I can’t stress enough how important it is to take care of your baseball or softball glove. Taking care of your glove is actually very simple. The adage goes, “You only get what you put in”. This is so true when it comes to glove maintenance. What I’m going to do is go over some products and tips that will allow you to keep your baseball or softball glove in tip-top shape for many years. I have personally used all of these items, and have tried all of these methods. I will not show you a product or tip that I do not like, or haven’t used myself.

What is a glove made of? Yes, leather. Baseball and softball gloves are made of leather. Leather is just like your body’s skin, it needs to stay moisturized. It is very disheartening to see gloves where the leather is cracking and the colors are faded. To keep this from happening to your ball glove, you need to use glove oil and conditioners on a routine basis. Again, you get what you put in. There are many different types of glove conditioners and treatments. I personally prefer the kind that are like a balm, or butter type the best. For me, they are easier to apply, and easier to monitor how much I put on. A lot of companies will tell you to use a wet cloth or sponge to apply. That seems like a waste of time to me. The easiest way to apply is to just use your fingers and really rub it into the leather. That’s not to say I’ve never used, or don’t like the glove gels or oils. They work really well, especially if you’re restoring an older glove. The oils and gels are really thick and gooey, making it a good option for ultra dry leathers. But for me, I would still use a balm or butter because it’s easier to use and not as messy. I am a big fan of the glove conditioner sprays too. These are perfect for quickly getting some moisture into your ball glove. These are the perfect conditioners to keep in your bag for easy, on-the-go conditioning. My favorite spray is the Glovecon Spray. What I love about the Glovcecon is that it actually has an anti-fading technology in the spray. My two favorite glove conditioners are the Wilson Pro Stock Glove Conditioner and the Pelican Glove Rub. I have been using the Wilson Pro Stock ever since my dad bought me my first A2000 when I was fourteen years old. Even though I’ve been using the Wilson Pro Stock for a long time, I’ve found myself really loving the Pelican Glove Rub lately. What I like most about the Pelican is the smell. It smells like lavender bananas and just goes on so easily. As a side note, I would highly recommend keeping your gloves and mitts indoors year round. Extreme heat and extreme cold can really damage leather over time.

So now that you have your glove conditioned, and your leather feels like new, it’s time to store it properly, and securely. One of the most traditional ways of keeping your glove shape is using rubber bands. If you’re going to do the old-school method of using rubber bands, I would highly recommend the Rawlings Jumbo Rubber Bands. Instead of having to use a dozen regular sized rubber bands, you only need to use one or two of the Rawlings Jumbo Bands. But always make sure you keep a ball in the pocket of the glove. Rawlings also makes an elastic glove wrap that is about two inches thick and stretches around the ball glove. The rubber bands and the elastic glove wrap are definitely solid ways of keeping the integrity of your baseball or softball glove. I’ve used both products, and they do exactly what they say they do. But, if you want something that is leaps and bounds better, you need to look at the Lizard Skins Glove Wrap. This is by far my favorite glove accessory, or product for my baseball and softball gloves. It’s the easiest to use, and is the most portable wrap. You literally just set your ball glove on the adjustable ball, and then Velcro the sides of the wrap. You could throw your glove off of a building and it would be protected. You could even take it a step further and get the Glove Guardian Case. The case is crush proof and gives you maximum protection. The Case is also made in a double so you can fit two gloves or mitts in the case. Regardless of whether or not you do a traditional wrap, a Lizard Skins wrap or case, or even if you just do the Rawlings Jumbo Rubber Bands, you have to do something to keep the shape of your glove. Nobody wants a glove that is “Taco’d”. This means the glove has a single seam line down the middle of the glove, and the pocket has zero shape. I have seen so many “once expensive” ball gloves become taco’d. I want to ask them, “WHY?”.

I would also recommend you get your glove relaced at least every other season, or once every two years. I have relaced some baseball and softball gloves that have come to me in atrocious shape. After a relace, they feel like they have some shape back into them. If you’ve been reading this thinking, “I think my glove has lost its shape, but the leather is still in good shape, or at least salvageable”, I would recommend that glove be relaced immediately. A relace can really give a glove, what I call, a face lift. All in all, it is so important to really take care of your ball gloves ladies and gents. Do not take your glove for granted, especially with how much you or your parents pay for these handcrafted pieces of equipment. I would say you need to respect your glove. It can be a tool that can make or break you.

-Cody