While DD was a pitcher, she transitioned to metal and loved them. She said that the traction was all around better and that she got a better push from the rubber because she could dig in with her toe cleats. Now that she's a catcher and is often times in the wettest part of any field after a rain/mud, she won't wear anything else. Recently she took part in an indoor league that didn't allow metal due to insurance purposes. We had to buy her a pair of molded cleats and she hated them the entire time. She said she felt like she was sliding around and had no traction in them even though the field was always in great condition as far as the dirt went.