You’re now the proud owner of brand new Wilson baseball gloves - congratulations! These are some of the finest baseball gloves in the sport and stand alongside other fan and professional favorites like Rawlings baseball gloves and Louisville Slugger Gloves.
They’re engineered for top performance and then crafted from the finest materials using proven techniques to ensure it. Comfortable, practical, and dependable, you’re sure to get some serious mileage from your new Wilson baseball glove.
However, it’s important that you provide your new Wilson glove with the right care and attention to ensure that it breaks in properly over time and remains comfortable and dependable in the long haul. Here are some tips for break-in and care.
- Don’t ever microwave or oven your glove or immerse it in hot or boiling water. If you do any of these things, you will notice that your glove will feel soft and pliable. It seems like a dream - in the short term. In the long term, the heat exposure will cause irreversible damage to the construction of your glove.
- However, it is acceptable to use a glove mallet to beat up a new glove with a ball contained in the pocket. This will help to stretch and loosen the fibers mechanically and will not cause any long-term damage to the leather. In fact, it will make it softer, more comfortable, and more flexible.
- If you’re not about beating your glove with a wooden tool, you can simply put your glove on and get right to practicing. It might be a little bit tight at first, and it might pinch you a little, but today’s baseball gloves come with an impressive measure of factory break-in, so you won’t have to work as hard to get that soft support of a well-worn glove. Either way, breaking a glove in, the old-fashioned way, is the most reliable (and the best method) of getting that glove ready to hit the field.
- Once your glove is broken in, it’s totally acceptable to store it with a ball in the pocket. In fact, this is a good thing, as it will keep it from collapsing over time and will work the “memory” of the pocket’s leather into the shape of a ball. You can also, if you choose, store the glove under even distributed weight, such as under a mattress, to further help form it.
However, just in case you haven’t actually bought a new glove yet and you’re looking for pointers on picking one out, keep some of these tips in mind. Before you can actually break in and care for your new glove, you have to actually get one! These tips will help ensure that your new glove fits comfortably and properly and will serve you well in practice and on the field.
- Before you even try the glove on, consider the position you’ll be playing. While there usually are no hard rules about what players can wear what pitchers gloves, with their short fingers and closed weaves, are more suitable for hiding the ball and less suitable for reaching, like the lighter, open weaves, and longer fingers of most outfielders’ gloves.
- Things like finger length and glove size will be partially impacted by your personal preference, but the fit of the glove is another matter. Place the glove on your hand. It should feel tight but not too tight, and your fingers and thumb should not feel like they're being squeezed or rubbed raw. That will only get worse during a game. There is a fine line between a good fit and a glove that’s just too tight.
- Try to manipulate the glove while you’re wearing it. Close the pocket and open it. A fresh glove should resist you, up to a point. Stiffer is better than softer in a new glove, as the leather and other materials will stretch and limber up over time.
All other things being equal, if you can account for these, you’ve probably got the makings of a Wilson baseball glove that will serve you well for many seasons.
Do you still have product-specific questions that we haven’t answered in this article? Are you looking for more in-depth ways to break in your new glove, or to keep it comfortable for the long haul? Looking for a new bat to go along with your fielding glove to balance out your skills on the field?
We can help, and we’re never more than a phone call away! Just get in touch with us at 1-888-540-BATS, let us know what you’re thinking or what you need and we’d be happy to help. Whether you’re looking for a new glove, a new youth baseball bat, or another baseball gear bag to get you through the season, help is right here at HB Sports!
