The Complete Handbook of Baseball & Softball Batting Gloves
A Professional's Field Guide to Selection, Use, and Care
by Alumigogo Books
non-fiction
A data-driven reference for choosing, using, and selling baseball and softball batting gloves.
About this book
From raw materials to retail strategy. This handbook strips away the marketing to deliver a practical, technical resource for anyone who takes batting gloves seriously—from the high school coach managing a team budget to the retailer trying to stock the right mix, to the player looking for a competitive edge. It begins by breaking down the true function and construction of the glove, explaining what a welting seam is, why a Clarino palm differs from a synthetic suede one, and how those choices affect grip, feel, and durability. It moves beyond brand slogans to provide a clear specification framework for evaluating any glove on the market. You'll learn not just what to buy, but how to test it yourself in the store or on the field.
Practical, structured, and field-tested. The book provides a step-by-step process for fitting gloves to different hand shapes and age groups, and a clear maintenance schedule that will extend a glove's life dramatically. It tackles common failures—from blown-out seams to hardening palms—with a diagnostic and repair guide. For those looking to build a business, a full chapter analyzes the supply chain, from major manufacturers to private-label opportunities, and outlines realistic models for reselling, team sales, and rental services. Finally, it covers emerging materials and the market trends that will shape the glove industry in the coming years.
Reader Reviews
Brian Adams
★★★★★It's got a lot of solid info, but I felt like it was throwing a lot of jargon at me early on. The chapter on choosing the right glove was genuinely useful for our team's budget planning, and I liked the maintenance section. But honestly, a lot of the material science stuff went over my head, and I found myself skimming a lot of the first half. It's a book for a serious gear head, not necessarily a coach like me.
Ashley Harris
★★★★★I bought this looking for a simple buying guide, and it definitely is that, but it's much more. I appreciated that it didn't feel like an ad for one brand. The section on how to actually test a glove for fit and feel was worth the price of the book for me. My only real gripe is that it's so thorough that sometimes I just wanted to know the 'best' glove, not a forty-page essay on why 'best' is subjective.
George Roberts
★★★★★The book is fine, but I found it a bit dry and academic for my taste. It reads like a textbook. On the plus side, it's very well organized. I was able to skip right to the troubleshooting section to figure out how to fix a tear on my son's glove, and the step-by-step advice on seam repair was spot on. It's more of a reference you'll pull off the shelf once a year than a cover-to-cover read.
Joseph Sanchez
★★★★★This is a surprisingly dense little reference. I'm a retailer and I plan to use the chapter on brands and business opportunities to inform my next buying order. I thought the author's breakdown of the different leather types was very clear and finally explained the price differences I see from my suppliers. I took off one star because I wish the book had more close-up photos of the glove construction details rather than just descriptions.
Anthony Rodriguez
★★★★★It's a decent handbook, but I don't agree with all the advice. The author is clearly old school and recommends a long break-in period, but the modern synthetic gloves I use don't need that at all. I also thought some of the maintenance recommendations were a bit overkill. That said, the chapters on different types of gloves and the glossary of materials were helpful. It's a good resource, but take the author's opinions with a grain of salt.
Kenneth Clark
★★★★★Finally, a book that treats batting gloves like serious equipment and not just an accessory. As a coach who orders for a whole program, the chapter on choosing the right glove for different age groups and playing levels was incredibly helpful. I've already used the fitting guide, and I'm forwarding the maintenance chapter to all my player's parents. This book is a legitimate coaching resource and I've already recommended it to my peers.