealer (i.e., this limited warranty does not extend to purchases made from: (i) auction sites such as eBay or Craigslist, (ii) unauthorized dealers selling via third party marketplaces such as Amazon Marketplace, or (iii) dealers selling altered, doctored or counterfeit products);
• The Product has not been subjected to accident, misuse, abuse, commercial use, improper service, or non-Wilson repair or modification;
• The date code and/or hologram (if applicable) on the Product is legible and has not been removed, deleted or altered; and
• Claims are made within the applicable Warranty Period.

WHAT THIS LIMITED WARRANTY DOES NOT COVER

THIS LIMITED WARRANTY DOES NOT COVER AND WILSON IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR:

1. NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR;
2. COSMETIC DAMAGE (I.E., MINOR SCRATCHES, SURFACE DEFORMATIONS, OR DISCOLORATION) INCLUDING NATURAL FADING OF COLORS;
3. DAMAGES CAUSED BY MISUSE, ABUSE, OR BY ACCIDENT OR NEGLIGENCE, INCLUDING PROLONGED EXPOSURE TO INCLEMENT WEATHER;
4. FAILURE TO OBSERVE CARE INSTRUCTIONS;
5. DAMAGE CAUSED BY RIPS, CUTS OR TEARS;
6. BURNS AND ABRASIONS;
7. PRODUCTS TREATED WITH STEAMING DEVICES OR OTHER HEAT TREATMENTS;
8. UNAUTHORIZED MODIFICATION OR ALTERATION INCLUDING ANY REPAIR DONE OUTSIDE OF WILSON CUSTOMER SERVICE;
9. PRODUCTS WITH REMOVED OR DEFACED HOLOGRAMS OR DATE CODES;
10. PRODUCTS PURCHASED FROM UNAUTHORIZED DEALERS (INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, PRODUCTS PURCHASED THROUGH (I) AUCTION SITES SUCH AS EBAY OR CRAIGSLIST, (II) UNAUTHORIZED DEALERS SELLING VIA THIRD PARTY MARKETPLACES SUCH AS AMAZON MARKETPLACE, OR (III) DEALERS SELLING ALTERED, DOCTORED OR COUNTERFEIT PRODUCTS);
11. COUNTERFEIT PRODUCTS;
12. PRODUCTS PURCHASED “USED”, “AS-IS”, “WITHOUT WARRANTY”;
13. ANY DAMAGES ARISING AFTER THE WARRANTY PERIOD; OR,
14. PRODUCTS OR BRANDS THAT ARE NOT LISTED ABOVE.

MAKING A WARRANTY CLAIM

Visit (i) www.wilson.com for Wilson and Wilson Staff Products, (ii) www.slugger.com for Louisville Slugger Products, (iii) www.demarini.com for DeMarini Products, or (iv) www.evoshield.com for EvoShield Products and fill out the limited warranty form for a warranty claim number.

Upon receipt of your warranty claim, Wilson may (a) accept your claim for warranty service by Wilson, (b) request that you send your product to Wilson for further evaluation of your claim, (c) deny your warranty claim, or (d) direct you to the Authorized Wilson Dealer of purchase for warranty service.

If your Product is covered by this warranty, then Wilson will at its sole option and in its sole discretion (1) repair the Product (or part or component thereof), (2) replace the Product (or part or component thereof) with the same model product (or part or component), (3) replace the Product (or part or component thereof) with a comparable product (or part or component) should the Product be discontinued or otherwise unavailable, or (4) provide you with a voucher to be used toward the purchase of other Wilson family of products on one or more of the following websites: www.wilson.com, www.slugger.com, www.demarini.com, or www.evoshield.com. Note - A replacement product does not start a new Warranty Period. At its option, Wilson may replace the Product with a new or refurbished product.

If you have sent your product to Wilson and Wilson determines that your product is not covered by this limited warranty, then we will return your product to you.

Note - Wilson reserves the right to refuse warranty service to any person who, in Wilson’s sole discretion, abuses its products or warranty policy.

 

Rawlings