Specific recommendations for catcher's mitt, please!

[ANNASDAD]

Here’s one after the relace. And then for anyone wanting to know if steaming does anything bad to a glove look at the all black one and how wrinkled the leather got after steaming. Gloves wore differently all summer.

Wow, very useful side by side pic for anyone considering using Dick's death box!

 

[OsDad]

This is a little tangential to the conversation but sometimes I see Shigeaki Aso's break-in method come up as a defense for steaming, hot water, etc and it's important to point out that a pro player is using their glove to secure a very substantial livelihood and they need peak performance for a relatively short amount of time (relative to, say, a master carpenter's high-end tools that can last lifetimes, if taken care of properly), and then they get a new glove. A professional gets absolutely ZERO utility out of having a glove last several years. This is an area where doing something because "the pros do it" might not be the best idea.

 

[linedrivehitter]

Hi All!

I think my daughter (15yo/18U tournament) may need a new catcher's mitt. She currently has a Vela All-Star CMW3000 33.5 which isn't that old and is still in good condition, HOWEVER, balls tend to pop out of it.
I truly THOUGHT it was my daughter just dropping balls (as did her coach) but then her coach caught with it for a few pitches while my daughter used the restroom and noticed that it wasn't user error. A couple of the other coaches looked at it and said the pocket looks really small.
Aside from this issue, it's a great glove.

What recommendations do you have? I recently purchased a Rawlings Liberty Advanced for MYSELF for a great price, but I definitely feel like the finger spacing is for larger hands than either of us have, Price is not an issue.

Thanks so much!!

Try opponents gloves for warm ups or on the sidelines between games. You should find good ones at a single tournament. Then go buy the best one. I'd go with a 34 inch too.

 

[wheresmycar]

DD was asked to be a fill in catcher for a season, so I decided she needed her own gear. Bought a Marrucci 34" MFGSB34CMV series catchers mitt, and she never had any issues with balls popping out. Break in was pretty easy. Coat of Mizuno Strong Oil, ball in pocket, and wrapped in a glove locker band, and forgot about it for a couple of weeks. Very catch-able after that. Told DD when it wasn't being used, put ball in pocket, and wrap with the band, before it goes in her bag.

I've seen a lot of catchers using AllStar mitts suffer with balls popping out. I am convinced it's the mitt.

 

[jmdub]

DD was asked to be a fill in catcher for a season, so I decided she needed her own gear. Bought a Marrucci 34" MFGSB34CMV series catchers mitt, and she never had any issues with balls popping out. Break in was pretty easy. Coat of Mizuno Strong Oil, ball in pocket, and wrapped in a glove locker band, and forgot about it for a couple of weeks. Very catch-able after that. Told DD when it wasn't being used, put ball in pocket, and wrap with the band, before it goes in her bag.

I've seen a lot of catchers using AllStar mitts suffer with balls popping out. I am convinced it's the mitt.
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my money is on how the mitt is being taken care of (or lack of care). Single hinge catchers glove that is allowed to sit flat and starts to pancake will never have a correct pocket to catch a 12" softball. Have to keep a ball or spacer in it and keep it wrapped.

The pattern and leather on the all-star is just fine, but one of those things flattened out would be a nightmare.

Marucci gloves look interesting this year. There is a new designer in charge of the patterns.

 

[jmdub]

This is a little tangential to the conversation but sometimes I see Shigeaki Aso's break-in method come up as a defense for steaming, hot water, etc and it's important to point out that a pro player is using their glove to secure a very substantial livelihood and they need peak performance for a relatively short amount of time (relative to, say, a master carpenter's high-end tools that can last lifetimes, if taken care of properly), and then they get a new glove. A professional gets absolutely ZERO utility out of having a glove last several years. This is an area where doing something because "the pros do it" might not be the best idea.

all he is really doing is applying controlled heat to certain parts of the glove. He never lets the water actually sink into the mitt. You really want about 110-130 degrees of controlled heat. In the summer I will put a glove in a plastic shopping bag with a ball in it and wrapped in neoprene sleeve and lay it on the dash of the car. Come out at lunch and work the glove and then rewrap for the afternoon. It seems to get just warm enough to make the leather soft and workable without overheating it and/or drying it out.

I've seen some guys use a clothes dryer but all that bouncing around seems like a way to get premature wear on the leather.

 

[ANNASDAD]

I've seen some guys use a clothes dryer but all that bouncing around seems like a way to get premature wear on the leather.

I know I've written about doing it here, but only on two gloves ever. My CMW3000 to keep from beating it with a sledge hammer, and our first JVC-22, not the same one I posted the other day. Both times I used this method the glove was put in the dryer with 7 or 8 towels and kept in there for 10 minutes max. As soon as I pulled them out I worked on the heel and pocket with my dumbbell and then we immediately threw for 15 or 20 minutes. Absolutely no harm or damage, and this is coming from someone who strictly believes in breaking in gloves the old fashioned way! I was just at my wits end with those two gloves!

 

[erniekru]

regarding the heating the glove.. I use nokona glove treatment liberally and wipe excess off with a rag. Glove or mitt goes straight into a plastic bag and on the seat of my car. I make sure to twist the end of the bag and stuff into the hand well.

Anyway, after about an hour or two, the glove will be warm and the humidity will slightly condense on the inside of the bag. I'll immediately take the glove out, pound out the pocket and heel of the glove. I'll also stretch out all of the lacing on the end of the pocket and fingers. Work in the heel via bending and stretching. If DD is around, play catch when it is still warm. Repeat maybe 2-3 more times and glove should be well on the way to being usable.