# New Baseball Glove --- Professional Players **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 6, 2003, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-baseball-glove-professional-players/173314 "2003-05-06T02:15:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Major\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Major\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Major_Kong)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2003, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-baseball-glove-professional-players/173314/1 "2003-05-06T02:15:17Z")
How often do professinal players get new gloves? I guess this might be different for different players and positions. ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2003, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-baseball-glove-professional-players/173314/2 "2003-05-06T02:21:06Z")
I would think a professional player gets a glove anytime he wants. He just calls up the company he’s affiliated with and says “Send me a glove.” Just about all of them have contracts with companies to get them. That said, some players will use the same glove as long as they can. I would think that catchers probably go through more gloves than anyone else. ---
**Author:** ![Major\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Major\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Major_Kong)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2003, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-baseball-glove-professional-players/173314/3 "2003-05-06T02:26:02Z")
I was thinking of my ball playing days. I never wanted a new glove. I would get used to one and want to use it. You could have paid me to use a new glove and I would have said no. I don’t think a free glove would be a consideration for a player. A nice new endorsement might be though. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2003, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-baseball-glove-professional-players/173314/4 "2003-05-06T02:27:44Z")
It depends on the player. There was an article that Toshiro Shinjo has used the same glove almost his entire career; when something goes wrong, he sends it out to be repaired. I’d suspect that the players would rather stick with a glove until they are forced to change it. A new glove takes time to break in. ---
**Author:** ![I\_can\_t\_believe\_that\_s\_butter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8edcca/32.png) [@I\_can\_t\_believe\_that\_s\_butter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_can_t_believe_that_s_butter)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2003, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-baseball-glove-professional-players/173314/5 "2003-05-06T02:52:50Z")
I remember reading how baseball gloves were made in a book about the day in the life of a ballpark (Fenway); the article started out with some famous big-leaguer (forget his name, I assume he was a Red Sock) phoning up Rawlings and saying something like “Yeah, can you send me another glove? This one’s going soft.” So, I guess it would depend. Some people like stiffer gloves. However, there seems to be a limit in some cases. There was an article in _Sports Illustrated_ about baseball gloves that said one player used too many gloves; he ran out on his endorsement for the season. He had to go to the department store and buy new gloves off the shelf. ---
**Author:** ![Major\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Major\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Major_Kong)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2003, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-baseball-glove-professional-players/173314/6 "2003-05-06T03:12:52Z")
I have looked to Google and can’t find out how long a glove should last for a professional player. Anybody know? ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2003, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-baseball-glove-professional-players/173314/7 "2003-05-06T03:29:12Z")
I have a contact with a major league team. I’ll ask him. I can tell you right now, though, that it will vary by position. A catcher’s glove likely doesn’t last a year. A pitcher’s glove could last ten. ---
**Author:** ![Major\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Major\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Major_Kong)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2003, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-baseball-glove-professional-players/173314/8 "2003-05-06T03:32:18Z")
> [@](#): > > I can tell you right now, though, that it will vary by position. A catcher’s glove likely doesn’t last a year. A pitcher’s glove could last ten. Here was my guess. From first to go to last: Cather 1st 3rd, SS, 2nd Outfield Pitcher ---
**Author:** ![Major\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Major\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Major_Kong)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2003, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-baseball-glove-professional-players/173314/9 "2003-05-06T04:11:46Z")
Thinking further, why would a glove ever become “overused”? A gole breaks in, but does use destroy it? ---
**Author:** ![Major\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Major\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Major_Kong)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2003, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-baseball-glove-professional-players/173314/10 "2003-05-06T04:12:55Z")
gole = glove ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2003, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-baseball-glove-professional-players/173314/11 "2003-05-06T05:30:02Z")
Eventually a baseball glove is going to have its webbing broken too frequently or the padding inside of it is going to be worn down. You could opt to repair it, but sometimes it is easier just to buy a new one. Newer baseball gloves are very easy to break in as very soft leather is used and it’s already oiled pretty well. ---
**Author:** ![Major\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Major\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Major_Kong)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2003, 8:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-baseball-glove-professional-players/173314/12 "2003-05-06T08:20:05Z")
So how long does a pro use his glove?