Finding the best youth baseball gloves for young players is not an easy task. There is a sea of options to select from when it comes to sizes, models, and brands. It’s because the glove is the second most important baseball gear after the bat.
A baseball glove is not something that helps in improving your skills. That’s just the job of the sales team trying to sell their product. Instead, what a glove does is assist in performing better.
Buying high-quality gloves doesn’t always mean making a hole in your wallet. There are many affordable options too. And you will find them on our list of the best baseball gloves for youth.
Quick Comparison: Top 7 Best Youth Baseball Gloves
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Easton Youth ZFX 1001 Z-Flex Series Ball Glove(Editor’s Choice) |
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* Below, you’ll find our more detailed reviews, but you can also click the links above to see customer reviews and current prices on Amazon.com
The Best Youth Baseball Gloves
Our team of experts has shortlisted the best youth-sized baseball gloves below. We’ve taken into account important factors like quality, price, durability, etc. Every feature that contributes to enhancing performance is discussed in detail so that you can make a better decision.
1.Rawlings Players Series 9-inch Youth Baseball Glove – The Best High-Quality Youth Baseball Gloves
It’s the solid construction of the Rawlings Players Series 9-inch Youth Baseball Glove that you will appreciate in the long run. It has a basket weave-equipped pocket, which is deep enough. Such a design helps in preventing the glove from slipping. And that gives you more successful catches.
The material of the glove is incredibly soft. This means that you don’t need to worry about the break-in period. Another soft component is the training ball that comes with the glove. So no serious injuries whatsoever.
But you might not like the small size of the glove. The brand says 9 inches, but it feels more like a 6-inch youth baseball glove.
We Like
- The glove closes easily.
- High-quality and lightweight design.
- The soft foam T-ball is safe to use.
We Don’t Like
- The glove is a tad too small.
- Due to the poor size, it doesn’t offer enough flexibility.
2.Easton Youth ZFX 1001 Z-Flex Series Ball Glove – The Best Beginner Youth Baseball Gloves (Editor’s Choice)
When a baseball glove requires no breaking in, you should count that as a blessing. And that’s what you get with the Easton Youth ZFX 1001 Z-Flex Series Ball Glove.
The additional stall length in the fingers along with the remarkable palm design makes the experience worthwhile. The glove is not difficult to close as soon as you catch the baseball.
Since we’re on that, you should also know that the Easton Z Flex Youth Baseball Glove comes with side elastic straps. This is the unique Z-Flex design. And what it does is enable smooth closing of the glove, which helps in increasing skill level.
Another great feature is the large web pocket pattern. So both softballs and baseballs fit in the glove perfectly. The only gripe with the product is a small size, again. This is a common problem with youth baseball gloves.
We Like
- The super soft leather construction offers optimal flexibility.
- This means little to no effort to break it in.
- The ring and pinky finger slots are combined to add more strength and control.
We Don’t Like
- It is not large enough.
3.Franklin Sports RTP Teeball Performance Gloves – The Softest Youth Baseball Gloves
The smooth and soft quality of the Franklin Sports RTP Teeball Performance Glove is what you might appreciate the most. It has a lightweight PVC shell design. Easy closing and no breaking in are the two benefits of such a structure.
The Franklin Sports RTP Teeball Performance Glove has a perfect size that fits young children. And we all know important it is for the glove to fit right when it comes to catching the ball.
The stitching of the glove is also quite impressive. It is responsible for adding more years to the life of the glove. The part that’s not all that great is the poor quality of the foam ball that comes along with it.
We Like
- The glove is incredibly soft as well as pliable.
- It can stand the test of time even when misused.
We Don’t Like
- The T-ball is more like a completely unsuitable toy ball.
Excited Kid Opens Baseball Gear
4.Mizuno GPP1150Y1 Youth Prospect Ball Glove – The Most Advanced Youth Baseball Gloves
The use of modern technology in building youth baseball gloves adds tons of advantages and takes away the disadvantages. And that is what you should expect with the Mizuno GPP1150Y1 Youth Prospect Ball Glove.
The patented PowerClose technology makes catching the ball easier, especially when it comes to junior players. The PowerLock technology offers that perfect fit to keep the glove from coming in the way.
Then there’s V-Flex and Heel Flex. The former encourages an easy closure. So you can achieve minimal drops and more catches. And the latter increases the glove’s flexibility for better catching.
The best part is that you get all of this at an affordable price. But the only problem is that you might have to make an effort to break it in. So steaming it might help.
We Like
- The adjustable strap offers a more secure and customized fit.
- The glove material and construction help in minimizing shock as well as rebound.
We Don’t Like
- Poor stitching.
- It requires a break-in period.
Fielding Tips: Catching a Fly Ball
5.Franklin Sports Air Tech Left Handed Youth Baseball Glove – The Best Left-Handed Youth Baseball Gloves
These are the only gloves on the list that fit one hand, and that is the left hand. While this may seem like a disadvantage in itself, the glove does come with excellent features to make up for that. Just because it has a left-handed design doesn’t render it useless. Otherwise, why would it appear on our list of the youth baseball gloves, right?
The wrist closure and adjustability of the glove are perfect for enhancing fit. And this, in turn, helps you perform better in the game. The high-quality of the Franklin Sports Air Tech Left Handed Youth Baseball Glove is something that you’d expect with adult baseball gloves.
The feature that might succeed in disappointing you is the Velcro attached to the glove. It is prone to damage only within a few weeks of use.
We Like
- Well-made design with solid construction.
- Easy to wear and take off.
We Don’t Like
- The Velcro is susceptible to ripping.
6.Rawlings Boys’ Players Series 9-Inch Tee Ball Glove – The Best Right-Handed Youth Baseball Gloves
Now this one only fits the right hand, and it does an excellent job at that. The Rawlings Boys’ Players Series 9-Inch Tee Ball Glove is suitable for beginner youth baseball players.
The composite shell design of the glove is responsible for more than just durability. It eliminates the trouble of having to break it in.
On top of that, the Basket Web pattern makes squeezing shut the glove a much easier task. And this can prove to be beneficial for the smaller hands of children.
All in all, it offers a comfortable fit with an easy to wear and remove design. So you shouldn’t expect any significant drawbacks when playing with the Rawlings Boys’ Players Series 9-Inch Tee Ball Glove.
But there is this one tiny flaw that might trouble you. And it’s the absence of Velcro adjustment in the wrist area.
We Like
- The material is super soft and flexible.
- Lack of stiffness means no break in period.
We Don’t Like
- The glove doesn’t offer enough adjustability for a better fit.
- Not suitable for regular use due to poor durability.
7.Easton Youth Z-Flex ZFX 901 Ball Glove – The Best Flexible Youth Baseball Gloves
As far as flexibility is concerned, there’s nothing to worry about with the Easton Youth Z-Flex ZFX 901 Ball Glove. The name of the product itself suggests that, doesn’t it?
The Z-Flex technology installed in the glove comes in the form of side elastic straps. These combine with the super soft leather construction to provide an easy closure. On top of that, the Velcro wrist feature ensures an enhanced fit suitable for all hand sizes.
The common problem with the youth baseball gloves is their size. Some of them, including this Easton Z Flex Youth Baseball Glove, are a tad too small. So this makes getting hold of bigger balls even more challenging.
We Like
- The ring and pinky finger slots are combined for easy glove closure.
- Constructed with high-quality materials.
We Don’t Like
- The glove is not big enough to catch larger balls.
The Best Youth Baseball Gloves Buying Guide
Baseball gloves for youth is a popular category. So you will find many brands manufacturing different types of gloves. And they come in various sizes and shapes, depending on the players’ position in the game. These include catchers, first base, infield, outfield mitts as well as pitchers gloves.
So when selecting the best youth baseball gloves, you have to keep in mind key considerations. This will ensure that you get your perfect match and fit. It’s time to find out what to look into and what to avoid when buying the best baseball gloves for youth.
3 Common Mistakes You Should Avoid
1.Purchasing an Oversized Glove
Buying something that’s too small is more unlikely than getting something too large. The former won’t fit at all while the latter does. But what we fail to understand here is that an oversized glove means that your hand will be moving around inside it. So catching the ball becomes even more challenging.
2.Buying a Poorly Constructed Glove
Not all expensive brands manufacture well-constructed gloves. The design may look fantastic, but it’s harder to break them in. So keeping this mind, it’s better to opt for a used or an already broken in baseball glove.
3.Investing in an Extremely Stiff Glove
High-quality, top-grain gloves have a stiff design when new. This is why we suggested buying a used glove above. Because an old version tends to perform exceptionally better than something brand new. But this shouldn’t keep you from purchasing new baseball gloves as they offer maximum durability. It’s just the break-in period that you might have to struggle with.
Choosing the Best Youth Baseball Gloves
You don’t buy the best baseball gear without taking into consideration important factors now, do you? So let’s find out what they are in the case of baseball gloves for youth.
- Size
When it comes to youth players as old as 6 to 15, the correct length size falls in between 9 and 12 inches. The sizing chart below shows you the right measurement for all types of players below and above 14 years of age.
- Position
In the case of young players, all you need is a standard glove. It’s only when the game gets more and more competitive that you have to buy gloves based on your particular position.
Nevertheless, we would recommend catchers or first base players to purchase specific gloves. And more often than not, outfielders tend to opt for larger gloves as they help in getting hold of fly balls as well as line drives.
- Material
As far as material is concerned, please avoid plastic gloves. Not only do they have a cheap quality but are extremely uncomfortable too. Plastic baseball gloves are suitable for infants, not youth players.
Instead, what you need are gloves constructed with leather; premium, full-grain, and top-grain. Out of the three, top-grain leather gloves are easier to get loose and offer greater durability.
- Web
The two most common web designs are close and open webs. The former has a tight woven structure to create an unyielding, solid web. And the latter consists of a free cross design to create sufficient spacing between every unit of leather.
Usually, pitchers opt for closed webs so as to hide their grips from players of the opposing team.
And a fielder plays with the open web as this kind of a pattern helps in tracking fly balls into the baseball glove. But most of the best youth baseball gloves feature a closed web design to offer more rigidity and support when fielding and catching balls.
- Price
Investing in a high-quality, top-tier baseball glove is only a good idea once the players’ hands stop growing. So this might not be appropriate for younger players. And let’s not forget the stiff quality of such gloves. Breaking them in takes time, doesn’t it?
So don’t make the mistake of spending a huge sum on something that might not fit after a few months or even a year. Plus, expensive mitts are worthwhile investments only for professional leagues or if you’re an older player.
How to Buy a Baseball Glove?
The Final Score
Selecting a good quality and high-performing youth baseball glove can be confusing and slightly annoying. Not only does it take a lot of effort on your part, but the process also ends up wasting too much of your precious time. This is why we listed as many as seven best options along with a handy buyer’s guide.
All things said, based on our results and real experiences, we would highly recommend the Easton Youth ZFX 1001 Z-Flex Series Ball Glove. It’s the unique palm pattern and additional stall length of the glove that strike as the most appealing aspects. And that’s because such a design is responsible for providing extra leverage on the field.
These best youth baseball gloves come with the Z-Flex feature. This is nothing but elastic straps that go a long way in adding the much-needed flexibility and softness to the glove. So closing or squeezing the glove is as easy as it sounds.
The Easton Z Flex Youth Baseball Glove is an excellent choice for beginners. Because catching the ball with it is something that you will be able to master in a short span of time. And that’s good news for youth baseball players now, isn’t it?
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