Baseball is one of the most popular sports in the world, and part of its widespread delight is the product of its simple equipment. In poor regions and countries where baseball equipment is scarce, the game is sometimes played with broomsticks and whatever object is available to serve as a baseball, whether it is another type of ball or even a rock. Professional baseball features this equipment in its most premium incarnation, but still it pales in comparison with the high-tech equipment found among other team sports.
Baseball
The baseball is the most important piece of equipment in the sport for which it is named: The balls are white with red stitching and weigh about 5 oz.. The ball is composed of a thick layer of cotton and yarn wound tightly over a rubber layer and a cork core. All of this is covered in bleached leather.
Bat
Bats can come in various forms in high school and collegiate baseball, but the rules are stricter in professional baseball. The most significant difference is that all bats must be made of wood. Aluminum bats are widely used in college baseball because they are cheaper to make, faster to swing since they are lighter, and make the ball to travel farther. Wooden bats require more strength and make home runs tougher to achieve, making the professional game more challenging than other competitive levels. Because aluminum bats also increase the traveling speed of the ball, they are more hazardous when used by professional players because they can strike a player and cause injury.
Uniforms
Professional baseball players wear numbered uniforms to designate which team they play for, which helps referees as well as fans identify the role various players are performing. Some uniforms also might be worn according to licensing contracts created by companies that manufacture the uniforms -- contractual agreements often require players to wear gear only produced by that company in order to increase the brand's visibility. Most professional leagues allow teams to choose their own uniform providers, although standard items, such as the baseballs, are uniform across the league and produced by the same company.
Protective Gear
Fielding players -- both infielders and outfielders -- do not wear protective gear, nor do most pitchers. But the catcher is in a dangerous position, fielding balls that can reach 100 mph or more, and they also can be struck by an errant bat during a swing. Because of this, catchers wear a strong face mask to go with a chest protector and knee and shin guards. When batting and running bases, most players wear a helmet, although some choose to wear ankle, knee and elbow protectors when batting to keep a stray pitch from causing an injury.
Mitts and Gloves
All defenders use a mitt or glove to catch a ball in the field. These gloves are often similar with the exception of the catcher's mitt, which has extra padding in the glove to protect the catcher from the high velocity of pitches thrown his way.
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