Cleats: Metal or Molded?

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Jan 31, 2014
292
28
North Carolina
DD moves to 14u in January, which in our area means moving to metal cleats for many girls. Generally speaking, but especially for a pitcher, is there any real advantage (or disadvantage) to metal?

Don't know if it's oranges to apples, but a recent rainy MLB game, camera showed close-up of two pitchers clearing mud from cleats that appeared to be molded, not metal.
 
Jun 18, 2012
3,183
48
Utah
Metal cleats hands down! Ever practiced on a hard infield. The molded cleats are almost like regular tennis shoes--they slide all over.
 
Jan 27, 2010
1,870
83
NJ
After wearing her first pair of metal DD never wanted to wear molded again. To bad the HS girls still have to wear molded in NJ.
 
Jan 31, 2014
292
28
North Carolina
No, grass. But only pitchers shown, which sparked my question. Retired MLB infielder I know said they wore metal, even on artificial turf (in 80s and 90s), but I didn't think at the time to specify pitchers.
 
Jan 25, 2011
2,282
38
Metal is the only way to go as a pitcher. But take sometime and practice her sliding, to get use to them and avoid injury.
 
Nov 29, 2009
2,975
83
Echoing the comments from the others here. My DD switched when she went to college. She was forced to wear molded for HS and travel. I had her pack her molded spikes if she didn't like the metals. They never came out of her bag.

She is like every player and pitcher I know. Once they wear metal spikes the never want to go back to molded. DD is playing some slow pitch now and does not like the molded.
 
Jan 27, 2010
1,870
83
NJ
I think the fear of the sliding is unwarranted. If your kid knows how to slide with molded they will be fine with metal. The dirt around the bags is usually pretty softened up.
 
Feb 17, 2014
7,152
113
Orlando, FL
Florida was one of the first to go to metal and 43ft in HS and there was a huge outcry based on the potential for grave injury. Oh the humanity! The injuries never materialized and now even the alphabets have switched to metal starting at 14U. Once kids wear metal they never go back.
 

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