America's great pastime has evolved minimally over the last 100 years. Baseball gloves on the other hand, have changed significantly, from small fingerless strips of leather to custom designed and position-specific technological marvels. The amount of detail that goes into each glove is staggering. Even now the gloves are evolving each year, changing to fit the ever-growing number of baseball players the world over, both young and old.
History
The first confirmed baseball glove was used in the 1870s, looking more like a cheap modern-day batting glove than anything else. There was no padding and no separation of the fingers. Back then baseball was a much rougher sport than it is today. Players were expected to stop the ball using hands, knees or any other parts of their bodies without any protection. Charles Waite, the originator of the first glove, even admitted that he was ashamed to wear his invention. As the years drew on, and everyone else's bruises mounted, Waite's invention began to catch on. The padding grew thicker, fingers were separated and sewn together to form a webbing, and gloves were customized and designed for specific positions.
Interior
The most important factors for baseball glove interiors are snugness and comfort. Gloves are traditionally lined with high-quality all-grain leather, allowing all of the sweat that accumulates when playing the game to be absorbed, thus eliminating slipping. Some gloves come with two thumb holes for ambidextrous, or switch, players. Some gloves come lined with cotton on the top strap, which sits just above the wrist, to help avoid skin irritation.
Exterior Material
The exterior of gloves can be made of one of several different materials, ranging from top-grain thin leather, to steer hide, to synthetic plastic. Higher grade gloves are traditionally made using top-grain or high-grain leather. These gloves can be stiff at first, but with routine oiling and repeated use they will eventually loosen and can last many years. Synthetic gloves are made using vinyl or plastic and can be purchased at a much lower price than leather-bound gloves. These gloves can be awkward, and shouldn't be expected to last very long.
Exterior Design
As much as 90 inches of rawhide can be used to lace a single glove. The lacing starts at either the thumb or little finger, and runs the entire outside length of the glove. This one lacing procedure is what holds the entire glove together. The web section tends to vary by position; however, traditionally it is laced and held together using a nylon thread. The web of each glove is designed to catch and hold the ball with little to no direct skin impact.
Sizes and Positions
Gloves can vary in size and padding depending on the position they were originally designed for.
A catcher's mitt has much more padding than any other, due to the nature of the position and the extreme impact on the wrist. The catcher's mitt is in fact not a glove at all, as there are no finger dividers, hence the name "mitt," which derives from "mitten." Catchers' mitts are measured around the circumference and traditionally range from 32 to 34 inches.
First basemen's mitts are similar to catchers' mitts in that they have extra padding, due to the repeated impact throughout games, and are completely fingerless inside.
Infielders' gloves are much smaller, with significantly less padding, and the webbing is very shallow. These gloves are designed for snagging the ball and allowing the fielder to retrieve the ball from the glove as easily and quickly as possible. Infielders' gloves are measured from the wrist to the tip and traditionally range from 11 to 12 inches long.
Outfielders' gloves are much longer, with very deep pockets designed to give the fielder a better chance to catch far-reaching fly balls. The amount of padding on an outfielder's glove is equal to that of an infielder's glove. Outfielders' gloves are measured from wrist to tip and range in length from 12 to 13 inches.
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