Picking the right Baseball glove can be a tricky task without the right guidelines. The wrong size can drastically affect the quality of gameplay, considering that the Baseball the player to handle the ball with quickness and ease out in the field. In this article, I’ll go through things to look out for when picking a Baseball glove for young baseballers. I will also take you through three specific Baseball gloves, their features and customer reviews, including our best Baseball glove for 9 year old players, the Mizuno GPP1075Y1.
What should you look for?
When looking for a glove for younger players, size is an important deciding factor. You do not want to buy a glove that the child can grow out of quickly, and yet you want the glove to fit well enough for them to use it now.
The glove needs to have room for growth, but shouldn’t be too big to use at the time of purchase. A number of standard sizing charts are available to help you pick the right fit for your child’s age.
If the child has already been practising Baseball regularly, they may be conditioned to a particular type of glove. In such a case, I would recommend finding a glove similar to the one they were using earlier. Changes such as new strap mechanisms or a change in material can be hard for kids to get used to. While buying, also be sure to check previous products by the manufacturer for reliability, and to compare prices between brands before making a decision.
You also need to consider the position that the child plays out in the field. There are different sized gloves for different positions.
OUR TOP PICK
The Mizuno GPP1075Y1 is a 10.75-inch Baseball glove that is available in both right and left-hand throw orientations.
The glove is made of soft leather and has a power lock closure instead of the standard Velcro strap. There is also the patented PowerClose technology that makes catching easy.
Customer Impressions
The GPP1075Y1 is pre-conditioned, which makes most customers find it easy to use as-is.
The material was soft and the glove was flexible. Some customers felt that a strap would have been better for adjusting the tightness, calling the power lock an inconvenience.
I found that a small portion of buyers still thought that the glove needed softening or breaking into before using it on the field. The glove was flexible enough for regular usage.
EDITORS CHOICE
The Rawlings is a 10.5-inch right-hand glove with a basket-web. The glove has a Neo-Flex conventional back with Velcro strap and comes 100% broken-in from the factory. It is available in blue, black, and grey.
Customer Impressions
The Rawlings Youth Players Series, already being broken-in and ready to use was a big plus. Buyers found the glove to be soft, flexible and requires no additional work. The glove is made of synthetic leather and I observed several complaints regarding the durability of the glove.
Some buyers found the laces to wear out quickly, while others found it to wear apart within a year. An important thing to note about this product is that while it is listed as a right-hand glove, it is a right-hand thrower, meaning that it is, in fact, to be worn on the left hand.
BEST VALUE
The Mizuno Prospect PowerClose series is easily the most versatile glove on the list.
The full-grain pigskin leather makes sure that the glove is durable, while the palm liner help ensure that the glove will be as comfortable as it is long-lasting.
Adding to the comfort, is the Mzo lining which helps with any game-day sweat.
The glove comes in both left-handed and right-handed variations, along with a range of sizes, designs, and webbing patters.
Customer Impressions
As there is a range of glove sizes, the PowerClose series is a great glove for a range of ages, not just nine-year-olds.
Amazon customers love that the glove is incredibly easy to break in, and you can basically play with it from day one.
While this noticeably isn’t an incredibly expensive glove, for an entry-level glove it is a great choice and is loved by many who use it.
RUNNER UP
The Wilson A900 is a brown, full-leather glove with a low-profile heel. The glove is available in different, selectable sizes between 11 and 13 inches. A list of sizes and dexterities is available in the product description.
The A900 also features a double-palm construction. Here, a thin, cut piece of leather is placed between the palm liner and outer shell for pocket stability.
Customer Impressions
The leather quality of the A900 is a noticeable upgrade from its previous versions, namely the A500. However, the glove wasn’t broken into and required softening.
There were a few customers who noticed that the laces would break after a brief period of usage. Despite having the laces problem, customers found the rest of the attributes of the glove to be good enough that one of them chose to fix the lace and continue using the glove instead of considering a replacement. When you think about how cheap good laces are, basing your glove decision on the laces is short-sighted.
Other than the lace, there were no problems with other parts of the A900. The quality of the material was great. Also, the fit was praised for long-term usage, which is always a great plus.
Final thoughts
The Mizuno GPP1075Y1 sounds like a good fit for nine-year-old children with smaller hands. I should emphasize that the strap is different than the usual Velcro but other than that the glove seems like a good buy for its price. It is important to consider that the intended age group for this glove lies in a period of quick growth. Meanwhile, their PowerClose range is a versatile choice and most will find a glove to suit their needs.
I still noticed that buyers were confident of the product having a life of over two years, which is a green flag when it comes to finding a good fit for a child of this age.
The Rawlings glove is delivered completely broken into and doesn’t require any work before usage. Note that it is made of synthetic leather and is meant for wearing on the left hand contrary to its listing. While the product does not seem to showcase high durability, it might be a decent buy for short term usage in its price range.
Considering the size range of the A900, the glove will be a good fit for children around the age of nine to eleven. I noticed plenty of comments regarding the quality of the laces, but that was the only part of the glove customers had issues with. When you consider that laces are easy to replace, I consider it a non-issue. The quality of the material was good enough to ensure great durability and several years of regular usage.
So depending on what your preference is, the best baseball glove for 9 year old players will differ, but make you choose one that suits the needs of the young player.
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