recomended catchers mitt

DD needs a new catchers mitt, right now she has an older Mizuno catchers mitt (not sure what model). I was looking into the Mizuno Franchise catchers mitt, Mizuno MVP and the Akadema Praying Mantis. I don't too much about catchers mitt but would appreciate any input. Any pros or cons would help, or any other mitts I should consider. Does color of mitt matter? I've heard from some older pitchers in her league that they don't like black mitts if catcher is wearing a black chest protector. Something about wanting contrasting colors to give them better depth perception. I don't know, it's just what I hear so I'm asking you guys here to get a better over all idea. like I said, any suggestions, pros, cons and any input will help me make a better informed decision. DD is 9 on her first season of 10U rec. I'm in no hurry but I'm hoping to get her mitt early enough to break in before her Spring season (2014). Thanks for reading

I have the praying mantis, it is really big. A bit too big for most of the teenage girls.

Our 10U team used Nokona last year and it was a good mitt. The coach is thinking about getting a new mitt and might go with Vinci. There is a Vinci rep here at DFP that may be able to hook you up. His name is "casedawg51". PM him with your questions.

I just bought my dd a Mizuno GSX-31 catchers mitt. It would be way too big for her. I would suggest looking for a youth catchers mitt in the area of 32" in circumference. Youth mitts should be fairly soft and should break in easily. She could use it a couple of years and it won't break the bank.

James Smith said:

At this age all our C’s were using their fielding glove, I personally would not spend more than $100 on a C mitt at this age.

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The mitts I have mentioned are in the $90 price range and that's kind of what I was thinking. DD has been catching since TBall. I know that doesn't mean much, 10U is her first real change. She has been using a catchers mitt all throughout 8U.

My DD used a 1B mitt for her first year of 10U - most pitchers didn't have the heat to need the catchers mitt in rec.

We ended up getting a Wilson A1000 for year 2 of 10U, which she loves. She tried a bunch of different brands on in Dick's Sporting Goods in Upland, where I pitched balls to her in the aisles (wish I had video,) and she preferred the feel of the Wilson vs. Mizuno, Worth and Louisville. It is also a blonde color with black edging, which definitely helps the pitchers in focusing on their spots. It also helped that it was a closeout marked down to $60.

Since you're in OC, I'd recommend hitting all of the different retailers with DD and get her feedback. If you're lucky, one model will "speak" to her!

DD (10u) started with a Mizuno gxs92 Franchise Pro, but the way it fit was bending her thumb back oddly and hurting when she didn't make a catch in the pocket. So we did the sporting good store tour. It came down to the Wilson A1000 and the Easton SYFP 2000. She liked the feel of the Easton. No pain, even on mis-caught balls. Standing up very well after 40+ games of spring travel ball.

#10 said:

My DD used a 1B mitt for her first year of 10U - most pitchers didn't have the heat to need the catchers mitt in rec.

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I second this. Catcher's mitts are designed to soften the blow of hard throwing pitchers. Other than to look the part and get them used to catching with a mitt, I cannot think of a good reason for a 10U player to use one.

I bought my daughter's Vinci through Casey here on the forum, and it is awesome. Incredible craftsmanship, attention to detail, and great customer service. Not to sound like an advertisement, but my two daughters have used Mizuno, Worth, Easton, and DeMarini (back in the day) and the Vinci blows them all away.

It took about 3 months to break in, so if you're looking for something that will be ready to go "out of the box" it would not be a good choice.

I just bought DD a new Mizuno and she loves it. She is 14u TB and will play HS ball as well. I figure if I'm lucky, she will get maybe a year and a half out of it. After that, it'll be Vinci all the way. However, in your case, I would recommend going to Dick's and let her try on as many as they have in your price range. Whichever one she likes ypu can buy. Most Dick's have a steamer now and if yours doesn't, it will be there soon or usually there's another store the next town over that does have one so break-in becomes a moot point. At her age, it's a matter of whatever fits her hand properly and is comfortable.