The 5 Best Youth Catchers Mitts

Best Youth Catchers Mitts

Looking for the best youth catchers mitts on the market? We’ve got your back!

When it comes to baseball, whether played professionally or by a group of youths, every player on the field is required to wear a glove, even the catcher. The only difference is that the glove the catcher wears is referred to as a mitt, because, unlike a glove, the mitt does not have individuals places for the catcher to place his or her fingers. Also, the mitt tends to have a rather large, deep pocket that is designed to allow the catcher to trap the ball within the glove once caught.

If your child is currently expressing interest in the position of a catcher, make sure you have the right equipment on hand, which includes quality youth catcher’s mitts. With so many mitts to choose from, it can seem nearly impossible to choose the right one. Luckily, the list below can take the guesswork out of your purchasing decision by highlighting the top five youth catcher mitts available for you to buy.

Wilson A360 Catcher’s Mitt – Right Hand Throw

  • Size: 31.5″, 32.5″
  • Right-Handed Throw: Yes
  • Left-Handed Throw: No
  • Break-in Ready: No

Under Armour 31.5″ Youth Framer Series Catcher’s Mitt

best youth catchers mitts

  • Size: 31.5″
  • Right-Handed Throw: Yes
  • Left-Handed Throw: No
  • Break-in Ready: Yes

Easton NATY2000 Natural Youth Series Catcher’s Mitt

  • Size: 32″
  • Right-Handed Throw: Yes
  • Left-Handed Throw: Yes
  • Break-in Ready: No

Mizuno Prospect GXC105 Youth Catcher’s Mitt

  • Size: 32.5″
  • Right-Handed Throw: Yes
  • Left-Handed Throw: Yes
  • Break-in Ready: No

Akadema AGC98 Prodigy Series Glove

  • Size: 32″
  • Right-Handed Throw: Yes
  • Left-Handed Throw: Yes
  • Break-in Ready: No

1. Wilson A360 Catcher’s Mitt

Wilson's best youth catchers mitts.

Baseball is a game that requires the development of certain skill sets. The only way to develop those skillsets is by practicing and ensuring that your child has the right equipment to use when playing the game. The Wilson A360 Catcher’s Mitt is a quality youth mitt that provides a comfortable fit for improved performance during both game time and practices.

The Wilson company makes it a point to work with top-performing MLB players in order to design youth catcher’s mitts that best emulate the mitts that professional players use. This particular mitt consists of a palm and web that are made entirely of pigskin. The glove features a half-moon web shape that allows catchers to adequately catch and cradle the ball during gameplay.

The Wilson A360 Catcher’s Mitt is available in either a 31.5-inch size or a 32.5-inch size in order to accommodate both older and younger children. Keep in mind that this glove is only available for catchers with a right-handed throw, meaning the glove itself is designed to be worn on the left hand. You should also keep in mind that this glove is specifically designed as a baseball mitt rather than a softball mitt.

2. Under Armour 31.5″ Youth Framer Series Catcher’s Mitt

Under Armour best youth catchers mitts.

Under Armour is an extremely well-known brand within the sports world, and that’s not just limited to baseball. With this Framer Series youth catcher’s mitt, you can get the innovation and design that you know and love from Under Armour.

This catcher’s mitt, at 31.5 inches, is a lightweight glove. This allows any young player to quickly move around. It can also help young players develop their catching skills. While it’s lightweight, it is equipped with PHT Padding Technology, which makes it just as protective as heavier catcher’s mitts.

Contributing to the lightweight design, this catcher’s mitt has an open, perforated back. This adds breathability to the mitt and also decreases the weight. It also uses high-quality synthetic material on the back of the glove. This helps remove excess weight in specific spots of the glove that don’t need durability.

Additionally, this mitt has a deep pocket along with a large surface area. This allows a huge target for the pitcher, as well as a good amount of catching space.

Although this mitt isn’t one of the most inexpensive options, it may provide you with the best value. It has incredible features as well as a decent price tag.

3. Easton NATY2000 Natural Youth Series Catcher’s Mitt

Easton best youth catchers mitts.

When it comes to youth catcher’s mitts, the Easton NATY2000 Natural Youth Series Catcher’s Mitt takes the cake for a number of reasons. To begin with, the mitt is designed with smaller hand openings in order to better accommodate youth players looking for a secure and comfortable fit. In addition, the 32-inch size of the mitt is great for young little league players looking for better control of the ball.

The extended web and closed back provides a relatively deep pocket, which in turn means fewer balls dropped when it comes down to those all-important strikeouts. The mitt comes equipped with a palm pad in order to reduce the damage that the impact of a speeding ball can deliver. The good news is, sting reduction not only reduces the chances that your young player will get hurt, but it also provides a boost of confidence.

It is common for young players to shy away from catching a ball out of fear that it will hurt. Thanks to the palm pad found in this glove, your child will quickly gain the confidence needed to improve their catching abilities and overall gameplay. Although the Easton NATY2000 Natural Youth Series Catcher’s Mitt is not quite out-of-the-box ready, it does not take long for younger players to break it in for a more natural and comfortable feel.

4. Mizuno Prospect GXC105 Youth Catcher’s Mitt

Mizuno best youth catchers mitts.

When it comes to youth catcher’s mitts, Mizuno has certainly made a name for themselves with the Mizuno Prospect GXC105 Youth Catcher’s Mitt. This transitional-sized mitt is available in a 32.5-inch size that is perfect for young hands looking to catch a ball. Thanks to Mizuno’s Power Close technology, youth players will find that it is much easier to close the mitt and keep it closed for increased ball control. A V-Flex Notch design increases the ease with which your child can close the mitt, affecting ball catching and controlling.

You will quickly find that this mitt can improve your child’s catching and controlling techniques, which is in part because of the ParaShock palm pad designed into it. The pad absorbs the impact of the ball, which means young hands will not feel the sting that often comes with a high-impact catch. Sting reduction will in turn reduce your child’s fear of catching the ball, which will enable them to play with more confidence on the field.

Although your child can use the Mizuno Prospect GXC105 Youth Catcher’s Mitt for softball, it is important to realize that it is certainly defined more for baseball. Furthermore, when purchasing this mitt, you have the option of purchasing it for either a left-handed or right-handed thrower. While the Mizuno does not come ready for use straight out of the box, it is relatively easy to break in. In fact, you will find that your child can break it in pretty quickly with perhaps just a few practices.

5. Akadema AGC98 Prodigy Series Glove

Akadema best youth catchers mitts.

The Akadema AGC98 Prodigy Series Glove is certainly a great choice with regard to youth catcher’s mitts. Part of what makes this particular mitt so special is because of who designed it. When you choose a catcher’s mitt for your child, you want to ensure that it is designed to do its job, which includes catching or scooping a ball, closing around it, and controlling it. No one understood that better than MLB hall of famer Gary Edmund Carter.

As a former player for both the Montreal Expos and the New York Mets, Carter understood the importance of a quality mitt, particularly since he played the position so well. For that reason, Carter designed this mitt with a deep pocket as well as a Spiral-Lock Web and Grasp-Clasp wrist system to ensure that your child would have an easier time catching and controlling the ball.

The Akadema AGC98 Prodigy Series Glove also features an open-back design that provides breathability for added comfort. As if that isn’t enough. Carter designed the glove to offer a Praying Mantis fit in that it has two more finger slots in order to keep the fingers firmly in place once inside the glove, which in turn improves the level of control your child has over the ball. The glove has a shock-absorbent feature that protects little hands from injury upon catching the ball.

In addition to its very unique design, this glove is made from high-quality, lightweight materials that your child will find comfortable. The pocket of the glove features a Steerhide material that is carefully selected and crated in the U.S. The back of the glove features Akademalyte leather. The materials are secured in place using rawhide gray lacing, which adds additional quality and an appealing appearance.

When purchasing this catcher’s mitt, keep in mind that it is available for either a left-handed or right-handed thrower. The uniquely shaped design and shape of the glove enable your child to gain fast, easy access to the ball, which should in turn help to improve your child’s gameplay experience and overall technique.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a difference between a mitt and a glove?

The terms glove and mitt are used relatively interchangeably within baseball, even though they both explicitly refer to a mitt, as gloves as different. To put it as simply as possible, a glove has separate pockets for each of your fingers, while a mitt has fewer of them, bunching up your fingers together. This helps when catching a ball due to an added sense of security.

Do I have to do anything to the mitt after I purchase it?

A mitt just taken out of the wrapper will probably be uncomfortable to use, due to the fact that the material from which it has been made has not reached the level of flexibility required for optimal comfort. In short, it will be quite stiff.
Softening the material and putting it through use, then, is called “breaking” the glove. This is primarily done through repeatedly catching baseballs, and it can take anything from several days to whole weeks. To keep it simple, the more you use your mitt, the better it’s going to perform.

What is glove oil and how does it help?

Glove oil is very frequently seen being used by professionals. It is a light, all-purpose oil that has been specifically designed in order to be able to penetrate the material of most baseball mitts for two reasons: that of helping to break in new mitts by softening the material, and of keeping old mitts fresh and pristine by infusing them with much-needed oils so that it doesn’t become dry and crackly.

It can be used without worry, as even if you put too much oil on your mitts, then you’re not going to damage them. Furthermore, glove oil dries quite quickly and doesn’t leave residue, either, making the whole process quite easy. Keeping your mitt well-oiled can help protect against things like mold and mildew.

How often should I oil a catchers mitt glove?

The need for oiling can range from one time per week to one time per month, depending on the humidity of where you live. There isn’t a specific standard time that oiling is required. It depends on what type of oil you’re using, what type of glove you have, and the overall humidity of the environment where you choose to store your glove.
The best way to get it right is to read the instructions on the oil’s label and determine how often you should oil it that way.

What is the best time to replace a baseball glove?

Whenever the leather seems to be becoming weak that a hard line drive won’t stick to your glove anymore. There’s no exact measurement here either, you kind of have to go by your gut feeling and see how your glove performs during practice.

What size catchers mitt should a 12 year old use?

A 12 year old’s mitt should be within the range of 32 to 32.5 inches in circumference. Players 12 and under will require a mitt of 32″ or less, while a player 13 or older will usually require a catcher’s mitt whose circumference is 32.5″ or more.

What size catchers mitt should a 10 year old use?

Eight to ten year olds should wear mitts from 30 to 31 inches in circumference. Again, this can vary from child to child, but as a rule of thumb, that would be standard size for a catcher’s mitt meant for a 10 year old.

How long do the best youth catchers mitts last?

A standard pair of catchers mitts can last anywhere from a few months to two or three years depending on how much you use them. This also varies depending on the build quality, the brand that made the mitt, and many other factors. The mitts we’ve presented in this guide are all high-quality, so you should expect a decent shelf life.

Best Youth Catchers Mitts Final Thoughts

There you have it, the 5 Best Youth Catchers Mitts. Perhaps you are in need of a baseball bat as well? If so, then make sure you check out our list of Best Wood Youth Bats as well.

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