Do you need to condition a catchers mitt the same as a regular baseball glove.?

Question

I have a ton of baseball equipment.How do I determin what to keep.How will I know if a glove isn't worth saving or if a cracked aluminum bat should go.My husband wants to keep everything but has asked me to get rid of some stuff.I know that my boys will lose a glove or 2 so I want to make sure I can keep stuff that will last another season.

Answer 1

I'm a baseball coach, and any kind of equipment is valuable to a baseball player of all levels.

A catcher's mitt should always be conditioned, same as a regular baseball glove. NEVER EVER USE OIL. Oil is heavy and can cause the glove to be really slippery. Use aloe shaving cream (not the gel kind) to make your glove softer. This would help the glove lose its stiffness and make it lighter compared to an oil-based glove.

As for other equipment, any old cracked aluminum bats should go to the garbage, or can be recycled to make a new bat (I honestly don't know if there is any actual program for that, but that would be a good idea so there is no waste for an old bat). Cracked alum bats don't have the "pop" in it to make a descent hit. Any cracked wooden bat can be taped up (unless its cracked in half, or the crack contains a lot of splinters which can be dangerous). A taped bat won't do good in game, but good for warm-ups or for batting cages that uses rubber baseballs. Rubber baseballs actually ruin a metal bat's "pop." So using a wooden bat, esp when its taped is good. Old alum bats that aren't broken are good for warm ups and batting cage time... sure there's no pop (if you don't know what pop is, it is the force the bat exerts on the ball that is larger than one from a wooden bat or from an old alum bat). For all gloves you have, try conditioning them all so that your boys can have something to use when they lose their gloves. You can also give it away to little kids who can't afford gloves... that's what I did.

As long as they can be fixed, reused for training purposes, and overall not dangerous to anyone's health, keep the old equipment... maybe it will cost something some day. (I have some old school 1970s catchers equipment... = $$$$). Have fun this baseball season.

You can talk to me if you want more advice, etc.

Answer 2

Its been a long time but I did have to condition my catcher's mitt but it took longer since I really had to have it be so much more plyable to pick a pitch out of the dirt or to snap a pitch that was coming in at what seemed like warp speed to my chest. I actually remember tying it up with rope and putting it under my mattress for a few weeks even. Cracked bat get rid of it is dangerous. I kept all my gloves but mostly for remembrance not because they were still good since many had rips that can not be repaired. I do have one cracked bat but that's because it was the one I used my last year.

Answer 3

If the catchers mitt is relatively new, I suggest conditioning the glove with glove oil to soften the leather. With regular use the mitt will become softer. If other gloves are not dry rotted then rub them with oil as well to preserve them and keep them soft. As for a cracked aluminum bat, get rid of it immediately. It could shatter and cause injury.

Answer 4

If a baseball glove isnt too stiff to move, or broken, its acceptable to keep it. Even a broken lace is an easy fix. A cracked aluminum bat is garbage unless he wants to weight it and use it for training. I would say your safe getting rid of it though. And yes, you need to condition a catchers mit the same as any other glove.