Baseball's leather evolution has come a long way since mittens

By: DAN HAYES - Staff Writer | Saturday, June 23, 2007 9:49 PM PDT ∞

The first baseball glove, used by Cincinnati Red Stockings catcher Doug Allison in 1869, was nothing more than a pair of mittens. By the turn of the century, the catcher's glove had evolved from Allison's mittens into a tiny pillow. An infielder's glove was equally small. But in 1920, the Bill Doak Glove, complete with an attached web, was introduced as glove sizes began expanding.

As the importance of gloves has grown substantially over the past 138 years, so too has the size of the instruments themselves. Whereas the average weight of a glove was only 10 ounces in the early 20th century, today's behemoths average 24 ounces.

They've also become more effective, too.

According to Rawlings.com, fielding percentages improved dramatically when the Rudy York 75 Trapper Mitt was introduced in 1941.

"You mean the big weapons they use now?" said Padres announcer Jerry Coleman, who was known for his great defensive work at second base for the New York Yankees. "They're much larger. Today's players make plays we couldn't even think of making, diving plays. We couldn't do that. If it didn't hit right in the pocket, it popped out."

Greg Maddux's Wilson A-2000 1915-B glove wasn't big enough, either. Actually, it wasn't wide enough.

He wanted to feel confident that he was able to change his grip on the ball without opposing batters being able to figure out what pitch was coming. So in 1997, he asked Wilson to make some slight modifications.

"There's not a whole lot you can do with a glove other than make it bigger or smaller or wider or thinner," Maddux said. "They made it wider so you could fan it more. Obviously you want to accommodate a player."

Denny Whiteside, a project manager with Rawlings Gloves for 16 years, agreed with Maddux's assessment: There aren't a ton of modifications left to discover. But Rawlings, which Whiteside estimated is used by 36 percent of Major League Baseball players, makes a point of working with players to make even the slightest of alterations.

And in doing so, they introduced a "dual-core" pocket system in 2006 that allows gloves to be more handcrafted and position-specific.

"Lot of times players will come to us and say 'Will you change the break on the glove or the overall feel?' " Whiteside said. "A lot of the info comes back from the player."

That's a drastic shift in attitude from the first time Allison donned those mittens ---- an act that was considered cowardly for the macho sport. At that time, catchers received pitches bare-handed, though they were 12 to 15 feet behind the plate.

"That's back in the tough-man days," Chicago Cubs catcher Rob Bowen said. "I can imagine what their hands looked like ---- fingers would be all bent back and broke. Every now and then you get one with a little sting. But with these gloves, the way they make them now, you get used to it. I hardly even feel it anymore."

Contact staff writer Dan Hayes at dhayes@nctimes.com. Comment at sports.nctimes.com.