Although baseball is not a contact sport such as football or basketball, there is a position in which the player always has high possibilities of suffering a risky contact, the catcher.
Because of foul tips, bouncing balls, and even protecting the plate from runners, the catchers wear special gear which protects them of getting injured.
So as a parent, you never want to see your child hurt. That’s why we have made this review of the best catcher’s gear at the market so you can decide and buy one of these to your kid. The aim of this Rawlings Velo catchers gear review is to make your job easier.
What you should look for?
Even though most catcher gears now have additional/optional equipment, a normal catcher gear consists in a mask, a chest protector, and two (obviously) leg guards.
The chest protector and the leg guards are the easiest gear to buy when you’re looking for them individually, mostly because their design hasn’t changed too much through the years.
As for the mask, you might have a little more trouble in deciding which mask you will buy, only because certain mask styles were banned to the high school players many years ago.
Like any sports equipment, the player must feel comfortable wearing the gear. A catcher has to feel agile and needs to feel the gear doesn’t bother them.
I also recommend you look for the gear with the most protection, as some cheap options can be quite limited. They pad the chest protector with different materials such as rubber, plastic foam, or even gel, so is your duty to find the best material to protect the chest of the catcher.
This duty is like find the most protective leg guards, due to there are many models that differ on how well the knees and legs are protected.
Also, we recommend you to look directly at your child’s age group: Youth catcher gears are for kids who are or under 12 years old, the intermediate is for 12-15 years old boys and adult catcher gear are for teenagers are over 15 years old.
OUR TOP PICK
The youth set includes a hockey-style catcher helmet which is one of the greatest helmets ever made for young players. For start, its visibility and security style is excellent, it offers the catcher a whole and clear vision of the diamond, and due to its impact-resistance cage, protects the catcher’s head for any possible hard knock.
The Velo helmet also has two exceptional technologies that improve the comfort in the kid’s face when he wears it. The first is the Rawlings COOLFLO venting technology which lets the airflow through the helmet with total ease thanks to its 15 air vents, preventing the face from sweating.
The other one is the moisture-wicking technology which alongside improved inner padding, provides the catcher with a better fit and comfort. This helmet size is adjustable from 6 ½ to 7 inches.
Another piece of gear included in the set is the chest protector, which has a lightweight and flexible design to improve the catcher’s mobility. They design the chest with an impact-absorbing foam that reduces the pain when a ball hits the catcher.
The same high-density foam has a Heat Exchange technology that helps the air flow more easily in the ribs and shoulder areas.
Dynamic Fit System
The youth catchers gear also has a Dynamic Fit System to have a better fit and feel greater comfort. To fulfill mostly catcher preferences, this protector includes adjustable and removable shoulder caps with extended shoulder protection. The chest protector size is precisely 13.5 inches but has an adjustable back harness for a custom fit.
The last baseball equipment in this set are the leg guards which with a few differences, are made with the same materials of the chest protector: a high-density foam that protects the knee and also keeps the legs fresh thanks to the Heat Exchange technology.
Additionally, to the lightweight and flexible design, they have triple-knee design protection to improve the player’s mobility and his safety at the same time. The size of the leg guards is 13.75 inches.
This set is available on six colors combinations: Black/graphite, green/white, navy/white, royal/white, scarlet/white, and white/silver. And with the buy of this set, the brand gift you a bag for easy travel. If you’re interested in learning more, check out the listing on Amazon.
Rawlings Velo Intermediate and Adult Catcher Set
Like we are great people and understand you don’t like to waste your time reading similar descriptions from different catcher gears, we will explain the differences these sets have from the first one, which is already broke through.
The intermediate catcher set is mainly for young players who are between 12 and 15 years old. The set sizes are 6 ½ to 7 inches for the helmet (same as the youth set), 15.5 inches for the chest protector and the leg guards as well. The six color combinations are the same from the youth set but for the scarlet/white that is replaced with a scarlet/black style.
As for the adult set, which is design for teenagers older than 15 years old, the sizes are: The helmet is adjustable 7 1/8 to 7 3/4 inches, the chest protector is 17 inches and the leg guards are 16 inches. And the only color combinations available for this set are Black/graphite, white/silver, and royal/white.
Customer Impressions
Each set had positive impressions from the customers who decided to buy these ones but also had a few negative ones which we are going to explain.
All the customers were in love by the way these sets fit their children, praising the comfort they felt and how well the gear protected their bodies. But the most exciting thing the kids loved it was the colors. They felt secure and happy with the look the gear gave to them.
On the other hand, the negative impressions only had two causes, the non-existence of the additional toe flap in the leg guards that are shown on the box, and the high price. However, for the quality, we believe the price is more than appropriate.
Prepare your kids with the correct gear
With this Rawlings Velo catchers gear review, you have learned the importance of quality catchers’ gear for a young player who wants to be a catcher. And after reading the outstanding features these sets have, it is impossible not to think to buy one of these to your child. Order now and prepare your child to be the greatest catcher they can be.
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