What’s The Deal With First Base Gloves?
Figuring out what you need first base gloves
First base gloves are a fairly new concept in baseball protective gear. While first base players have gotten along for years without first base gloves, this innovation is helping to secure more outs with less effort. First base gloves are adapted to the action that arrives at first base, and they need to be specialized.
What these mitts have to do
First base gloves need to be ready for anything that’s thrown at them, quite literally.
The first base person will be handling most of the throws in a game.
Since most batters will only hit singles and potential singles, first base gloves need to be adapted to getting that throw, catching it, and holding it to get the runner out.
So how do they do this?
Face: Nolan Ryan played twenty seven seasons in major league baseball, mostly as a pitcher.
What’s in a glove?
First base gloves need to be designed for catching and holding onto the throws that they receive. To do this, most gloves will need to have a larger mesh pocket than other gloves.
If you’ve ever watched baseball, first base players sometimes need their first base gloves to go out farther from the base than their bodies.
The additional mesh helps give another few inches of reach.
The reinforced mesh of the pocket also helps to cradle the balls in first base gloves so that they don’t fall out after the catch is made.
You’ll also need a curved finger to control the ball in the pocket as well.
What’s in the material?
You may want to choose more natural materials for first base gloves because they adapt to changing condition, unlike synthetic materials.
You want a glove that moves with you and the weather.
Since the first base person has so much to deal with in their position, it’s vitally important that first base gloves are chosen with these factors in mind.