Top Infielder Glove

[Amy in AZ.]

Everyone has a rawlings, wilson, nike, and etc.

Yes. But, those are the $200.00 models and they are given to them. I think that my long time mitt was about $40.00. (SSK, when they were a good company.) But, if you want something that will still be fairly stiff in 2 years, you aren't going to find it on the shelf of your local store. A lot of coaches check their players gloves to see how much life is left in them.

The OP said that he was buying for a high schooler, so I would be looking at $150.00, to get her through college. Of course, if the college has a glove sponsor, you don't have to worry about your glove.

 

[cwestwjg]

Amy in AZ. I believe those guys gets big checks also to wear those gloves in the BIGS!! Local schools around here like Arkansas Tech without glove sponsers you see alot of Nokona, Akedema, Liberty Advanced, etc.

 

[Amy in AZ.]

Liberty Advanced is a very nice glove, that I use for girls that throw hard. I think if you looked a little, you could get it for $90.00 and I like the colors. I find mine hard to break in, but I don't like to work on it, like some do. It ought to last a girl many years.

 

[redhotcoach]

If I have a walmart 30 dollar glove, right size, good shape, I will, guess what, catch every stinkin line drive or grounder hit my way. If I have a $200+ vinci, I will catch every stinkin ball hit my way.

Oh and my dw who played d1 top ten college 1st base, got her first new glove in 20 years when I bought her one two years ago. Her old glove was a <$40 wilson.

 

[jwalk]

Redhot, <$40 dollars today doesn't get you much at your local sporting good's store, but I do see understand where you are coming from. I too have gloves from when I was a freshman in highschool. A2000 INF and Mizuno that I can't wear out and Still use today. I had an old Rawlings that I used for 15 years and It's toast. With all that said I picked up a Vinci for my DD last week. She's more than happy with her lower end Rawlings, but I for one like to give her options. If she chooses to use the Vince then I'm pretty confident I won't have to buy her another glove. And yes, I'm cheap and picked it up for 50% off as a demo.

 

[ms244]

I purchased a Nokona glove for my DD. She liked the fit/style which is a BIG deal. If they don't like the way it looks you are fighting a long battle IMO. I recommended the glove to her because it is one of the few gloves made in the USA, which is a big plus IMO.

 

[Dave D]

FWIW, I went with Glovesmith Elite four years ago. It was somewhere in the price range of the A2K, but way beyond it in terms of materials and construction. DD took the time to break that glove in--no heat treatments, just constant banging balls into it. After four years, she has an incredible glove with a perfect pocket. A couple of the girls on our TB team have gone through more than one glove over that time frame--DD's is probably the last glove she'll ever buy. (no, it didn't take four years to break in--first season it was kind of stiff, but since, it's been great.)

 

[Blackoutsports]

The best thing I can tell you is to take your DD and have her try on new gloves and find what is comfortable to her. I personally have a Nokona that I bought 11 years ago for college and still use it today. It still has great shape, is not floppy, and durable for years, the down side is it's a heavy glove.(Higher Price Range). Another good glove is the shoeless joe, it is handmade with top leather, but not as heavy.. maybe due to the small padding. (Medium Price Range) One last gloves I will mention, that is a great glove, but little people know about it is the Worth Toxic Lite 12.5 inch. It has one of the best pockets I have seen on a glove, its light weight and has some type of memory foam in it for the padding. It fits the hand well and did I mention the pocket.. Incredible pocket. Probably min to med. break in and is just a nice glove for lower pricing.

These are a few of my favorites, but also these are the ones I could push on the thumb and pinky and fan it out like a basket..lol. I hope this helps, but I am sure your DD will know when she puts the one on that makes her feel like she will catch anything and everything.

 

[jinjet95]

Newer gloves tend to be treated to break in more quickly, but they also don't last as long. I used one glove from the time I was 8 until I was in my 20s, but it was untreated when we bought it. We bought my DD a Glovesmith last winter - the untanned version and broke it in by using it. It took about 6 months before she was comfortable using it in a game, but it' great now. One of the best things we bought her was a $10.00 sleeve from Glove Locker. It has a pocket for a ball and wraps around the glove, then fastens with velcro. It only takes her a couple of seconds to put the glove away to preserve the pocket. Rubber bands just took to long and never seemed to make it to the glove. I highly recommend them no matter what size or price of the glove you buy.

She plays middle infield and uses an 11 3/4" glove.

 

[CPSBDad]

If you can't find top quality gloves in your area I'd suggest shopping online ( JustBallGloves.com ). When we were shopping for a catcher's mitt I bought three and had DD pick the one she wanted. Tried them on and used them and picked the smallest and cheapest mitt of the three. JustBallGloves.com has a great return policy, and they even send you a return label when they ship the glove/mitt. That all said, DD uses a 12" Nokona when she plays 3rd base.