America's pastime is versatile enough to play seriously in a league or as a pickup game with friends. Either way, as a baseball player you only need a bare minimum of equipment. Follow your league's guidelines to avoid disqualification or getting stuck with a pricey bat you can't use. Try out as many bats and gloves as you can until you find the ones that feels right immediately. As for the ball, there's no variation, as long as it's MLB-certified.
Baseball
Baseballs are manufactured to exacting standards set by Major League Baseball to ensure uniform performance. The core is a 0.5 oz. piece of cork covered by two layers of rubber totaling 7/8 oz. The core is wrapped with high-tension wool yarn -- exactly 219 yards of it -- followed by 150 yards of polyester-blend yarn. Then it gets a coat of rubber cement and a white leather jacket consisting of two pieces tightly stitched together. The end product is a 5 oz. necessity for anyone who plays baseball.
Bat
Unlike the baseball, bats come in a wide variety of sizes, weights and materials. Adults use 32- to 34-in. bats, but children must choose a size they can wield comfortably. Larger and more experienced players can take advantage of the heft of a heavy bat to get more power behind their swings, while smaller or beginner players may have to sacrifice some performance to get a bat light enough for them to control. Bats come in wood, aluminum and an array of proprietary metal alloys, each with its own pros and cons. Check with your league to find out what kind of bat you should look for -- most leagues have requirements with regard to barrel size and other structural characteristics for the bat to be legal in play.
Glove
The baseball glove may be the most iconic image of the game, other than the ball itself. Leather gloves are best, and may be chemically treated at home to break in sooner and last longer. Synthetic gloves are less durable, but are inexpensive options for children who will grow out of them quickly. The structure of the glove depends upon your position, for example, catcher's mitts have more padding and outfielder's gloves have a deeper pocket to help snag balls from the air. Gloves are sized from 9 to 12.5 in., so try the glove on before you buy it to make sure it fits without being uncomfortably snug.
Other Equipment
While any baseball player should have a ball, bat and glove of his own, the rest of the equipment you'll use will be provided by your league. The diamond will already have the bases and home plate in place, and there is usually a pitcher's cage off to the side of the foul line for warm-up pitches. Your coach may allow you to use a pitching machine for batting or catching practice, but buying your own is unnecessary unless you are extremely serious about baseball and put in plenty of practice hours on your own time.
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