Gloves are personal, as Red Sox explain

(Photo: Pete Abraham)

Eric D. Schabell
Contributing Writer

Anyone who has ever played the game of baseball knows the value of a good glove.

Pitcher, catcher, infielder or outfielder, they all have deep thoughts on the matter.

Most will not change gloves for all the tea in China, but when you decide to trade in your old one for new, that's almost a matter of life and death.

Players agonize over size, material, colors and more, but don't believe me. Listen to your favorite Red Sox players discuss the things that matter most to them in a glove. Dustin Pedroia, Steven Wright, Chris Young, Mookie Betts, Rick Porcello and Andrew Benintendi explain what they look for in a glove and why.

Ian Browne from MLB.com caught up with one Red Sox player who was a little bit more excited about seeing his new Wilson glove than the others. Pedroia has a glove named after him now and was pretty excited to see it as his son will play with it this year in Little League.

Click to watch video.

"That's real cool," Pedroia said. "My son is starting up Little League and he has my glove, and that's pretty crazy to think about and to actually see."

He further explains about his personal preference.

"My biggest thing is I like to use one glove for games, practises or whatever. It doesn't matter," Dustin said. "A lot of guys will use their backup glove, and they'll switch to their game glove. I think it's important to use the same one."

Wright likes the fingers and webbing to be closed up so hitters can't see him getting his special knuckleball grip on the ball.

Porcello is sticking with the same model that got him his CY Young award last year.

"This particular glove worked out for me pretty well last year, so I'm going to go with it again," Porcello said. "I like this webbing because it holds up really well and you can play catch with it for a while, and it can take kind of a beating."

Benintendi is very careful with how he handles his glove.

"I don't throw it in my bag," Red Sox rookie left fielder said. "Some people just toss it in their bag. I carry mine alongside so it doesn't lose its form."

One thing is certain, getting your new glove is pretty much the bast day of the year and Porcello sums it up best.

"Getting my gloves," Porcello said. "This is definitely an exciting day. It's like Christmas."


Post a comment or via twitter @erics_redsox with your thoughts.

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