Perhaps it would be more fitting to claim that Rawling baseball gloves are cut from different leather than from different cloth, but that saying is not as universally recognized. However you want to frame it, Rawlings has consistently gone for gold when it comes to designing player-approved baseball gloves and even fastpitch softball gloves and slowpitch softball gloves. For over a hundred years, Rawlings has produced a variety of equipment that has defined the sport of baseball, and the weight of their reputation speaks a strong testament to that.
Need proof of it? Check out some of these performance-centric features that you’ll find in our collection of Rawlings gloves:
- Advanced factory break-in levels: One of the things that players opine about new gloves is the fact that they can be stiff and take a long time to get that “played-in, seasoned” type of feel to them. Every glove needs a little bit of break-in, and no factory-broken glove will ever feel as supple and personal as a glove broken in during practice, but a factory break-in can also save players a lot of time and trouble. Many of Rawlings gloves come with advanced levels of factory break-in, ranging from approximately 60%-80%. That puts players one step closer to that sublime comfort and performance of a well-loved, hard-used glove.
- Reinforced palms: Fatigue is a real thing, and players who spend all day landing pitches right in the center of their palms know it from experience. Your palms will get sore when you’re fielding drive after drive to your portion of the field, even if you aren’t a catcher. That’s why some of Rawlings gloves are made with reinforced palms to cut back on pain and fatigue.
- Padded sleeves (especially for padded thumbs for catchers’ mitts): Similarly, when you’re fielding an inordinate number of plays, your fingers can get rubbed raw on the inside of the mitt or the glove you’re wearing. This is a particular annoyance for catchers, and it’s one of the reasons that so many Rawlings gloves come with padded sleeves.
- Interior wool padding: Wool is a remarkable material that is excellent at thermoregulation. It’s capable of keeping you warm in the cold and cool in the heat, and it is much, much stronger than cotton. It also can absorb a lot of liquid without feeling wet. Also, it’s soft and comfortable - which is why some Rawlings gloves are padded with wool.
- Full-grain leather construction: Not many natural materials can match the supple nature and brute toughness of full grain leather. Only full-grain leather will become more comfortable and well-formed over time, without losing hardly any of its strength. If anything, it retains its strength while providing additional comfort and flexibility. A full-grain leather glove is a real heirloom treasure capable of offering amazing performance. You’ll find a number of Rawlings gloves made from some of the most select pieces of the hide for superior performance and unrivaled toughness.
- Rawhide laces: A great glove can be ruined by poor lacing. Some glove manufacturers only use a strip of leather similar to what the glove itself has been made from. Rawlings predominantly uses Tennessee Tanning rawhide laces that are extremely tough and durable, much stronger than the leather itself. Think about it, the term rawhide itself has become a metaphor for a thing that is uncompromisingly, bitterly tough. That’s the kind of durability that you get with Rawlings baseball gloves!
- Thermoformed hand openings: It sounds like a really fancy word, but really all it means is that the leather opening to the glove has been given its shape under the influence of heat. This is one popular method to shape leather, the other being wet forming. However, fancy names aside, what really matters about this is that a thermoformed piece of leather has “memory.” It won’t lose its shape easily, so you can expect comfort for seasons to come.
- Carbon fiber hyper shells: While leather is tough and strong, carbon fiber is tough and strong in addition to being light. That’s one thing leather doesn’t have, as it is reasonably dense. However, many Rawlings gloves are made with supplemental carbon fiber construction, which is ridiculously light, tough, and
- And much more - just check our collection of Rawlings baseball gloves to learn more about them!
If you have any questions about our collection of gloves and can’t find the information on our product pages, feel free to get in touch with us and we’ll work with you directly. We’ll also help you out in picking your first glove, upgrading to a better glove for the upcoming season, or just generally answering your questions. We’ll even give you pointers on how to break in a new glove!
Anytime you need a little extra help, remember we’re only a call away and you can get us at 1-888-540-BATS.
