Necessity of a firstbaseman glove

[Edd Roush]

I am now a graduating high school senior and I talk often during school about my beloved Redlegs. I was talking with one of my teachers about the game yesterday and we talked about the lack of hitting, etc and then my teacher brought up a good subject of a debate. How important is it for a firstbaseman to wear a firstbaseman's glove?

This comes to debate with EdE making the late game transfer to first base. I would hope that he is much more comfortable using the normal infield glove than the firstbaseman's glove. So was it necessary to use a firstbaseman's glove? Would it help him catch the ball better with a glove? Perhaps with the bigger webbing it would help him dig balls from the dirt which is probably helpful considering the accuracy of our infield arms. But, wouldn't it be better for EdE to use the normal infield glove? I have never made the mid-game switch from third to first, so I am wondering what some of your opinions are on this topic.

[westofyou]

So was it necessary to use a firstbaseman's glove? Would it help him catch the ball better with a glove?

Cut better for scooping low throws, extended to give the player a little more on their reach. The glove choice matters.

[kyle1976]

If you could use a bat that was 50% bigger, weighed the same, and was legal, would you use it? All first basemen should and will use a first base glove.

[Edd Roush]

Perhaps I stated this question incorrectly. I meant this in the particular case of EdE yesterday. He had used that infield glove for the first 37 games plus the prior 11 innings and probably doesn't practice with the first baseman glove at all. I am also not challenging his competence of using the glove, but I am wondering if it would be more beneficial to him, in his particular case, of using that first baseman's glove.

[kyle1976]

Maybe yesterday it would've been better if he's never used a first basemen's glove.

[Johnny Footstool]

Changing gloves mid-game takes a lot of getting used to. If Narron intends to use Encarnacion at 1B from time to time, he should get a 1B mitt and practice with it.

[SunDeck]

I played SS/1b when I was a kid. My infielders glove was microscopic by comparison, but I didn't have any problem making the transition when it was first proposed to me that I play 1b.

[RollyInRaleigh]

Changing gloves mid-game takes a lot of getting used to. If Narron intends to use Encarnacion at 1B from time to time, he should get a 1B mitt and practice with it.

Do we know that he hasn't?

Personally, I never had a problem switching from my small infielder's glove to a firstbaseman's glove, nor would I have wanted to try and play first base with my fielder's glove. Huge disadvantage with the fielder's glove.

[Caseyfan21]

I played catcher most of my life until my sophomore year of high school. From my sophomore year through my senior year I played first base and catcher. I found using the first baseman's glove to not be very comfortable so other than a few practices I always used my normal glove. My normal glove is more of an outfielder's glove and is very large so it is probably about the same size as a first baseman's glove. I had been using it for several years so I found it to be easier to scoop throws with a glove I was used to. I suppose some people like using first baseman's gloves but I found it to be very overrated compared to a large outfielders glove with a deep pocket.

[Johnny Footstool]

Do we know that he hasn't?

Personally, I never had a problem switching from my small infielder's glove to a firstbaseman's glove, nor would I have wanted to try and play first base with my fielder's glove. Huge disadvantage with the fielder's glove.

No, we don't know. I assume Narron wouldn't move him to 1B unless he had practiced there a bit.

Personally, I hate switching positions in the middle of the game. I'm all about mental preparation, and it's hard for me to go from the SS/middle infield mentality to the corner infield mentality without some time to prepare.

[RollyInRaleigh]

No, we don't know. I assume Narron wouldn't move him to 1B unless he had practiced there a bit.

Personally, I hate switching positions in the middle of the game. I'm all about mental preparation, and it's hard for me to go from the SS/middle infield mentality to the corner infield mentality without some time to prepare.

Johnny,

I don't disagree with the mental preparation part, because that, in itself, really depends on being physically prepared to have the confidence in place to play the position and to make that move. It also involves knowing if a guy can handle it. Some simply cannot go out of the comfort zone and play effectively at another position.

[Edd Roush]

Caseyfan,

That was what I was fearing. EdE seemed to do fine with it, but I wonder if it would psychollogically effect them. Firstbaseman's mitts seem to be very awkward and unless you are used them, can be a pain. I wonder how often EdE practices with it and furthermore, how often Narron plans on using EdE at first.

[RollyInRaleigh]

Caseyfan,

That was what I was fearing. EdE seemed to do fine with it, but I wonder if it would psychollogically effect them. Firstbaseman's mitts seem to be very awkward and unless you are used them, can be a pain. I wonder how often EdE practices with it and furthermore, how often Narron plans on using EdE at first.

Could very well be a sign of things to come.

[Johnny Footstool]

Some simply cannot go out of the comfort zone and play effectively at another position.

I'm one of those people. On some days, my comfort zone is only about two feet wide.

[Edd Roush]

Could very well be a sign of things to come.

I hope not, over the past few weeks, I have really warmed to the thought of Scott Hatteberg at firstbase for the rest of this year at the least. He is a solid AVG guy and an above average OBP guy. On top of this, he is a decent fielder and a good human being. I dunno, I would rather have Hatteberg at first than Olmedo or even Freel at third.