Help Me Choose a Glove!

#1

Hey everybody! I need some help choosing a glove. What I’m looking for is a 11.5 inch custom middle infielder’s glove with mesh or something like it. I’ve narrowed my selections down to 3 choices:

SSK Mesh Series
Wilson A2000 1786 Superskin
Wilson A2000 DP15 Superskin

There all about the same price, so my choice comes down to
a. performance
b. aesthetics

I’d like for y’all to rate the look of the gloves from 1-10 (my school colors are navy and vegas gold. Then tell me anything you know about them (from experience, what ever). Thanks!

Here’s a little more info on each glove:
SSK
These gloves have been around in Japan for years, they just started marketing in the U.S. There mesh just came out… it’s available in colors other then black, which I haven’t found anywhere else. The mesh is supposed to reduce the weight of the glove 10%+

1786
Very popular glove. The superskin is Wilson’s shot at mesh. It’s supposedly is 2x durable yet 1/2 the weight… which sounds too good to be true. The mesh is only available in black. Anyway, the pros love it (or at least that’s what Wilson’s YT wants me to think…

DP15
It appears to be similar to the 1786, except this is Dustin Pedroia’s customized version. It has
-Reduced heel padding for maximum feel (ouch?)
-Smaller hand openiing
-Flared shape
I give no picture because on Wilson’s glove customizer it appears the same as the 1786.

http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/607/sskmesh.jpg/][img]http://img607.imageshack.us/img607/5209/sskmesh.jpg[/img

http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/440/wilsona20001786superski.jpg/][img]http://img440.imageshack.us/img440/7792/wilsona20001786superski.jpg[/img

#2

You using this glove on the mound or in the field?

#3

In the field.

Yes… I do know I’m on a pitching forum…

#4

Either one would be good I would think for playing a position, I’ve never heard of ssk and I’m not a big fan of mesh.

The reason I asked was because of how the bottom of the pocket is designed.

In all honesty if you’re a MIF then you want the Pedroia glove, it’ll benefit you the most, it is designed specifically for a MIF i.e. smaller opening, less padding you so can feel better etc, etc.

Now my question to you is honestly how important is weight in a glove?

#5

[quote=“Wales Diesel”]
Now my question to you is honestly how important is weight in a glove?[/quote]

If I’m going to play middle infield, I want the lightest glove possible.

Let’s say a glove weighs 10 pounds. If you have to react quickly, would you want to be carrying 7 pounds of dead weight or 10? The lighter 7, right? That’s why mesh is better… it’s lighter. That’s the main plus.

The cons of mesh are:

  • limited color choices
  • not every glove manufacturer offers it
  • some are concerned it doesn’t hold its shape

On that last point, all the reviews of mesh gloves on Baseball Express are 5 stars. Mesh gloves have been around a while (just not common), and no ones really complained about them. And… high school is only 4 years. If a mesh glove couldn’t hold for that long, they wouldn’t be sold.

The Wilson A2000 DP15 is also offered in superskin (Wilson’s take on mesh).

On a side note, they have mesh catcher’s gloves too.

How is a smaller hand opening better for middle infielders? Are we being stereotyped?!?!?!? :evil:

#6

I do have my concerns with mesh, however. It’s a relatively new and untested product, so I should have reservations.

Concern #1: Dustin Pedroia’s livelihood depends on his fielding. Obviously he’d want the best possible glove to field his position. If mesh is in most cases better than leather (lighter, etc.), wouldn’t he have chosen a superskin glove? Although I do know he wanted his new glove to be just like his old one, which was leather.

Concern #2: I guess that there’s no more than 5 players on any major league team’s roster that use mesh gloves. Why? Is it too new?

Concern #3 Going along with Concern #2, Wilson has videos on YT of pro players picking up custom gloves for the 2012 season. In none of the video I’ve watched has a pro selected their superskin.

Notes on mesh:
For every leather glove, you need a cow. Once you have cow hide, you need a tannery to fix it up right. After all the costs are added up… it’s not a cheap thing to make a glove. With mesh… a portion of the glove is polyester, which is cheaper. If a mesh glove is cheaper to make than a leather glove, how come all these companies that offer mesh have it priced the same as an identical leather glove? Mark-up…

So I guess the real question here is “yes mesh” or “no mesh”. I believe there are upsides to mesh, although there is risk involved. With all that taken into account, is a mesh glove really worth it? I don’t know. Advice anyone?

#7

As far as your first concern, Pedroia is being paid by Wilson, so that pretty much throws that thought out.

Concern two, well it’s new but if a guy is prone to one type of product and they are happy with it, why change?

Mark up is right, no one wants to be undercut especially when its something new, they want to mark it up and make as much gross as possible. It’d blow your mind if you knew the actual mark up of a lot of different products.

As I said earlier I myself am not a fan of mesh, give me leather anytime.

#8

I don’t have any advice. Though, I do have a few concerns also.

Concern#1: You seem to have put a ton of thought into this decision. From my experience with other personal items people buy, like cars, guns, dogs, coke or pepsi….there’s really nothing to be said except let us know how you like whatever you settle on. Personally, I like Coke, Pepsi is too sugary.

Concern #2: I’m old enough to still be ticked off at the Japanese for Pearl Harbor and Iwo Jima, etc. I know, that’s all water under the dam and heck they love the game of baseball over there but what really fries me is they let Bobby Valentine get off their island and he came back to become Manager of the Red Sox. For THAT I’ll never forgive them. So already I’m leaning toward the Wilson.

Concern #3: To mesh or not to mesh. I am one of those that feel while innovation is often a good thing, when it comes to baseball it’s not. For instance, I hate the day the designated hitter was invented. By the way, Ron Blomberg was the first designated hitter (New York Yankees). April, 6th, 1973 is the day that will live in infamy. Real baseball is played in the National League. Pitchers are athletes, if given the chance they can hit and the game was never intended to feature hitters who have no use for a baseball glove.

So when I think of a baseball glove, I want to know that a cow gave his/her/its life to produce the hide that an American worker (hopefully) crafted into a work of art. I also want to be able to smell the unique scent of a new A2000 Pro Stock 1796 leather glove. I’m sitting here smelling my son’s black A2000 at this very moment. Yeah, some day you’ll understand. I want to be able to chew on the leather strings while I’m sitting in the dugout or maybe between pitches contemplating how quick this double play is going to get turned. I want to be responsible for dousing it with glove oil or spraying some shaving cream in the pocket just before going to the ballpark. Thirty years from now, you’ll want to be able to pull it out of the junk drawer in the basement and go outside and have a game of catch with your son.

Besides, could you imagine Tom Hanks floundering in the ocean screaming, “SSK!!..SSK!!!”

#9

Well said Dino.

Nice touch at the end!

#10

Thanks for the guidance, I’ll let you guys know if I have anymore questions.

As for the glove choice, I’ll wait a little. If I go with mesh I want to be able to stick my hand in one before buying.