Suggestions, Catcher's Gloves

My son likes the Akadema Praying Mantis (yeah, weird name). He rates it high for comfort, safety & ease of transfer. Can't speak to durability yet, as it's only in its second season....but it's holding up beautifully so far. PT Glove Man, and here's a link to his site.

Akadema

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From 'Nice Guys Finish Last' by Leo Durocher:

Baseball lives at the center of a never-flagging whirl of irreconcilable opinions.

The Wilson "Pudge" mitt is my son's favorite. Its kind of stiff with a smaller pocket making easier to find and remove the ball. He has two of them and has treated them well over the years. No throwing the glove or wiping the plate with it and has applied lots of Vasoline over the years! Depending upon the pitcher, he still uses the orginal pudge mitt we bought him 5 years ago. He has only made two string repiars and it shows no signs of tearing, although the pocket is clearly worn from use.

I am told that the new pudge mitts are not made in the same place as his orginal, so we'll have to see how the second one holds up. He had the second one for two years w/o a problem so far.

Take a look at Kelley's Elevation Series. With a 5 oz full grain steerhide shell, US steerhide lacing, kevlar stitching and 2 layer split pigskin pad for extra protection, it will hold up to the demands of travel ball. Comes with a 2 yr warranty and 30 day money back guarantee.

Nokona CM225.

"Show me a guy who can't pitch inside and I'll show you a loser." Sandy Koufax

Well...all of this has certainly cleared up the matter for you, FB!

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From 'Nice Guys Finish Last' by Leo Durocher:

Baseball lives at the center of a never-flagging whirl of irreconcilable opinions.

Oh yea, I hear ya, Orlando. I'm looking for a mid range catcher's glove for my catching crew to use on my travel team. And, yes, they should have their own but they don't. I have one kid who is on the "some kind of good side" when it comes to catching. He's just realizing that he is good and has not committed to buying equipment (he will eventually). So I buy it. New Easton intermediate chest protector/shin guards along with an Easton hockey style head gear. Nice.

So, I don't want to take out a loan for this glove. Just looking at $200 gloves on ebay for well under price, or something in the $130 range at retail? That's all. Thanks for the info. so far. Keep it comming.

By the way Orlando, my wife and I will be your way Feb. 27-Mar. 2. Older son plays St. John's River CC, Daytona Beach CC & Seminole CC. Can't wait!

FieldBuilder

....you teach me baseball and I'll teach you relativity...No we must not, You will learn about relativity faster than I learn baseball.
--Albert Einstein

Sounds like it's time for "the equipment conversation" with a few of these guys.

Knowing a little more about the situation, consider Kelley's ProLine. Plenty durable for travel ball, and at $109, it won't break the bank. Also has a 1 yr warranty.

FB, Seminole and Daytona Beach seem to be struggling a bit in the early season; I haven't seen St. John's or their opponents, so I can't comment on them.

It's odd, they've got some players and are traditionally strong programs. NFCC played Seminole twice, and they do have a couple of holes. PT me if you want any info.

But it should be a great time!

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From 'Nice Guys Finish Last' by Leo Durocher:

Baseball lives at the center of a never-flagging whirl of irreconcilable opinions.

Just my opinion but the best mitt I have found is the Wilson A-2000 pudge. It has a small pocket and is light. Breaks in nice and the small pocket is perfect for transfer. My son has two of them one he is breaking in and the other he uses in games. We also use the A-2000 at our High School. The Wilson A-2403 is a good glove as well.

Wilsons Pudge 2403 and the new 2000 are both great gloves.
They may be a little tough to break in for a younger kid.I would be starting with them soon.

The Nokona is $138 at Don Morton's. {He also handles Wilson, etc.} Great service and excellent prices. The Nokona is a good sized glove that could be used by 13/14U (assuming you don't have a tiny catcher), but also would last into HS. Both in terms of size and durability.

Several people have gone out & bought the CM225 after having seen/tried ours.

Don Morton Sports


Kelley you can buy direct on their website.

"Show me a guy who can't pitch inside and I'll show you a loser." Sandy Koufax

do they still make the wilson 2403?? or has that been rplaced by the pudge 2000? great mitt, not too big. hard to break in but last forever

Not sure if they still make the 2403 but you can still find them on the internet.

Wilson still calls their top end catcher’s mitt the A2403 (in their catalog), they just started printing A2000 in the palm to match their other A2000 products. They did the same thing with the A2800 first base mitt. The pockets now say A2000.

Wilson said it was to build a cohesive brand awareness for the entire A2000 line. Seems like they confused the marketplace after years of trying to create a distinction between A2000, A2403, and A2800

In relation to the entire post, of all the mitts we sell, the A2403 Pudge is by far the best selling catcher’s mitt.

My 2 cents ... My first 'quality' mit was a Kelly ... don't recall the model (but it was black, 32"- I think & cost approx. $150). A truly quality mit, both in terms of performance and endurance - still have it & use it on occassion.

I used the A2403 (32 1/2")for a season. I felt as though it made me a bit more suceptible to getting "thumbed" -a painful & annoying injury. As pitchers begin to throw harder (as they get older) the potential for this injury also increases.

Currently, I am using (breaking in) a Rawlings Pro Preferred J-Series. Very light, comfortable glove and seems to be breaking in well (but quite pricey) - still have not had the opportunity to use it in a game situation which will be the true acid test. But if it doesn't work out, I still have my Kelly to fall back on.

My opinion of the Nokona - they make an outstanding softball mit but their baseball mit seems to break down a little too quick (here again, the rate at which it breaks down is directly proportional to the pithing velocity) - especially for the $200 price tag (CM500).

I saw the Akadema Prying Mantis @ a clinic at a local DI school. Thought it was very interesting. Tried it on and though it felt a bit heavy - seemed like a quality mit that would perform well. However, I was only able to catch about a half-dozen balls (80-85 mph) and the mit was brand new - not broken in. So I can't give a true evaluation of its performance - but I am considering buying one to give it a try during bull pen work as a test drive.

The Wilson A2000 is a great glove. I was coaching a 7th grade player who had one. He is now a senior and is using same glove. This is after catching almost every game for spring and summer seasons.