Rawlings vs. Mizuno

Check out Akadema Professional I bought the AJO 9 11.5" closed web glove probably the best glove I have had or seen. One of my players purchased A reptilian series AXX 6 12" closed web and really likes it as well.

practice hard....play with pride....win with class....have fun!

I'm of the impression that the Rawlings Pro Preferred are the best...

IMO stay away from any of the Rawlings gloves that are pre-oiled. I think the A-Rod glove is one of those. Rawlings Pro-Preferred line is excellent and they've started to again make some Heart of the Hide Gloves that are not pre-oiled and are very good and less expensive than the pro-preferred..

The "Chipper" mizuno is a great glove and they make a similar model in their "pro" line. I think the trouble with their pro line is that the leather is pretty soft and breaks down rather quickly. The less expensive "Chipper" which I think is in their "classic" series seems to have a longer "life" to it.

The Wilson A2000 series are also excellent gloves. They have a model, I think it is 1787 and also a model D5 that are great 3rd baseman gloves.

If you're buying on the internet, let me suggest Ballgloves.com. I think that's their site. They are in Manhattan Kansas. Great service and prices.

I have never used a Mizuno glove but i bought a custom made rawlings heart of hide last year and love it. All the strings have stayed very tight and is an overall very comfprtable glove.

If you get a preoiled glove though, dont wait until right before the season because it took me almost a month the completely break mine in.

You might look at KelleyUSA.com also. I just ordered my son an ES175 (Elevations Series-11.75") today. Great prices, 10 day breakin.

ES832 is nice too-11.5"

Make that www.bigd.kelleyusa.com

As a Kelley rep, I'd prefer to know more about you as far as age, fielding skills, position, level of play etc. before recommending a glove. But for the sake of comparison.....

Jax is correct. Based on the pattern you're looking at you should consider Kelley's Elevation Series model ES832 for $139.

The Elevation palm has two layers of split pigskin for extra protection. But because the layers are split they do not impede your control.

My son is 12 and 72 lbs dripping wet and handles it with no problem

Below is a link to the Elevation page.

Kelley's Elevation Series

What is the glove of choice for an outfielder? Thanks.

Thanks for all the input, guys. But I've never had a Kelly glove and unless I can try one on in person, I'm not interested. I've had numerous Rawlings, Mizuno and Wilson gloves over my career, and my personal preference is either Mizuno or Rawlings. I just want to get feedback from people who actually have the glove, and can give me direct feedback. Anyone with the Chipper model Mizuno, my main questions are: What is the quality of the leather? Anyone whose played baseball for over 20 years, like me, will instantly know whether its cheap leather or quality. Also, what is the leather like in the pocket? Is it thick or on the thin side? I have a Mizuno BUW Ichiro model that is thin as hell in the pocket, although if I catch the ball in the sweet spot, it doesn't hurt at all.

Regarding what's the choice glove for outfielders, I'd say anything 11 3/4" and over, I like open webs so I can see the ball (like the Ichiro-model Mizuno) coming into the pocket better, and at the same time keeping the glove light. My personal preference are any of the quality, higher-model Mizunos or Rawlings.

Knowbody, My sons, 04 & 05, Have both top line Rawlings and Mizuno gloves which are very good. However, they now use Kelley in the games-Elevation and Pro. If you don't like it , send it back, no problem. How will you know what is best for you unless you give it a try? I personally like to try gloves on before buying because no two are ever alike but Kelley makes it easy to return them and the price differential is hard to pass up.

IMO all the glove companies make decent products, it's just personal preference and value.

Moc1

Knowbody, why don't you just PM Coachdubya and let him tell you about the Kelleys. They have a 30 day return policy, that should ease your fears. I had never owned a Jeep, but I bought one last year. I didn't like tomatoes as a kid, love them now. See where I'm going?

And I'm not a rep, so I don't really care what you do, just a suggestion.