Do you have a young child who is begging to play on a local little league team? Did your company recently invite you to participate in their corporate baseball league? Perhaps you intend to coach your kid's first baseball team?
No matter the reasoning, the sport of baseball allows a significant amount of freedom where the required equipment is concerned. Though some positions require specialty gear, you can typically get away with just the basics.
If you are itching to join a baseball team or coach your young child, you'll need to stock up on the necessary equipment to set yourself up for success on the field.
Read on to learn what you need to launch a career as a baseball player.
1. Glove
The most crucial piece of equipment in any baseball player's bat bag is their glove. A glove allows athletes to catch fly balls, field infield grounders, receive pitches, and tag base runners. You can't play a game of baseball without one.
Baseball gloves are available in various shapes, materials, and sizes. If you're shopping for a child, make sure you purchase a youth-sized glove to ensure a proper fit.
A glove's quality is directly related to the type of leather it contains. Higher-quality leather custom baseball gloves will be much more expensive than those composed of more inferior material.
Regardless of its price, your glove must fit like, well, a glove. Try on several types and brands to find one that feels most comfortable on your hand.
And remember, the more you use it, the more broken-in it will become. The stiffness you feel initially will lessen substantially with time and use.
2. Bat
Equally as important as a glove is a baseball bat. Bats produce singles, doubles, triples, home runs, and grand slams, and the game of baseball would be incredibly dull without them!
Like gloves, bats come in a variety of shapes, materials, and sizes. From youth to adult, there is a bat for every player.
When shopping for youth bats, look for those that feel significantly lighter than adult sizes and have a smaller, narrower barrel. Adult bats should have a larger barrel to ensure a more mature batter can connect directly with the ball.
Regardless of your age, a good rule of thumb is to choose the biggest, widest bat available that you can still comfortably swing. The bigger the bat, the more power behind the hit, so make sure you size up appropriately.
Make sure the bat is not too big; a heavy bat can make it hard to swing around and connect with a fastball.
3. Baseball
While you've undoubtedly seen movies featuring kids playing makeshift baseball using rocks and sticks, serious baseball players should be discouraged by this type of play. As such, you'll want to stock up on real baseballs before hitting the field with your new team.
Baseballs are incredibly hard and weigh 5.25 ounces. They have red stitching across the front that makes them easy to hold in your hand.
Used for throwing, catching, and hitting, baseballs are a necessary piece of gear to add to your bat bag!
4. Helmet
Where baseball is concerned, safety is always first. That said, every batter should come to practice equipped with a protective batting helmet.
These pieces of equipment can withstand a fastball, as they are made of hard plastic and feature soft, shielding padding inside.
Baseball helmets come in different sizes, and you may customize them to reflect the colors and logo of your team. Rated on the miles per hour of fastballs they can withstand, batting helmets range in price from $15-$70.
5. Catcher's Gear
If you're planning to function as your team's catcher, you will need a few extra pieces of equipment in your arsenal.
To withstand a pitcher's many throws, catchers must don leg and chest guards and a special helmet containing a built-in facemask.
Further, catcher's mitts are slightly different from classic baseball gloves in that they are larger and feature more padding to protect the catcher's hand.
Baseball is a fabulous sport to play, coach, and watch. Hopefully, this list enables you to feel prepared and ready for your first season on the field!
