When buying a glove for a young player choosing the type of glove to buy can be difficult. A question that I get asked often is, “Does it matter whether I buy an Infield or Outfield glove for my Child?”. The answer to that question is both yes and no. First we should talk about the differences between the two types of gloves.
Infield Gloves
Infield gloves are smaller than outfield gloves by a considerable amount. These gloves tend to be between 11 and 11.75 inches for youth players. This is due to the fact that larger gloves will make it difficult to get the ball out quickly, which is very important when playing an infield position. Infield gloves feature a more shallow pocket, which makes it easier to get the ball out of the glove quickly. This is why you see many professional infielders using 11.25 and 11.5 inch gloves.
Outfield Gloves
Outfield gloves on the other hand are much larger by comparison. The size can range from anywhere between 11.5 – 12.5 for youth players. They also have a much deeper pocket, which makes catching fly-balls much easier. However it also makes getting the ball out of the glove quickly a challenge. This is you don’t see infielders using an outfield gloves.
Does It Really Matter?
So going back to the original question, “Does it matter whether I buy an Infield or outfield glove for my child?”. For younger players who are just playing Little League in the spring it doesn’t really matter. If this is the case I would recommend buying a utility glove that can be used for any position. Utility gloves for youth players typically range from 11-12 inches. However if your child is playing year-round on a travel team, then I would recommend that they buy a glove specifically for the position that they play. If you are planning to buy a glove some brands I would recommend are Wilson, Rawlings, and Nokona. All of these brands sell quality infield and outfield gloves. However each brand’s glove is different, so I recommend doing your research on each brand of glove.
If you are in the process of looking for a glove, consider reading Is Is Worth Buying An Expensive Glove.
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