Over the years of playing baseball, I have noticed a handful of small things that players tend to do, myself included. One of those things I picked up on as a kid was wearing a batting glove underneath my fielding glove. For me, this just made sense because I’ve always had sweaty hands, especially when playing baseball, but some people might be wondering why do baseball players wear batting gloves under their glove?
Most baseball players wear a batting glove under their fielding glove to help them with their grip when they have sweaty hands. Other players prefer a batting glove because it provides cushion for their hand, helps their fielding glove fit better, or they just simply like the feel of it.
Although it can sometimes be summed up to personal preference, there are plenty of players who think there are advantages to wearing a batting glove underneath your fielding glove.
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Advantages to Wearing a Batting Glove Underneath Your Fielding Glove
Some players believe there are distinct advantages to wearing a batting glove underneath their fielding glove. Let’s go over what some of those advantages can be.
Batting Gloves Help With Grip When Your Hands Sweat
Probably the most common reason baseball players prefer to wear a batting glove when fielding is because their hands sweat.
Personally, my hands have always been sweatier than the average person so I know from experience just how uncomfortable it is to put on a fielding glove while your hands are sweaty. So as a kid, it just made a lot of sense to me to start wearing my batting glove underneath my fielding glove.
Wearing a batting glove while fielding is still something I do to this day. In fact, I now typically purchase two sets of batting gloves – one very cheap pair of batting gloves that I use when fielding and then a nicer set of batting gloves that I use for batting.
I’ve found that the batting glove used for fielding wears out more than the batting gloves used for hitting. So purchasing a separate, and cheaper, set of batting gloves for fielding helps my good batting gloves last longer.
For the batting glove that goes under my fielding glove, I prefer to use cheaper batting gloves, like these batting gloves from Louisville Slugger. For batting gloves I use while batting, I prefer to use higher quality batting gloves, like these batting gloves made by Bruce Bolt.
Batting Gloves Provide Extra Cushion For Your Hand
Sometimes when fielding you’ll get a line drive hit directly in your area and you must react quickly. Those line drives come in at high speeds and if you catch the ball in the palm of the hand, it can hurt a lot – especially when it’s a cold day. So having some extra padding underneath your fielding glove can come in handy.
Wearing a batting glove underneath their fielding glove can be all the additional padding a player needs. The batting glove may not prevent all sting from happening in your hands, but it can take away some of the sting you would have felt if the ball was caught without using a batting glove.
For those fielders who are looking for additional padding, there are also some batting gloves that offer additional padding in the palms of your hands. I don’t have experience with using these types of batting gloves, but you could do a quick Google search to see what is available.
For example, there are some batting gloves available at Dick’s Sporting Goods that claim to eliminate the sting from your hands when hitting. Although the sting from swinging and the sting from catching a ball can be different, having that additional padding in the palm of the hand should also be able to help with the sting from catching a baseball.
Batting Gloves Help Your Fielding Glove Fit Better
Not all fielding gloves fit the same. Sometimes you get a fielding glove you really like, but it could be slightly too big for your hands. Some players just like the feel of a tighter-fitting glove.
For those times where the fielding glove is too big, or for those players who like a tighter fit for their fielding glove, using a batting glove is a great solution. And for those players who like their fielding glove to be tighter, using a batting glove with additional padding (similarly to the batting glove mentioned above) can provide players with a better feel.
When it comes down to it, you want your fielding glove to fit you as best as possible when you’re on the field. Some players like the way their fielding glove fits without a batting glove while some players like the way their fielding glove fits while wearing a batting glove. Try out both ways and see which way works better for you.
Players Simply Prefer to Wear a Batting Glove
Some players just simply like the way a batting glove feels while they are fielding. The reasons can range from not liking the feel of dirt getting inside your fielding glove to not wanting sweat to affect their grip, to not wanting to ruin their fielding glove, but sometimes players wear a batting glove simply because of personal preference.
The main goal of fielding is to get the other team out and the best way to be prepared to make an out is to be comfortable with the way your fielding glove feels. If you’re constantly worried about your glove falling off or wiping away the dirt from your hand then it’s hard to be in the right mindset when taking your ready position.
Should You Wear a Batting Glove Under Your Glove?
With all the different reasons baseball players like to wear batting gloves there are also reasons other baseball players don’t like wearing batting gloves. So, should you wear a batting glove under your glove?
If you like the feel of a batting glove underneath your fielding glove then it’s a good idea to wear a batting glove. However, if the batting glove negatively impacts your ability to field a baseball then it’s not recommended to wear a batting glove under your glove.
So a lot of this comes down to personal preference. It may take a few games or even an entire season to figure out what your personal preference is, but there are no rules that prevent baseball players from wearing a batting glove underneath their fielding glove. So try out both ways and see which way works best for you!
Can You Wear a Batting Glove Under Your Glove?
With all the different rules out there, one might be wondering if they are able to wear a batting glove under their fielding glove.
In general, baseball fielders are allowed to wear a batting glove under their fielding glove. Pitchers are generally not allowed to wear a batting glove underneath their fielding glove, but this rule can vary from league to league.
So if you’re a pitcher, make sure to check the rules before pitching with a batting glove. Pitching with a batting glove is not common practice, but if you’re someone who prefers to wear a batting glove under your fielding glove then it’s always a good idea to verify this rule with a coach, umpire, or by checking the league rules.
