Ever wondered what is the difference between an Infield Glove and an Outfield Glove? Well yea, things can get pretty confusing if you’re entering the world of baseball for the very first time.
But hey that’s okay! I’m here to give you a clear-cut difference between infielders’ and outfielders’ gloves.
And you’ll be a baseball geek in no time!
Difference Between Infield And Outfield Glove
Let’s get into some key differences between the baseball gloves. You would be able to spot any gloves, and you’ll become a pro spotter of any type of gloves in no time!
Outfield Gloves Are Larger
The outfielder gloves are larger compared to infielder gloves, so you can spot that difference right off the bat. Outfielders need to catch flying balls and therefore they have larger gloves. Sometimes outfielders need to reach out for the balls, farther away from their body, so these dimensions come in real handy.
Infielder gloves are comparatively smaller since they are closest to the bases and infielders tend to react quicker.
Infielder Gloves Have Shallow Pockets
This brings me to the point of infielders acting quicker! They have to transfer the ball as quickly as possible. The hollow the pocket, the more difficult it is to transfer the ball to other bases or even to the player itself.
That’s not the case for the outfielders, outfielders have to have deeper pockets to try and grab the ball and perfect its landing within it.
Closed Webs for Outfielders
Outfielders tend to have a closed web or a trapeze web or a solid woven web to try and block the sun from their eyes when catching the ball from a farther distance.
Infielders tend to have an I- Web or H-Web which allows them to have better visibility for infielders when fielding ground balls.
Outfielder Gloves Have More Padding
The gloves of outfielders have generally more padding compared to infielder gloves. This is because outfielders normally have hard-hit impact force balls thrown toward them, therefore they need to have extra padding from the hard hits directed toward them.
Infielders don’t normally require this because they have a short distance to pass the ball.
Infield Gloves are more Flexible
The Infielder’s gloves tend to be more flexible they need to transfer passes quickly and effectively and therefore, they need a flexible glove to do so. These generally also have a softer feel present to them to transfer the ball from the glove to the throwing hand for fast-paced plays.
While outfield gloves don’t have the same property per se, they generally have a harder feel towards them because they need to be impact resistant, for certain catches, like a diving catch or high velocity catches.
Can You Use Infield Glove For Outfield?
Well, after reading the difference I’m pretty sure you guessed it. It’s possible to use them but it could be really tricky to handle. Infield gloves are designed differently than outfield gloves. Outfield gloves are designed to take hard-impact balls and are built on the rougher side for any type of catch that comes your way.
Infield gloves are softer with a shallower pocket, which can be easy for quick transfers. Each of these gloves is perfectly designed to their specific needs.
What Is The Best Glove For Infield & Outfield?
If you want to use your baseball glove for both infield and outfield positions, then you should buy utility gloves. These gloves can be used in any position.
There are many utility gloves out there, but my personal favorite is Rawlings Select Pro Lite Utility Glove.
Conclusion
Well through this difference I’m pretty sure you’re gonna be a pro at differentiating gloves in no time. And of course, if you are a high school player and want to invest in gloves, these are your best choices.
Hope this differentiation article helped you and made you get a clear understanding of the difference between Infielder and Outfielder gloves. And get your catch game on!
