What's The Difference Between a Baseball Glove and Softball Glove?

You are watching the World Series or the NCAA fastpitch Championships and you see a close up of the pitcher’s glove and wonder, Wow that glove looks exactly like mine!?

Sure, the glove on TV has the exact same colorway, similar lacing, and is broken in to perfection. But, you're a baseball player watching Monica Abbott pitch. Or, a softball player watching Mike Trout play outfield.

Is Monica Abbott really using the same type of glove that a baseball player uses? Do you think Mike Trout totes a softball glove out to center field?

The answer to both questions above is simply "no". And there are a few big reasons to explore when considering why baseball don't typically use fastpitch gloves -and- why fastpitch players don't normally use baseball gloves.

Pocket Design & Construction

One of the main differences between baseball and softball gloves is the manner in which the catching surface (i.e. pocket) is designed & constructed.

The ball, for both sports, has traditionally played a large role in the build of each type of glove's pocket. A regulation baseball is only 9” in circumference and a regulation softball is about 12” in circumference. 

Due to the smaller size of the ball, baseball gloves have consistently been made with a narrower and what can be perceived as a longer pocket shape when compared to a fastpitch glove. On the contrary, since the ball is large in size, the pockets of fastpitch softball gloves have typically been made to be wider than the pockets of baseball gloves. 

As the years have gone on, this writer believes that the distinctions that exist between the pocket design and construction of baseball and softball gloves is graying. It seems that the wider pockets of fastpitch gloves are becoming especially popular among baseball gloves and some fastpitch gloves are starting to adopt the "lengthier" look of baseball gloves. Check out how similar the two A2000s look below...

Baseball Fitting vs. Fastpitch Fitting

When trying on a baseball glove or a fastpitch glove, it is going to be very obvious that there is a difference between the two in regard to how they fit on a player's hand.

Baseball gloves will typically be made with a bigger hand slot opening and roomier finger stalls to assist male hands (which typically become larger than a female hand a during a male's teenage years). On the contrary, the fastpitch softball gloves will have a narrower hand opening and smaller finger stalls.

As well, if you look at enough gloves, you'll notice that adjustable wrist straps are common on fastpitch softball gloves. Along with most fastpitch players simply prefering their glove to cinched up as tight as possible on their wrist, the adjustable straps will allow fastpitch players to make quick and repetitive size adjustments on how their gloves fit their wrists. Check out the comparison on how a fastpitch wrist commonly looks compared to how a baseball wrist usually appears...

It should be noted that youth gloves will typically all come with snugger fits more similar to what can be found on a female glove. And while you'll find a large number of youth baseball gloves, you won't find as many youth fastpitch gloves. We infer that the reason for this is that since so many fastpitch gloves already come with snug fits and wrist straps, there is less need for youth specific softball gloves.

Position Sizing

The final big difference that exists between baseball gloves and fastpitch gloves is how the two types of gloves are sized for positions on the diamond.

Within baseball you are going to see an abundance of gloves between 11.25" and 11.75". These will be gloves that are typically going to be used by baseball infielders. Since a baseball is smaller in size, the shorter gloves are a benefit for infielders of that sport as they promote a quick transfer of the small baseball from the glove to the throwing hand. Look below to see the difference in sizing between baseball infield gloves and fastpitch infield gloves...

The rest of the sizes of baseball gloves, 12.00" through 13.00", will be used mostly by baseball outfielders. In the outfield, transfer time is not as much of a concern and players often put more value in having a long reach with their glove.

Fastpitch sizing is a little different from baseball sizing as the large sized softball won't get lost in a glove as easily as a baseball. It makes sense to use a big glove because it poses almost no risk for decreased transfer times and gives youmore reach. Because of this logic, most fastpitch players will prefer a glove sized somewhere between 12" to 13" no matter where they are playing on the diamond.

(NOTE: There will be fastpitch players that prefer gloves smaller than 12". Younger players will most likely start with a glove shorter than 12". The above comments about fastpitch sizing are a generalization).

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We hope that this piece has helped educate you on the differences that exist between a baseball glove and a fastpitch softball glove. But if you still have any lingering questions about the differences, please give our Glove Experts a call at 866-321-4568 or Live Chat now. They are available and will be there for you from click to catch!