Best Batting Gloves (Youth/Adult) to Buy in 2023
Batting gloves are an essential piece of equipment for any baseball or softball player, especially for youth players. It allows the batter to grip the bat more securely and safeguards the hand from blisters and injury by dampening the shock and sting in the event of mishits. While appearance-wise, all batting glove may look pretty much the same, but they vary from another significantly in terms of comfort and durability.
To save you the hassle, we have tested and hand-picked the best batting gloves so that you don't have to second guess.
Best High End
Gloomhaven
Best Mid Range
Franklin Sports MLB CFX Pro Baseball and Softball Batting Gloves
Best Inexpensive
Louisville Slugger Genuine Adult/Youth Batting Gloves
Last Updated: 20th July, 2020
When you step up to the plate the last thing you want to worry about is how it’s going to feel if you get jammed on an inside pitch. Even worse you don’t want to be worried about how it’s going to feel when you hit a homerun. You certainly don’t want your kids or grandkids to have to worry about it. That’s why you need a high-quality pair of batting gloves.
You need a pair of batting gloves with a grip that’ll keep the bat in your hands no matter how hard you swing. But you need a pair that’s going to protect you as well.
It’s hard to know if a pair of batting gloves will work until you put them to the test. That’s why we reviewed pair after pair. We want you to have the confidence to take a homerun swing without worrying whether your hands are going to pay the price.
1. DeMarini CF Batting Gloves - Pro Pick
- Embossed Palm: Digital embossed sheepskin leather palm for improved grip
- 4-Way Stretch: Breathable, pin dot jersey mesh backhand
- Pro-grade Wrist Strap: Form-fitting elastic wrist cuff with molded pull tab
Last update on 2024-11-23 at 04:13 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
The DeMarini CF batting gloves are made from high-quality digital embossed sheepskin leather palm for extreme durability and supreme performance. It comes with a Pro-Grade wrist strap to ensure that the batting gloves will stay in place throughout the entire at-bat.
Additionally, the DeMarini CF Batting gloves come with 4-Way stretch and pin dot jersey mesh. The two features combine to provide the ultimate combination of grip and comfort.
You can step up to the plate without having to worry about how the gloves feel on your hands. You can take the homerun swing having full confidence that the bat will stay firmly in your hands no matter how fast you swing. With the sheepskin leather, you know when you smack the ball, you won’t have to worry about if it’s going to hurt your hands. You can just enjoy the homerun swing.
The DeMarini CF Batting Gloves are priced at under 35 dollars. For a professional-grade pair of batting gloves, the price can’t be beaten. Finally, the DeMarini CF Batting Gloves have 10 different color options to choose from. You can match your team colors or make a bold statement every time you step up to the plate. The choice is yours.
2. Franklin Sports MLB CFX Pro Baseball Batting Gloves - Best Overall
- MLB CHOICE: As the official batting gloves of the MLB, the CFX Pro is the most popular on field batting glove used by MLB pros
- PREMIUM QUALITY: Constructed from premium quality leather, these gloves are designed to play at peak performance season after season with no tears or bunching
- NATURAL FIT: These gloves are made specially to fit the naturally curves of the hand to ensure that they fit comfortably and provide a responsive, natural feel
- QUAD-FLEX TECHNOLOGY: Anticipates flexing of your palm for a perfect fit around the bat handle
- TECTONIC FIT INSERTS: Accommodates flex without adding bulk to the back of the hand
Last update on 2024-11-23 at 04:13 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
When you step up to the plate, you want the confidence that comes with using the same batting gloves that the pros use. That’s why the Franklin Sports MLB CFX Pro Baseball batting gloves are our best of the best.
The Franklin Sports MLB CFX Pro Baseball gloves are made from premium quality sheepskin leather. This guarantees that they will last year after year, no matter how many times you step up to the plate.
Furthermore, the CFX Pro baseball gloves come with tectonic fit inserts that add extra protection. The inserts allow you to flex your hand as needed at the plate and don’t add any bulk to the back of the hand. This gives the Franklin Sports MLB CFX Pro batting gloves extra protection that most other batting gloves don’t offer.
They are lightweight and designed to be used in warm and hot weather environments. No matter where your season takes you, the Franklin Sports MLB CFX Pro batting gloves will keep you comfortable so you can focus on the at-bat instead of your equipment.
With 27 different colors to choose from, you can match your team’s colors or show off your sense of style every time you step up to the plate. Furthermore, they come in both youth and adult sizes, so no matter who needs a pair Franklin has you covered. The Franklin Sports MLB CFX Pro Baseball Batting Gloves range in price from just over 15 dollars up to 50 dollars, depending on color and size.
3. Louisville Slugger Genuine Adult/Youth Batting Gloves - Budget Pick
Last update on 2024-11-23 at 04:13 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Need a high-quality pair of batting gloves but don’t want to drop 50 bucks? Then the Louisville Slugger Genuine batting gloves are what you want when you step up to the plate. They’re perfect for the weekend league ballplayer that doesn’t need a top of the line pair of gloves.
They come with a neoprene wrist strap for a custom fit and added support. Furthermore, they come with stretched lycra on the backhand, which enables better mobility, flexibility and breathability. This allows you to focus on getting the sweet spot of the bat on the ball, without focusing on an uncomfortable pair of batting gloves.
Of course, the whole point of batting gloves is to give you a better grip on the bat and reduce the shock to your hands when you hit the ball. The Louisville Slugger Genuine batting gloves don’t disappoint. They are designed with a no-slip grip, so you don’t have to worry about the bat slipping out of your hands when you’re taking your homerun swing.
They cost around 15 dollars, a price that can’t be beat for what they offer. If you’re looking for a high-quality pair of batting gloves on a budget, look no further the Louisville Slugger Genuine batting gloves are what you are looking for.
4. Easton VRS Power Boost Batting Glove Series - Comes with Extra Padding
Last update on 2024-11-23 at 04:13 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
When safety and comfort are your biggest goals, the Easton VRS Power Boost batting glove series is your best bet. The VRS palm padding provides extra protection and reduces the amount of vibrations you feel. Furthermore, it reduces the chance of you developing blisters from the repeated movements associated with your swing.
Additionally, the Easton VRS Power Boost batting gloves come with a heel pad. The pad provides extra comfort and protection so you can focus on putting the ball in play. Paired with a tacky goatskin leather palm, the Easton VRS Power Boost batting gloves provide more than enough grip while giving you some extra protection.
Finally, the Easton VRS Power Boost batting gloves come with flexible LYCRA fused with silicone on the back of the hand. This provides extra protection and flexibility without sacrificing any flexibility.
The Easton VRS Power Boost batting gloves come in both youth and adult sizes and cost between 25 and 40 dollars. Pricing varies based on size and color. When your safety and comfort or the safety and comfort of your kids or grandkids are at stake, you can’t go wrong with the Easton VRS Power Boost batting gloves.
5. Mizuno B-303 Baseball Batting Glove - Excellent Grip and Durability
- Quick-adjust strap: designed to give you a quick and secure fit
- Compression molded neoprene wristband: provides additional comfort around the wrist for a better fit and feel
- Flex mesh: flexibility and breathability are achieved with the addition of flex mesh
- Professional grade cabretta leather palm: top quality leather that's noted for its soft feel and incredible comfort
- Pnp personalized name plate: allows you to write player's name so you avoid sock identity confusion
Last update on 2024-11-23 at 04:13 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
It’s all about performance. When you can’t afford anything other then top-end performance, the Mizuno B-303 batting gloves are for you. Manufactured with a cabretta leather palm, it provides a comfortable feel paired with a highly effective grip. The leather palm ensures that no matter how fast or hard you swing, your bat will stay firmly in your hands so you can put the ball in play.
Additionally, the Mizuno B-303 batting gloves come with Flexmesh, that moves with the hand. This provides increased flexibility. Furthermore, it is a breathable material that provides an added comfort. Combined with a QuikadjustTM Strap, you can quickly get a secure fit. This means you don’t have to worry about the gloves sliding out of place during the game. You can keep your focus on the pitcher and the ball swing after swing.
Made with high-quality stitching and fabrics that are a staple of Mizuno products, you’ll get a pair of batting gloves that can hold up to a full season of abuse. High-quality and durable, you can’t go wrong with the Mizuno B-303 batting gloves.
Moreover, the Mizuno B-303 batting gloves come in 7 different colors. They come in both youth and adult sizes and cost between 15 and 52 dollars, depending on size and color.
Factors to consider while choosing a batting glove
You want to get a pair of batting gloves that’s going to do what you need them to. They need to keep you safe, comfortable, and give you a solid grip on the bat. Of course, you want a pair of batting gloves that will last, so you don’t have to replace them repeatedly. But you don’t want to spend too much money on a pair of batting gloves that you might not need.
<Why you need a batting glove?>
That’s why we’re here to answer all the questions that you should be asking when you’re looking at buying a pair of batting gloves. The first question is, do you even need a pair of batting gloves? The short answer is yes. But why?
The first reason is that batting gloves reduce any discomfort you’re going to feel after making contact with the ball. You’re going to feel the vibrations more if you’re using a wooden bat or get jammed on an inside pitch. But even if you make solid contact with an aluminum bat, the vibrations can still hurt.
Maybe you think you can just tough it out though and save the money instead of investing in a good pair of batting gloves. Think again. Batting gloves don’t just improve your comfort at the plate, they provide some extra grip to help you hold onto the bat.
This lets you swing the bat faster, and more importantly, is safer. Few things are more dangerous than having the bat slip out of your hands during a swing and head straight towards another player. Batting gloves help reduce this risk, all while improving your bat speed and decreasing any discomfort you may feel after making contact with the ball. It’s a win, win, win.
<Level of play>
After you decide that you need a pair of batting gloves, you need to answer some questions to figure out which batting gloves are right for you. The first question you need to answer is what level of play you are going up against.
If you’re playing at a level of competition below college ball, you should stick with our extra padding pick or excellent grip and durability pick. From there, it’s just a matter of what you prioritize more. Extra padding and comfort or extra durability and grip?
If you’re worried about getting hit in the hands from an inside pitch or how the vibrations are going to feel after making contact with the ball, our extra padding pick, the Easton VRS Power Boost batting gloves are the way to go. They are specifically designed to give you a little extra protection in the batter’s box, so you don’t have to worry about anything but putting the ball in play.
But if you want that extra boost of performance, our durability and performance pick, the Mizuno B-303 batting gloves are probably the gloves you will be happiest with. Designed to last, these batting gloves are probably the last pair you’re going to need. Additionally, they’re designed to provide extra grip, so you won’t have to worry about the bat slipping out of your hands no matter how fast you swing.
If you’re not going up against a particularly high level of play, like a church or office league, our budget pick, the Louisville Slugger Genuine batting gloves are a great choice as well. They’ll hold up for use in weekend leagues, and if you’re using an aluminum bat or aren’t facing fast pitching, they provide enough protection to keep any vibrations from becoming painful. Moreover, they provide enough grip to keep you and the fielders safe by keeping the bat in your hands no matter how fast you are swinging.
However, if you’re playing against college-level competition or higher, you will want to go with our pro pick or best overall. The reason is simple: at that level of play, you need the best to perform as well as possible. These gloves provide excellent grip and protection that you need at this level. They might wear out a little bit sooner than our durability pick, but the extra grip and minimal high level of comfort that leads to no impact on your swing more than makes up for it.
<Size>
After you decided what glove works best for you, you still need to answer one more important question. What size do you need? Every one of our batting glove choices come in both youth and adult sizes. But more than that, each of our batting glove selections come with multiple sizes from small to extra-large. So how do you know what size you need?
While every manufacturer is a little bit different, a good sizing guide goes as follows:
- Hands between 5 ½” and 5 ¾” are a youth extra-small
- Between 5 ¾” and 6” are a youth small
- Between 6” and 6 ¼” are a youth medium
- Between 6 ¼” and 6 ½” are a youth large
- Between 6 ½” and 7” are an adult extra-small
- Between 7” and 7 ¼” are an adult small
- Between 7” and 7 ½” are an adult medium
- Between 7 ½” and 7 ¾” are an adult large
- Between 7 ¾” and 8” are an adult extra-large
Anything larger should be an adult double extra-large.
Of course, knowing the correct size gloves you need is important. But if you don’t know how to measure your hand correctly, it’s not much use. Don’t worry, measuring your hand size isn’t that difficult and we’ll walk you through it.
Start by keeping your fingers together and place your hand on a flat surface, with your palm facing up. Measure from the base of your palm to the tip of your middle finger with a tape measure or a ruler. The measurement that you get is your hand size. Simply use that measurement with the chart above to get the correct size batting gloves. Please keep in mind that our sizing chart only applies to the gloves that we have selected, which are all sold by the manufacturer in men’s sizes. If you buy a pair of batting gloves specifically designed for women, these sizes will not be accurate.
Conclusion
We understand, you want a high-quality pair of batting gloves that are going to work. Just as important, you want a pair of batting gloves that are going to last. We’re glad you took the time to research which batting gloves will be both effective, durable, and safe. That’s why we reviewed pair after pair. We want you to be able to step up the plate with only one thing on your mind, getting that hit.
Durable, high-quality, comfortable, and safe. No matter who you’re buying for, yourself, your kids, or your grandkids, that’s what you’re looking for in a pair batting gloves. We want products that deliver the same thing. That’s why every pair of batting gloves on this list are made from high-quality materials that will last and deliver.
