Category: Sports

Kawhi Leonard debuts his latest signature shoe tonight in Milwaukee, the New Balance Kawhi III Alpha Predator.

Kawhi’s latest shoe will drop February 10 at NewBalance.com for $160. Interestingly, this shoe features a carbon fiber plate built into the FuelCell cushioning system, which “offers a propulsive energy return feeling,” according to NB. We’ve seen carbon fiber insoles (VKTRY) that have shown performance benefits, and this new tech from New Balance builds that right into the shoe. Doesn’t it also look like a raptor’s foot? Just sayin’.

The aesthetic shows a Jordan 5 influence with the open mesh panel, but with modern materials like a lightweight seamless half-bootie that connects directly to the tongue. Paint splattered midsoles and a touch of reptile make these a great look on or off-court, in my opinion.

According to NB, more colorway releases are planned which “tap into the mind of Kawhi such as Recharged Chakra, Lunar New Year, Sacred Geometry and even some that pull from New Balance’s partners and iconic colors.”

What’s your take?

Note: There is a rating embedded within this post, please visit this post to rate it.

Might cop these for Spring Training. 13 Days!!!
The post New Balance, Kawhi Leonard Debut the KAWHI III Alpha Predator, Kawhi’s 3rd Signature Shoe appeared first on What Pros Wear.

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Shohei Ohtani will wear New Balance cleats and apparel in 2023 and into the future, according to the Boston company, which announced a “long-term” partnership with one of baseball’s living icons on Tuesday.

New Balance did not say whether Shohei would get a signature shoe, or how much the partnership pays Shohei each year. Nevertheless, its refreshing to see New Balance steal Shohei away from Asics, a Japanese company that always made beautiful cleats, turfs, batting gloves, guards, bats and fielding gloves for Shohei, but did not market baseball products in the USA.

New Balance, on the other hand, will hopefully be planning some product launches for Shohei. In fact, they are launching a limited edition cleat version of a street shoe, the 574, “to celebrate the partnership.” According to the release, the 574 cleat will launch in February at www.newbalance.com with the suggested retail price starting at $120… you may want to check NB’s baseball landing page now, just in case.

Meanwhile, Shohei looks like he’s wearing similar cleats to the above Fresh Foam X 3000 V6 Metal, $100 at Dick’s.

While his bat and fielding gloves may be coming from other brands in those respective categories, you can expect everything else, including the cleats, turfs, batting gloves, and guards to be New Balance.

“As I continue my journey in baseball I am excited to join the New Balance family,” says Shohei. “New Balance is a global brand that is known for having incredible product innovation but also for being an authentic brand who allows their athletes to be themselves. I am excited to join with them to change the game.”

What do you think about Shohei Ohtani wearing New Balance? Please comment below — we read them all!
The post Shohei Ohtani to Wear New Balance Cleats with New “Long-Term Deal” + NB 574 Cleats in February appeared first on What Pros Wear.

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It’s that time again to take a look back at some of our favorite gloves from 2022. As always, these lists are damn near impossible to narrow down. While I am sure we missed a couple, these were the 8 finalists that stood out to us as some of the most unique and eye-catching gloves of the year.

We will be voting for #1 on Instagram in the coming weeks. Please find us there to cast your vote. The Best of WPW voting this year is sponsored by the 2023 Rawlings Icon USSSA bat featuring In/Tense carbon composite construction, available at Dick’s Sporting Goods.

From Rawlings:

BEST OF WPW 2023 GLOVE FINALISTS

The closest products will all be linked in the headers but many of these are about as exclusive as it gets.

SHOHEI OHTANI’S ASICS GOLD STAGE

Shohei Ohtani is a unicorn on the diamond. That has been well documented over recent years. Not only is his talent and skillset unlike anyone else, so is his glove. A glove that looks part basketball and part leather is an interesting choice. This glove is polarizing. I’m not sure if I love or hate it but I think it’s uniqueness earns it a spot on this list.

FRANCISCO LINDOR’S 11.5″ RAWLINGS REV1X REVFL12 “FDNY”

Lindor could have a bracket dedicated entirely to himself. His Rawlings Rev1x collection is simply insane. With so many options, narrowing it down to one was a tall order but the 11.5″ FDNY version he broke out to honor the New York Fire Department on 9/11 is quite possibly the best Rev1x to date.

via @geminikeez on IG

This is simply an awesome glove with an amazing sentiment behind it. The details on this glove are well thought out including the FDNY emblem and the reflective stripe taken from the firefighters uniform.

via @geminikeez on IG

KIKÉ HERNÁNDEZ’S 12.75″ RAWLINGS PRO PREFERRED PROS303-6KRPRO

When it comes to outfield gloves, it is a little bit harder to stand out. We see much less variety among the outfielders in the show as the vast majority are using some open backed, H-web in 12.75″-13″. But Kike found a way to put a creative spin on a classic.

The closed-back trend is becoming more and more common on the mound but taking it to the outfield grass is something we don’t see everyday. “Kike’s Glove” is one of the most unique we have seen for an outfielder which earns it a spot on this list.

MJ MELENDEZ’S 32.5″ WILSON A2K 1791

Catchers don’t find themselves on this list as often as they should but MJ Melendez cooked up something awesome with Wilson this year.

His A2K 1791 features a royal to blonde gradient SuperSnakeSkin that adds just the right amount of pop to the blonde leather base. Easily one of the best CMs we’ve seen in a while. This design was so nice, Wilson brought it to the CWS with a Limited Edition Exclusive 1720 in June.

BO BICHETTE’S 11.75″ RAWLINGS REV1X REV205-2X “BABY BLUE”

The second and final Rev1x to make our list is this 11.75″ stunner from Bo Bichette. While Bo’s 2022 gamer doesn’t have as many details as Lindor’s Rev1x from earlier on the list, the color combo works perfectly.

The light blue accented by white with hits of gold works so well. The design on the back is unique but not overly complex.

JAZZ CHISHOLM’S 11.5″ ARIA ICE CREAM GLOVE

There are very few players that could rock an ice cream cone glove but Jazz Chisholm definitely makes that list. He has used a couple different “flavors” but we’re featuring this 11.5″ baby blue and black version.

While ARIA was not the first company to release an ice cream cone glove, they launched it into stardom with the help of Jazz. “Absolutely Ridiculous Innovation for Athletes” has taken the baseball world by storm with some of the wildest designs we have ever seen on baseball gloves.

While I don’t think I could ever rock one of these, it is undoubtedly one of the most eye-catching gloves on an MLB diamond today.

WALKER BUEHLER’S NIKE SHADO ELITE J FASTBACK

Rarely does a year go by where Nike doesn’t make a glove that catches our eye. This year, it was Buehler’s pair of royal blue fastbacks. WPW was able to get a good look at them during Spring Training and they did not disappoint.

@whatproswear walker buehler bringing just as much heat on his glove as he is on his cleats @dodgers ♬ original sound – What Pros Wear – What Pros Wear

The white to gray Swoosh/stitch change is subtle but really shows that attention to detail. The clean design paired with the less common fastback makes these twins a lock for this list.

COLE IRVIN’S 12″ NOKONA EDGE X

The Edge X from Nokona is another extremely unique addition to the glove world over the past couple of years. The meticulous craftsmanship and doubletake-worthy aesthetic make the Edge X one of the more interesting gloves on the market today. Cole Irvin used that canvas to create a simple but bold gamer for the year.

(Photo by Nick Tre. Smith/Icon Sportswire)

Another fairly polarizing glove (more due to price than looks), this black and green base is accented beautifully by the yellow stitching throughout. It is not a complex design but one that blends enough custom and classic to be one of the best from 2022.

(Photo by Leslie Plaza Johnson/Icon Sportswire)

These were the final gloves we narrowed down from the slew of amazing designs we saw this year. With custom options what they are, so many guys had great looking gloves from Arenado’s timeless timberglaze to J-Rod’s wild 1799. We felt these 8 broke the mold and stood out from the rest. As always, let us know which glove was your favorite from 2022 down below!

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post’s poll.
The post Best of WPW: Glove of the Year 2022 appeared first on What Pros Wear.

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Since 2017, we’ve tracked the cleats worn by MLB starters, and the 2022 numbers are in. This Rawlings and Dick’s Sporting Goods sponsored report (like our glove report) focuses on starting position players. These players are noted on Baseball-Reference.com’s 2022 team pages, along with a few select players. Focusing on the most active players, starters, allows for the efficiency of data to be improved. Following the 2022 season, not much has changed outside the league leader taking an even more commanding lead.

Andrew McCutchen’s Nike Alpha Huarache Elite 3 mid cleats.

Read on to see what brands were worn by baseball starters in 2022, but first, let’s look back at the data for the 2021 season.

2021 Cleats Worn by MLB Starters

In 2021, Nike was the prominent leader but New Balance took back the second-place spot from Adidas. Under Armour’s decline continued while the Jordan brand grew.

What Cleats Do You Wear?

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post’s poll.

What are you rocking? Personally, I’m a big fan of the Nike Alpha Huarache Elite 2 mid cleats.

What Cleats Do MLB Players Wear?

2022 Cleats Worn by MLB Starters

Since 2017, Nike has extended their lead each year. Beginning with 38% of the league, Nike is now worn by 50% of Major League Baseball’s best.

There are just seven baseball cleat companies competing in the MLB: Nike (+3% from 2021), New Balance (EVEN), Adidas (EVEN), Under Armour (+1%), Jordan (-4%), Mizuno and Asics.

Here are the top 7 cleats among MLB starters:

Nike | 50% of Cleats Worn by MLB Starters (+3% from 2021)

Best Nike Baseball Cleats w/ Links to Purchase from Retailer with Best Inventory

Alpha Huarache Elite 3 | Shop at Dick’s Sporting Goods(New) Alpha Huarache Elite 4 | Shop at Dick’s Sporting GoodsVapor Ultrafly Elite 4 | Shop at Dick’s Sporting GoodsTrout 8 | Shop at Dick’s Sporting Goods / On sale at Baseball Express(New) Alpha Huarache NXT | Shop at Dick’s Sporting Goods

See all our featured Nike cleats here.

Marcus Semien’s Nike Alpha Huarache Elite 3 Low cleats.

For the second year running, the top cleat for both Nike and the MLB was the Alpha Huarache Elite 3 (shop at Dick’s Sporting Goods). The Alpha Huarache line has been the dominant cleat in baseball since its release, though it initially appeared in 2020 and is frankly outplayed! We’re happy there’s some recent new releases:

NEW BASEBALL CLEATS: NIKE ALPHA HUARACHE NXT

FIRST LOOK AT NIKE ALPHA HUARACHE ELITE 4 BASEBALL CLEATS

NOW AVAILABLE: MIKE TROUT’S NIKE FORCE ZOOM TROUT 8 ELITE BASEBALL CLEATS

Ronald Acuña Jr. switched from New Balance to the Nike Alpha Huarache Elite 3 mid.

Here are a few stars who rocked the Alpha Huarache Elite 3 (available at Dick’s Sporting Goods):

Trevor StoryMatt CarpenterRonald Acuña Jr.Kyle TuckerGavin Lux

Joey Votto wearing the Nike Vapor Ultrafly Elite 4 cleats at Citi Field

The Vapor Ultrafly Elite 3 and 4 (available at Dick’s Sporting Goods) were much more limited, but still had some stars:

Bo BichetteGeorge SpringerTim AndersonJoey Votto

Mike Trout wearing his signature Trout 7 cleats.

The third most-worn Nike cleat among MLB starters in 2022 was the Trout 7. Though some players don’t like the idea of wearing the signature cleat of an opponent, Josh Bell wore them, among others.

New Balance | 22% of Cleats Worn by MLB Starters (EVEN)

Best New Balance Baseball Cleats w/ Links to Purchase from Retailer with Best Inventory

4040v6 | Shop at Baseball Express (New) COMPV3 | Shop at Baseball Express3000v4 (Worn by Aaron Judge) | Shop at Amazon3000v5 | Shop at Amazon(New) 3000v6 | Shop at Baseball Express

Jeremy Peña wearing his New Balance 4040v6 cleats.

New Balance hung on to the second spot in the league in 2022 with usage about even with 2021. New Balance sees a wide variety of usage across their lines in the MLB, including the 4040v6, 4040v5, 3000v6, 3000v5, 3000v4, COMPV3, and the Lindor 1.

Oneil Cruz’s custom Dominican Republic New Balance 4040v6 mid cleats/

Astros’ standout rookie shortstop Jeremy Peña debuted two different cleats in the 2022 season, using both the 3000v5 (Shop at Amazon) and the 4040v6 (Shop at Baseball Express) cleats. Aaron Judge, in his second year with (incognito) New Balance, rolled out a fresh pair of road cleats that feature his own unique logo on the side of the cleat, obscuring the NB logo. Keep an eye out for what Aaron Judge might be rocking this year — pop culture stars with class like Aaron don’t stay free agents for long.

Here’s a list of the MLB’s best wearing New Balance cleats:

Francisco Lindor | Lindor 1Oneil Cruz | 4040v6 MidJeremy Peña | 3000v5, 4040v6Aaron Judge | 3000v4Ramon Laureano | 4040v5

Adidas | 16% of Cleats Worn by MLB Starters (EVEN)

Best Adidas Baseball Cleats w/ Links to Purchase from Retailer with Best Inventory

Afterburner 9 | Shop at Dick’s Sporting Goods (New)Icon 7 | Shop at Dick’s Sporting GoodsAfterburner 7 | Shop at Dick’s Sporting GoodsAfterburner 8 | Shop at BaseballSavings.com

JP Crawford wears these custom Adidas Afterburner 8 cleats.

Adidas stands firm in the #3 spot, being worn by 16% of all major league starters (See all our featured Adidas cleats here). Adidas is known for letting their athletes across the league have free range with customization, as long as they do not block off the logos. This is most prominently showcased in JP Crawford’s Afterburner 8 cleats (Shop at BaseballSavings.com). Crawford put the initials “KC” and “BB3” on his cleats to keep his fiancée and late friend with him at all times.

Kiké Hernández’s custom Japanese Icon 7 cleats.

The Icon and Afterburner cleat lines continue to be Adidas’ bread and butter, with the Icon 7 (Shop at Dick’s Sporting Goods) and Afterburner 8 (Shop at BaseballSavings.com) being the most common around the league. Adidas recently ended their relationship with previous poster boy Fernando Tatis Jr. after Tatis’ disaster of a year, but they still got some air time with Yordan Alvarez.

Here’s a list of some of adidas’ best:

Yordan Alvarez | Icon 7JP Crawford | Afterburner 8Kris Bryant | Icon 7Kiké Hernández | Afterburner 7Corey Seager | Icon 7Jose Ramirez | Afterburner 8

Under Armour | 8% of Cleats Worn by MLB Starters (+1%)

Best Under Armour Baseball Cleats w/ Links to Purchase from Retailer with Best Inventory

*NEW* UA Yard | Shop at Dick’s Sporting Goods*NEW* UA Harper 7 | Shop at Dick’s Sporting Goods

Wander Franco wore these custom yellow Under Armour Harper 6 cleats.

Under Armour saw a slight bounce-back season when it comes to their representation in the Major Leagues. Under Armour, though not widely used, still has major star power.

Similar to Mike Trout’s signature cleat, few besides Bryce Harper wore his signature shoe, but its one of the sharpest cleats in baseball every year, the Harper 7 (Shop at Dick’s Sporting Goods) which released a few months back.

Bryce Harper wearing his signature cleat.

Under Armour has a knack for young talent, and were worn by 2022 AL Rookie of the Year, Julio Rodriguez. Rodriguez is joined by another high-performing rookie, Bobby Witt Jr., who wore the UA Yard cleats. Here’s a list of some of Under Armour’s biggest stars:

Bryce Harper | Harper 7, Harper 2Juan Soto | Yard MTJulio Rodriguez | YardWander Franco | Harper 6Bobby Witt Jr. | Yard

Jordan | 2% of MLB Starters (-4%)

Official Jordan Brand members Manny Machado, Vladimir Guerrero and Mookie Betts lead the way for Jumpman, though there are many more who rock Jumpman cleats without a contract. Jazz Chisholm, one of the swag kings of the MLB, donned the pair of molded retro Jordan 1’s seen above. These Jordan 1’s feature custom Naruto-themed graphics, many of which are based around Sasuke Uchiha, including the character’s name and silhouette.

Mookie rocked these gray Jordan 10 “Snakeskin” cleats (above). These player exclusive Jordan 10s feature red and blue accents. Jordan saw its influence in the MLB fall, as many athletes who jumped at the chance to wear them no longer start, including Wil Myers and Robinson Cano.

Robinson Cano wore these Jordan 1 turfs during his time with the Mets.

With some whispers of a big signing, perhaps 2023 will be the year the sneakerheads can take a break from hunting eBay and Jordan will put out a new cleat again.

The remaining brands were as follows:

Mizuno5Asics2

Shohei Ohtani in ASICS.

Asics is worn exclusively by Japanese players Shohei Ohtani and Seiya Suzuki. Asics capitalizes on their fame in the Asian market where Ohtani and Suzuki are ever-present in the baseball news.

Plastic (Molded) Cleats vs Metal | Why Do Pros Wear Plastic Cleats?

11-year veteran and 4x Gold Glove Award winner Brandon Crawford wears molded Nike cleats.

Molded (plastic) cleats are known for relieving stress on the joints of major leaguers, but even still, we witnessed 86% of starters wearing exclusively metal cleats. The group that was exclusively molded, however, is some of the league’s best (and biggest). To no surprise, many of these players are league veterans, including players like Paul Goldschmidt, Brandon Crawford, Albert Pujols, and Giancarlo Stanton. There is a common misconception that molded cleats are just for young players getting their start in the game, but molded cleats can be very useful for players that need to relieve some of the strain on their feet. I would recommend at least looking into molded for practicing if you plan to play a heavy schedule during your 2023 season.

What do you think about our 2022 MLB cleat report? Please comment below.
The post What Cleats Do Pro Baseball Players Wear? Here’s Your 2022 MLB Cleats Report appeared first on What Pros Wear.

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Mizuno is synonymous with extreme levels of craftsmanship and an unwavering dedication to performance. The Mizuno A51 is the result of one of the most iconic names in baseball gloves working with probably the most recognizable Japanese-born player of all time, Ichiro Suzuki.

Ichiro was very particular with the gloves he took the field with. The A51 is the culmination of his and Mizuno Japan’s Glove Mastercraftsman Ko Kishimoto’s years of dedication to their craft.

WPW made the trip to Japan a couple years back to learn a little more about the precision and level of detail that went into every one of Ichiro’s gloves. The video below shows the story of just how particular Ichiro was about his tools.

Just like Ichiro’s gamers, the A51 is crafted at Mizuno’s world famous Haga, Japan factory. The Haga factory is renowned for the quality of gloves they produce. This means the A51 will almost certainly exceed expectations you have when it comes to materials and build quality.

The Mizuno A51 is a 12.75″ outfield pattern with a modified trap style web. The version making its way to Mizuno USA is this stealthy jet black model.

The A51 boasts a feature I have never seen on a glove before. The top of the middle and ring finger are reinforced with an addition piece of leather for longevity and durability.

Even the wrist logo is something you don’t see everyday from the legendary Japanese brand. The A51 has a limited edition silicone runbird logo in an eye-catching metallic silver.

The Mizuno A51 comes in at $600, steeper than the vast majority of gloves on the market but with craftsmanship and quality to match. Not to mention quantities coming to the US are very limited.

You can see an amazing behind the scenes look at the development of the A51 with this conversation between Ichiro and Kishimoto. Well worth the watch.

Let us know your thoughts on one of the more special gloves to go on sale and what other gloves you would like to see from Mizuno in the comments!
The post Mizuno Drops the Ichiro A51 Glove (Very Limited) appeared first on What Pros Wear.

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If you’re like me, you never really thought twice about your belt. It was more of “Oh sh*t, did I remember to put it in my bag?” and not a piece of individualized gear. Like so many other gear items in the WPW age, things could not be more different today thanks to the Nokona ShowBelt.

The Nokona ShowBelt is worn by so many Big Leaguers, it could be considered the unofficial belt of Major League Baseball. Like everything from the tried-and-true American Heritage brand, these belts are made from high quality leathers here in the US. The custom belts start at $75 and climb from there depending on options.

The ShowBelt customization options are off the charts. From leather type, to color, to number and even your name, Nokona has turned a simple piece of your uniform into yet another way to express yourself on the diamond.

The customization process begins by choosing from an all leather belt or a leather/elastic combo more similar to the baseball belt everyone is used to. From there, the fun begins. There are 50+ leather options ranging from classic steerhide, to a wide array of American Kip colors, to chrome and patented leather, and even more exotic options like gator.

After you choose your leather and hardware, small details like the edge color and the stitching color are next. From there, after every color is perfect, you move on to the personalization. This can include your number/initials, adding a flag to the belt or the keeper, and adding up to 30 characters of personalized stamping around the inside band of the belt.

At that point, all that’s left is the sizing and your custom 1 of 1 ShowBelt is complete. The amount of customization Nokona has empowered players with on a belt is astounding.

The ShowBelt is the icing on the cake for a swagged-out ball player on the field. Nokona didn’t stop there, however. They realized style off the field is just as important as on it.

Lifestyle ShowBelts

In addition to the game belts, Nokona tweaked a few minor details to give us a lifestyle-focused option. These changes include a smaller keeper, logo, and more neutral color options meant for daily wear. You can go crazy with the customization of the streetwear belts as well, but Nokona also has classic black and brown options that will be more universal. These belts fall in the $145-$300 price range; not a cheap option but around what you’d expect for high quality leather goods.

A ballplayer can customize just about every piece of equipment that they take the field with. It’s only fitting that belts follow that trend. While ShowBelts aren’t going to be for everyone, they certainly take your on-field swag to the next level in a Big League way.
The post Nokona ShowBelt: The Unofficial Belt of MLB appeared first on What Pros Wear.

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Quickly alerting you to some new REV1X gloves available at Dick’s Sporting Goods.

They’re $399 and guaranteed for Christmas today only — and the quantities are extremely low (like between one and five gloves for most of them).

This outfielder (left and right throw) with gold trim is the standout for me. $399.

A very sexy infielder model with platinum trim. $399.

Some new abstract designs too.

Shop them while they’re still available exclusively at Dick’s for $399.

(Thanks Jake for the tip)
The post New 2023 Rawlings REV1X’s in Low Quantities at Dick’s (Christmas Guarantee Today Only) appeared first on What Pros Wear.

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After you’re done breaking-in your new glove, now the job is to take care of it. This not only helps your glove last a few more seasons, but it will also keep the shape of the mitt that you invested so much time and energy meticulously forming.

In this post, we break down the top six tips for taking care of your glove so your leather can age gracefully, like Starlin Castro’s classic Wilson A2000 1786 below:

Store it Correctly, Don’t just throw it in your Bag

Most players will just throw their glove into their baseball bag after games. This means it usually gets jammed against whatever else they have in their bag, killing the shape of your mitt.

Our best tip in this case is to either carry the glove (it’s also just makes you look cooler to hold it in your hand than carry on your back), or, at the very least, place a baseball in the pocket before you put in your bag.

Another solution is the Glove Guardian, $40 at BaseballExpress.com. Its a structured box for your glove.

Clean it Frequently, But Don’t Overuse Cleaning Oils

Unless you only play on turf fields, dirt will find its way on your mitt. And while a buildup of dirt can look nice on certain colors of leather, it is not good for the leather itself, often drying it out.

To prevent dirt damage, its simple. Clean off the glove by wiping dirt with a clean rag and a small amount of water. We do not recommend using cleaning oils frequently, as these can weigh down the leather over time and provide negligible return in most cases (although Kike Hernandez would disagree based on our convo with him).

How a well-used glove should look

Use Glove Conditioner

While Glove cleaning oils can add unwanted weight to a glove, glove conditioners are very good for helping your leather stay in top shape without that negative side effect. Our favorite glove conditioner is the Rawlings Gold Glove Butter ($8 at BaseballExpress).

The key with conditioner is to use it infrequently – once every few months. This way, you will still get the benefits of conditioning your leather without overdoing it.

Keep it Out of Bad Conditions

You can’t keep your glove out of the rain when the game is on, but ultimately, you should avoid subjecting your glove to extreme conditions whenever possible.

These include hot or freezing cars, damp basements, or leaving it to collect dew overnight in your backyard. Each of these can and will destroy the leather of your glove and shorten its lifespan, and before you know it, your glove will look like Tulo’s (below):

Years of use, dirt, and spit instead of conditioner

Check on the Laces

Some players like loosened laces, but allowing your laces to be too long in the pocket or fingers can cause several issues.

Most notably, leaving the laces too loose puts more stress on the laces and can cause them to snap. Then you need a relacing, which is either an expensive or labor-intensive process (10 step process).

Instead, check on and tighten your laces every few weeks. This will balance the stress between the laces and the leather, ensuring you won’t have to worry about any big maintenance anytime soon.

Keep your Glove ready by Using it

Maybe this goes without saying, but the lull of the offseason means you may not get to use your glove that much. However, it’s important that you at least keep it fresh.

This can be as simple as throwing a ball into it while you’re in bed or on the couch. The point is to avoid your glove stiffening up, or worse, sitting for months and killing the shape you spent a lot of time forming during the break-in.

What are your glove care tips? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.
The post 6 Most Important Glove Care Tips (Baseball & Softball) appeared first on What Pros Wear.

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Every year, back to 2013, we track the top glove brands worn by MLB starters. As far as starting MLB players are concerned (excluding pitchers), Rawlings continues to rule the roost among glove brands, and you can find the oval “R” on 55% of starting Major Leaguers. Meanwhile, the other major player, Wilson, gained 7 points in 2022 compared to 2021 while Rawlings dropped 4 points. Still, there’s a healthy margin between the two, and an even bigger gap exists between the top two and the rest of the pack. Mizuno remains a distant third and has shed about four-fifths of its market share since we started keeping track in 2013.

Before we get into the data breakdowns, what do you wear?

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post’s poll.

2022 MLB Starters Glove Usage, Powered by Rawlings

(Disclaimer: Rawlings, Dick’s Sporting Goods were not involved in our data collection.)

In these reports, WPW tracks MLB starters excluding pitchers, based on Baseball-Reference.com’s team pages with a few additions.  Here are the results, starting with the leader, Rawlings Sports.

Rawlings Gloves | Worn by 55% of MLB Starters (-4% since 2021)

Rawlings remains the #1 glove brand among position players. They command over half of starters in MLB, and they have since at least 2013 when our data collection began.

Rawlings has a long list of stars that wear its gloves, including Astros breakout postseason star Jeremy Peña, Padres all-time great Manny Machado, and MVP Paul Goldschmidt. Alex Bregman also switched over from Easton, a brand that was recently acquired by Rawlings.

Trea TurnerRonald AcunaAnthony RizzoBrandon CrawfordFrancisco LindorGleyber TorresMike TroutTrevor StoryXander BogaertsYadier MolinaKyle TuckerKolten WongPete AlonsoCarlos Correa

Wilson Gloves | Worn by 34% of MLB Starters (+7%)

Wilson jumped up seven percentage points to claim one out of every three MLB starting position players (34%). MLB’s defensive runs saved leader Ke’Bryan Hayes wears Wilson along with the wizard at shortstop Miguel Rojas. Young stars Julio Rodriguez and Vlad Guerrero Jr. also rock Wilson gloves.

Here are some more MLB stars who wear Wilson gloves:

Andrew BenintendiMatt ChapmanDansby SwansonJuan SotoJose AltuveRamon LaureanoJustin TurnerLorenzo CainMookie BettsOzzie AlbiesJuan SotoRafael DeversTim Anderson

Mizuno Gloves | Worn by 3% of MLB Starters (No change)

The 2022 season was a debacle for Mizuno’s top ballplayer, Fernando Tatis Jr., but they still boasted an MVP candidate in Austin Riley. Meanwhile, Michael Chavis had the best inscription in the league on his Mizuno I-Web.

@whatproswear Michael Chavis = BIG motto guy @pirates ♬ original sound – What Pros Wear – What Pros Wear

Other Glove Brands Worn by MLB Starters

Marucci and 44Pro are each worn by five MLB starting position players, including notables Josh Donaldson (Marucci) and Yandy Diaz (44Pro).

Jorge Mateo became the first starting shortstop in MLB history to wear 44Pro, which, according to WPW users, is now the #3 glove in amateur baseball.

2021 Poll

All-Star had four catchers (Maldonado, Stassi, Kirk, and Trevino) wearing their catchers mitts, while Yasmani Grandal wore Force3.

(Photo by John Cordes/Icon Sportswire)

Shohei Ohtani‘s Asics glove looked like a basketball, while Jazz Chisholm‘s Aria glove looked like an ice cream cone.

Web Choice

The I-Web reigns in the infield, as 3 out of 4 middle infielders choose it, including Gold Glovers Dansby Swanson and Jeremy Peña. The rest are split between the H-Web (12% / Oneil Cruz, Brandon Crawford), single post (8% / Trea Turner, Carlos Correa) and the one-piece (5% / Santiago Espinal, Amed Rosario).

If you’re interested in choosing the right infield glove, check out our recent post The Best Infield Gloves for Every Budget | Under $100, $200, $300, & “Money is No Object”

The H-Web is the outfield leader and may always be. Its just accepted as the standard at 79%, worn by Ronald Acuna Jr., Gold Glovers Myles Straw, Ian Happ and Mookie Betts. The trap made a bit of a comeback at 9%, thanks to Harrison Bader, Mike Trout, and Gold Glover Steven Kwan. The single post and modified trap also had a few Big League starters.

For the right outfield glove, check out our recent post Best Outfield Gloves For Every Budget: $100-$500

Here’s the full breakdown by position:

What do you think about the MLB data? We’d love to hear from you in the comments below.
The post What Gloves Do MLB Players Wear? Here’s the Baseball Glove Brands and Webs Worn by MLB Starters in 2022 appeared first on What Pros Wear.

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This is your final warning. Nike will be dropping limited quantities of new catchers gear (chest protector and leg guards) AND their top-of-the-line Nike Sha | Do Elite J glove tomorrow at Nike.com/baseball. Its a big day for the fiends.

You MUST be a Nike member, and if you’re not, you’d better sign up for free with an email.

I did confirm pricing. For the catcher’s gear, the set will be $600, and will not include a mask. As for the glove, that’ll be $560.

For the catcher’s gear, you can assume the gear will look like that which was featured on our IG recently:

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White/grey with the bold black Swoosh. If you don’t get the set tomorrow, you can expect them to drop 1/1 at Dick’s, Academy, and other retailers.

As for the glove, Nike just sent through your first look:

Its an 11.75″ “snake-eyes” web a la Ian Kinsler — certainly a classic and the one that I associate most with the Sha | Do.

Its a versatile model that can definitely get it done at any infield position other than first, as well as pitcher. The tan and gold swoosh is pretty, but not too in your face.

Get ’em both tomorrow at 6 am pacific at Nike.com/baseball.
The post Nike Catcher’s Gear and Nike Sha | Do Elite J Glove On Sale Tomorrow, 12/1, at 6 am PST (Exclusive Images) appeared first on What Pros Wear.

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