Most baseball players wear batting gloves to improve their grip on the bat. During a swing, a stable grip helps the batter hit the ball more firmly. A poor grip might allow the bat to slip from the hands, throwing off the batter's rhythm.
Effect
Sometimes a fast pitch can cause the bat to reverberate wildly upon contact with the ball, causing a stinging sensation in the batter's hands. Batting gloves reduce the effect of the sting, though they won't be completely effective. The most effective approach is to hit the ball squarely, which decreases the risk of a painful sting.
Expert Insight
Some professional players don't wear baseball gloves because they feel it hurts their batting style, according to an April 2007 article in The New York Times. The article cites Moises Alou, then left fielder for the New York Mets, who said wearing batting gloves worsens his aim because the gloves lessen the effect of the painful sting that results from a mishit ball. In other words, the potential for a painful sting forces him to concentrate harder on his aim. Wearing gloves would remove this incentive and consequently decrease his ability to hit the ball well.
Subjective Impressions
The 2007 New York Times article also reports that some professional players don't like to use batting gloves because the gloves interfere with the feel of the batting experience. They enjoy the feel of the bat and the tape around its base. Also, they claim to have better batting control without gloves.
Other Benefits
Another potential benefit of wearing batting gloves is the decreased likelihood of developing cuts and blisters. If you practice batting often, for example at a batting cage, wearing batting gloves can protect your hands from damage. Even when you're not batting, you can benefit from wearing batting gloves. Some players wear batting gloves under their fielding gloves to protect their hands and to reduce the sting of speeding balls. However, routine practice without batting gloves might toughen your hands, leading to calluses that can minimize these sorts of problems.
Considerations
Try batting with and without gloves. If you notice that your batting performance improves while wearing gloves, as many players do, continue to wear them. If, on the other hand, you discover that you don't enjoy wearing batting gloves for whatever reason, you'll have to learn to play without the benefits they provide.
Member Comments