The Essential Baseball Catcher Gear Guide
No position player in baseball requires more gear than the catcher. Most of the catcher’s gear is protective in nature. A catcher must guard against getting hit by the baseball. Foul balls from the batters sometimes hit their body, which is why they wear protective gear. Catchers in professional baseball also field pitches that can travel up to 100 miles per hour from the pitcher.
Sometimes, the balls are thrown in the dirt, making them bounce unpredictably. Because it’s important to be protected from the hard-covered baseball, catchers must ensure they have the proper equipment. Whether you’re a Little League player or in professional baseball, you’ll need quality gear when you’re behind the plate. Below is a guide to selecting catcher’s equipment.
Types of Catcher’s Gear
Standard catcher’s equipment includes a helmet or mask, a chest protector, shin guards, and a protective cup. Here is a description of these and other important gear a catcher needs:
- Catcher’s Mitt: A catcher’s mitt is a solid, round piece of leather with a web at the top. It’s larger than a position player's glove and it’s made to help field throws in the dirt. It has extra padding in the center to help protect a catcher’s hand from hard throws from the pitchers.
- Chest Protector: A chest protector is a padded piece of material that covers the catcher’s chest and is designed to protect it from foul balls or errant pitches that can’t be fielded with a glove. A chest protector runs from your shoulder line to the bottom of your waist. Some catchers wear a padded compression shirt under their chest protector. This adds another layer of insulation for your chest.
- Helmet: A helmet consists of a shell that’s designed to protect the catcher’s head. It has wire bars or a mask in the front that’s designed to protect the catcher’s face from the baseball. The helmet is similar to what a hockey goalie wears.
- Knee Savers: Knee savers are usually foamy material attached to the back of your knees. Knee savers can help reduce stress on your legs. Because catchers sometimes must squat in their defensive position, their knees can get fatigued.
- Leg Guards: Leg guards run from the mid thighs to your feet. It’s one piece. A comprehensive set is built to include specific protection for your shins, knees, and thighs. The inside has comfortable padding, and the outside is typically made of a durable synthetic material.
- Masks: Some catchers just wear a mask that protects their face. They typically wear the mask over a hard-covered hat that protects the top of their head. The mask is like the mask on a catcher’s helmet without the protective shell. Whether a catcher wears a mask or helmet is a matter of preference. Masks can be lighter than helmets, which is a reason some players opt for them. Most players, however, wear helmets.
- Protective Cup: A protective cup is typically a shell that is worn around the groin area to protect catchers from “significant testicular injuries.” A cup shields you from foul balls that bounce into your groin.
- Shin Guards: Shin guards are like leg guards but just cover your shins. Some catchers only wear shin guards because they weigh less, and they can be more comfortable than leg guards. Wearing only shin guards, though, leaves the upper part of your legs vulnerable.
- Throat Guard: A throat guard hangs down from a catcher’s mask over your neck to help protect your throat. It’s typically made of plastic.
- Thumb Guard: A thumb guard is like a durable plastic splint that covers your thumb inside the catcher’s glove. It is designed to help prevent bruising. When your thumb gets hurt from catching a baseball, it’s called being “thumbed.” It can be difficult to recover from a “thumbing.”
The Importance of Choosing the Right Catcher’s Gear
Because there are so many options to choose from, it’s important to know what criteria you should use when selecting your catcher’s equipment. Each piece of gear—from the helmet to the catcher’s mitt—has specific features you should look for before you buy it.
Helmets and Masks: Helmets and masks should be made of lightweight, comfortable yet durable material that’ll help protect you from the baseball. The cranial part of the helmet should cover your head snugly. The straps for the mask need to be secure but not too tight or it’ll cause discomfort. Some masks have just two pieces, which give you more space to breathe. Those are traditional masks, and they’re usually less expensive than helmets.
Fitting: Measure the circumference of your head and then match it with the manufacturer’s corresponding size.
Chest Protector: A chest protector should be durable and lightweight, and it should fit comfortably over your chest and shoulders.
Fitting: To find what size you wear, measure from the base of your neck to your waist. If it’s 22 inches, you’re a size 22. You can get youth and adult sizes.
Leg and Shin Guards: Leg and shin guards have soft, comfortable material on the inside and a lightweight, sturdy outer surface that helps absorb the hit of a baseball.
Fitting: To get fitted for leg guards, the top of the leg guard should go above the knee, but not above the thigh, to your ankle.
Throat Protectors: Throat protectors are typically made of hard plastic, and they usually hang from the bottom of your mask.
Fitting: It’s usually one size.
Mitt: Selecting a mitt involves several factors. Some catcher's mitts have an open back, which means there’s a small opening on the back side of the mitt, and others are closed. Many players choose the closed back because it provides more support for your hand. The open back allows for a little more flexibility with your hand. The webbing, near the top third of the glove, is where you ideally catch the ball. You want to catch it there because your hand occupies the glove, and the impact of catching a ball through the glove can still be painful. A 1-piece webbed glove melds into the rest of the glove. A 2-piece webbed glove has a small space in the webbing or a second piece.
Fitting: Picking one is a matter of preference. Catcher's mitts should be 32 to 32.5 inches if you’re younger than 13, 32.5 to 33 inches if you're between 13 and 16, and more than 33 inches if you’re over 16.
Catcher’s equipment comes in adult and youth sizes. Some leagues have requirements for what types of gear you must use. For instance, a full catcher’s helmet might be required from certain sponsoring organizations. It’s important that you check the league guidelines for their equipment requirements.
Finding quality gear that fits well for your catching experience, no matter what level you’re playing at, makes the game safer and more enjoyable.