How To Choose an Outfield Glove

The outfield doesn’t often get the love it deserves. The truth is that, as players get older, the outfield often holds some of the best athletes with the best arms and the best decision-making skills on the team. And, these players have to be brave, willing to crash into a wall, another fielder, or dive through the air to keep a player from getting extra bases. They also need a good outfield glove to help them get the job done. We’ll go over what that means and what to look for in an outfield glove in this guide. 

Note: This is just our guide to outfield gloves. We’ve covered other glove types in the past, including shortstop gloves and second-base gloves. If you’re interested in those positions, check out those guides.

Affiliate disclaimer: This post does contain affiliate links. If you click on a link and make a purchase, RBI Gear may make a small commission at no additional cost to you. 

The #1 Question: Can You Play Outfield with an Infield Glove?

The truth is that it’s a lot easier to play the outfield with an infield glove than to play the infield with an outfield glove. We’ll get into why that is below, but if you have a player that plays both positions, you’re better off purchasing an infield glove that they can then use in the outfield when it’s their turn to man centerfield rather than buying several different kinds gloves.

However, if the player simply needs an outfield glove to feel like they’re ready for anything out there, that’s another story. Having the right equipment for the job is key—Deion did say, “Look good, feel good. Feel good, play good. Play good, get paid good,” after all.

What Outfielders Need from a Glove

Outfielders have completely different jobs than the players on the infield. They have more ground to cover and different goals, and, if they screw up, there’s no one behind them to bail them out. Because of this, they have some specific needs from their gloves. 

The Right Glove Size

Outfielders need the correct glove size. And, unlike infield gloves, outfield gloves are big. Really big.

In general, outfield gloves are between 12 and 12.75 inches, with some being slightly shorter at 11.75 and some being slightly longer at 13 inches. The additional length over infield gloves (11.5 inch) allows outfielders to reach slightly further when on the run or when robbing a home run. 

As a younger player, we suggest erring on the shorter side and sticking with a 12-inch glove. However, if you’re playing school ball or competitive travel ball, 12.5 to 12.75 is fine if it fits your hand. If you’re a college player, use whatever makes you comfortable but 12.75 is usually the way to go.

A Deep Pocket

Along with that longer length comes a deep pocket. An outfield glove should be able to swallow a ball up while they’re in a full sprint, diving, or running to catch the ball over their shoulder. A deeper pocket captures the ball and keeps it there until the outfielder can make a throw. Unlike infielders, a faster transfer just isn’t necessary. 

The Right Web

Outfield gloves can have several types of pockets, but they should be conducive to outfield play. An entire outfield might feature different web types:

• The right fielder could have an H-web, where the pocket literally looks like an H. 
• The center fielder might have a trapeze web or a web that looks a little like a capital T with lacing on both sides. 
• And, the left fielder might have an I web, which is more commonly used on the infield but has become popular in the outfield as well. 

It’s important to note that there may be confusion between an H web and an I web, and this is because a capital I does look like an H when turned sideways. However, an H web is typically made up of 3 overlapping strips of leather stitched to the glove with very little lacing, while an I web is an I-shaped pocket held into the glove with lacing. 

Note: Large gloves with closed webs aren’t typically outfield gloves. They’re actually pitching gloves, and the closed web prevents the batters from picking up pitch grips.

An Open Back

Baseball outfielders prefer gloves with open backs. It allows a bit more airflow through the glove to keep their hands cooler and makes the glove very easy to put back on if they take it off between pitches. For players who like to leave a finger out of their glove, the open-back design is critical. 

Sturdy Material

Unlike infield gloves, which need to be light and nimble, outfield gloves need to be sturdy and hardy. Their size and design mean they contain more leather than most gloves, which does make them heavier by default, but lightweight materials from some of the major glove manufacturers is always a good idea. 

Which Brands Make the Best Outfield Gloves?

There are a lot of glove brands making extremely high-quality outfield gloves. But, there are essentially two main brands that experienced players prefer.

Rawlings Heart of the Hide and Pro Preferred

It might not come as a surprise, but Rawlings makes some of the best baseball gloves in the game. The brand’s two higher-end lines include the Heart of the Hide and Pro Preferred models. Both are available in customizable designs. 

Wilson A2000 and A2K

Wilson also makes some incredible outfield gloves. They’re generally direct competitors to the Rawlings and come in quite a few outfield patterns. The A2K is the higher-end model of the two, often available in lightweight materials that might be perfect for an outfielder (as well as some wild color choices).

The Best MLB Outfielders and What They Use

Here are the 2024 outfield Gold Glove award winners, but we’ll also look at some other fan favorites as well. You’ll notice that the pros use especially long outfield gloves, but youth players likely can’t handle gloves like these until they’re in their teens.

Steven Kwan

Type: Wilson A2000
Size: 12.75
Web: Trapeze

Daulton Varsho

Type: Rawlings
Size: 12.75
Web: Trapeze

Wilyer Abreu

Type: Wilson A2000
Size: No info
Web: H

Ian Happ

Type: Rawlings Pro Preferred
Size: 12.75
Web: H

Brenton Doyle

Type: Wilson A2K
Size: No info
Web: H

Sal Frelick

Type: Wilson A2000
Size: No info
Web: H

Mike Trout

Type: Rawlings Pro Preferred (interestingly, with a closed back)
Size: 12.75
Web: Trapeze

Juan Soto

Type: Wilson A2K 
Size: 12.75
Web: H 

Aaron Judge

Type: Rawlings Pro Preferred
Size: 12.75
Web: H

How To Break In an Outfielder’s Glove

Once you decide on the best glove for the outfield, you’ll have to break that thing in. Outfield gloves usually aren’t quite as stiff as infield gloves but there’s a lot of leather to break in. Here’s how to do it.

1. Decide How It Should Close

Gloves can close differently depending on how you break them in. Outfielders typically like their gloves to close thumb-to-pinky, which creates an exceptionally deep pocket. Some might prefer Thumb-to-ring finger if they don’t want as deep of a pocket. Thumb-to-middle finger is not suggested. 

2. Decade How You’ll Wear It

You also need to decide how you’ll wear your glove. Most outfielders today wear their gloves with “two in the pinky,” which means putting their pinky and ring finger in the pinky stall, their middle finger in the ring finger stall, and their pointer finger in the middle finger stall. This creates a very deep pocket and allows them to snap their glove shut easily, even while breaking it in. The other option is traditional, with the fingers in their appropriate stalls. 

3. Beat It Up

Start breaking in your glove by beating it up with a mallet designed for baseball glove break-ins. Small the pocket, the palm, the heel, and the outside of the glove. Roll the glove along the hinges to loosen the leather and form the hinge shape. Remember, these gloves are designed to take a beating, so don’t go too easy on it. 

4. Condition It

Use a glove conditioner (not glove oil) to loosen up the leather and make it easier to break in. Glove oil makes it heavy and greasy, while conditioner is lighter. Conditioner also protects the glove’s pores from dirt, stains, and sweat. Give it a good conditioning because it may have been on the warehouse shelf for quite a while.

5. Play Catch

Playing catch is essential to breaking in a glove. During this process, the glove begins to shape to the player’s hand, allowing them to learn how it responds. The glove will start to close naturally, mirroring the way the player grips it—usually thumb to ring finger for infielders or thumb to pinky, which is more common for outfielders.

Practicing with hard-thrown balls also helps develop the pocket, giving the player a sense of how the glove will handle ground balls, line drives, and pop flies. It’s also beneficial to take some live BP with a new infield glove. Don’t worry if securing every ball is a challenge at first—after a few weeks, your glove will be ready for game action.

Outfield Glove FAQs

What size glove for outfield baseball?

It depends on the player’s age and hand size, but generally speaking, outfield gloves are between 12 and 12.75 inches long. Younger players will prefer to stay shorter, while high school players, college players, and pros might prefer a longer glove.

How should an outfield glove close?

Most outfielders prefer their gloves to close thumb-to-pinky, as this forms the biggest pocket. However, some might choose to break their gloves in so the thumb closes to the ring finger. It’s personal preference.

Can you use a pitcher’s glove for outfield?

You can but pitcher’s gloves generally have closed webs. Believe it or not, a closed web can make it difficult to align the glove with the ball while open webs give the outfielder a little more daylight to judge the glove and the ball.

Can you use an outfield glove for infield?

It’s pretty hard to do effectively. Infielder’s gloves should smaller so infielders can quickly transfer the ball and throw. Outfielders gloves can swallow a ball up (as they’re supposed to), making it hard to transfer quickly.