A2000 Gloves

Welcome to the site. Yes, A2000's are very good gloves but I wouldn't limit yourself. There are lots of great gloves out there. Generally, any glove that is roughly $90 and up will be a good grade of leather that will hold up to the heavy use of HS ball and up. Generally, the stiffer off the shelf, the longer the glove will hold up (some pre-oiled gloves are exceptions).

Some specific position guidelines for you...
A pitcher wants a glove that is not too big or bulky, manageable. He also wants a web design that will not show too much of the ball/hand so that he isn't tipping his grip/pitch. So, usually a basket web, closed web or modified closed web.

A 3b typically wants an infielder glove that is fairly shallow but doesn't have to be as shallow or as small as a middle infielder glove. 3B usually has a bit more time to get rid of the ball than MIF's, but less reaction time, thus a slightly larger glove.

So, if you are trying to keep it to one glove (feasible), you probably want something around 12" (or certainly between 11 3/4 and 12 1/4"). And you want something with a relatively closed web. If your son is a small 8th grader and you are not trying to get several years out of the glove, you can probably drop these measurements 1/4". All gloves have these sizes marked on them. In the A2000 line, some examples are...
A2K B2
A2000 B2
A2000 1796
A2K ASO

One drawback to the A2000 line is that you have to go up to a 12 1/2" to find a model with the index finger only hole. Some players prefer this versus the conventional open back.

Whatever you buy, I suggest you buy from a place that will be convenient for exchange. The glove is a very personal purchase and you want your son to be able to pick one he really likes.
Like I said, there are tons of great choices out there.

I'm glad you put that "drop 1/4" in there. LOL

My son is not small. He is 5'6" and 160lbs...He is estimated to grow between 6'-6'2" and prob over 200lbs in the next few years...
he did ask me tonight if the a2000 series had a model for the index finger because he said it was the best thing about his glove now. Would the 12.5 be too big? If so what would be some of your suggestions? I am trying to find a glove that will last him atleast through highschool.

There is no glove better than the A2000. Watch what the pros wear. The college players.

Having said that, don't buy a glove too big for your kid's hand. 11.5 may be just fine, depending upon his hand size. He will probably have to buy a larger glove in a few year because he's growing.

quote:

Originally posted by nurrlc:
My son is not small. He is 5'6" and 160lbs...He is estimated to grow between 6'-6'2" and prob over 200lbs in the next few years...
he did ask me tonight if the a2000 series had a model for the index finger because he said it was the best thing about his glove now. Would the 12.5 be too big? If so what would be some of your suggestions? I am trying to find a glove that will last him atleast through highschool.

Brand Preference has a lot to do with it. One pointer though, don't go into any glove (or bat for that matter) deal with the idea of making it last "at least through high school". Through experience, I have noticed that most gloves just do not last more than a few years at best if used every day. We spent over 200 dollars on a top of the line Nokona 2 years ago and even though son still uses it- it is worn out and has a hole wearing through it. I have replaced or fixed the lacing several times. Leather- if used agressively (plays a lot) just will not last. Catchers mitts are the worst for wear- they just will not last more than 2 or 3 seasons. As a pitcher, they too catch a lot of balls and getting more than 3 years out of one is rare.

That said, never let price (more expensive gloves) decide your flavor. Case in point- When Nike first came out with their diamond series of catchers mitts years ago (5 years ago) we picked one up on a special demo price deal at the local sports store. We paid 30 dollars for that mitt. My son, who still catches, still uses that mitt to this day. I myself use it also at every practice and also use it catching bullpens for my son. That mitt probably has over 100,000 catches in it. I have relaced it twice, once professionally, which costed more than what I paid for it initially! The bottom line- a cheap mitt can be just as good or better than a more expensive mitt- don't go off price.

Personally I don't like the A2000 line of mitts. I think the leather is too stiff and takes far too long to wear in, and when they do, they don't "give" in the right places. I like mitts that already have a broke in feel and thus why I would never buy a glove without first physically inspecting it and trying it out in a store.

As for the size, my personal take is that a 12" glove is all around the best. Smaller mitts are generally used more for the middle infielders where they have to get the ball out of the glove faster to turn double plays. So unless you are playing in a league with extremely fast runners and son has exceptional arm speed, a small glove is pointless! Better to go with bigger rather than smaller. a 12 and a 1/2 would be just fine. When son was 10, our SS had this unbelievably large mitt he was using- man, he tracked everything down. I picked it up once, tried it on, looked at the size and it was an outfielders mitt! Best SS we ever had!

Bum, Jr. was taught at an early age to lather his glove with shaving cream (no better treatment) and to pound his glove with wooden dowel literally thousands of times (to break down the toughness of the leather) before using it.

Put a ball in the glove at night and tie it up (with the glove around the ball) for the first week.

Never lay the glove down sideways. Pocket down only.

Beat it again each day for a week straight. More shaving cream. Good to go.

Excellent advice Bum. I like either using a softball or 2 baseballs in the pocket to tie it up with.

Nurrlc,
You will find that we often disagree with each other around here. I certainly disagree with the suggestion that a 12 1/2" glove "would be just fine". If you check any manufacturers' glove catalog, most will list with each model what position the glove is appropriate for. You will almost never see a glove larger than 12" recommended for a pitcher. There is a reason for this. A serious pitcher does not want a big cumbersome glove. I had six pitchers on our varsity team last year and none used bigger than a 12" glove, some 11 1/2. This is the norm. I don't believe the 10 yr old SS with the huge mitt is a good atecdotal comparison. (They often let little kids get away with using gloves that don't promote proper mechanics because, well, they are little kids.)

I do, however, agree with the comment that you should not expect to get more than 2-3 years out of a glove if the player is playing HS ball and some summer/fall ball. Every-day use takes a toll on gloves. The best chance you have to get through four years is to get a top grade leather like an A2000 or Rawlings Pro Preferred or Heart of the Hide or other brands' equivalent quality level models - usually $160-$350. These gloves have thicker leather, thicker laces and better re-inforcement. They will take longer to break in and will hold thier shape longer. With ball gloves, price WILL almost always indicate quality level. There are some great gloves out there at $90 that will be easier to break in and will perform well but won't likely last the four years of HS ball.

quote:

Originally posted by NDD:
I'm glad you put that "drop 1/4" in there. LOL

NDD,
I know it sounds funny but when the glove size range for a specific position is generally only about 1" total, 1/4" is meaningful. 1/2" is very significant, like going from a Medium to an XL.

You are getting some great advice here. The only thing I would emphasize is the weight of the glove for a pitcher. Mechanically the opposite and equal is easiest to achieve when the glove is not too heavy. That is especially true if your son is a starting pitcher and will start to get tired. When kids get bigger the weight is not as much of an issue, but for an 8th grader pitcher a heavy glove should be avoided.
I would suggest you consider a Louisville H2 Hybrid Lite which is close to 20% lighter, but still has quality leather in the palm/web.

quote:

Originally posted by cabbagedad:

quote:

Originally posted by NDD:
I'm glad you put that "drop 1/4" in there. LOL

NDD,
I know it sounds funny but when the glove size range for a specific position is generally only about 1" total, 1/4" is meaningful. 1/2" is very significant, like going from a Medium to an XL.

I know. Not many 8th graders have the build for a 12" glove. It's just too much leather. There are a lot of guys in the MLB that use 11.75 at 3rd.

I've never tried shaving cream though anecdotally I heard people rave about it. I highly recommend Lexol NF. It's a proprietary neatsfoot oil formula that is very light, isn't greasy to the touch, doesn't change leather color, and, by the way, smells great. And, unlike, neatsfoot and other glove oils, it's great with wet leather.