Youth glove size chart: what size baseball glove does my kid need, by age and position

The quick answer by age

Compiled from the Rawlings glove sizing table (below) and the youth patterns the makers sell at each size; a starting point, not a rule.

Baseball: the maker's table

Rawlings prints this on every glove page; Easton (the same company) uses the same one.

Fastpitch softball

The ball is bigger (11 in at 10U, 12 in from 12U), so the pocket is deeper and the glove runs half an inch to an inch larger. Rawlings' softball table: youth fastpitch infield 10.5–11 in, outfield 11–11.5 in; adult fastpitch infield 11.5–12 in, outfield/first base 12–13 in. Softball-specific youth gloves (the Sure Catch Softball line, the Wilson A500 Siren) have the deeper pocket built in; a baseball glove of the same number does not. The softball glove size chart has the full version and the picks.

How a glove is measured

From the top of the index finger down to the heel of the palm, in inches, along the inside of the glove. An 11 in glove is 11 inches from fingertip to heel. Catcher's mitts are measured around the circumference instead, which is why a 33 in mitt is not three times an 11 in glove; see the catcher's mitt page. First base mitts are measured like fielder's gloves.

The squeeze test

1. Glove on, correct hand (right-hand throw goes on the left hand).
2. Kid closes the glove with that hand only. No helping with the other hand.
3. Closes fully and easily: the size and stiffness are right. Closes with effort: right size, needs break-in (fine at 10, wrong at 6). Cannot close: too big or too stiff; go down a size or to a softer line.
4. Then the pocket check: drop a ball in; it should sit in the pocket, not roll to the fingers. A glove too long for the hand catches in the fingertips and pops out.

Mistakes parents make

• Buying by the age on the box. The box says 8–10; the kid's hand says 10.5.
• Buying to grow into. See the squeeze test.
• The wrong hand. RHT = right-hand throw = glove on the left hand. LHT is the opposite. The most common return.
• An outfield glove for an infielder. At 9 it does not matter; at 12 an 11.25 in infield glove with an I or H web transfers faster than a 12.25 trapeze.
• Buying a stiff adult-pattern glove for a 9-year-old. Structure and welting are a virtue at 12 and a wall at 8.

The two ages parents ask about most have their own pages, with the band, the fit check and the picks in one place: baseball glove size for an 8-year-old and baseball glove size for a 10-year-old. If the size is right and he still cannot shut the glove, the problem is the hand opening rather than the length: gloves for small hands. And the throwing-hand mistake above is explained in full on left-handed youth gloves explained.

One pick per size band

Once the chart has given you a size, the picks are one click away: best gloves for a 10-year-old for the 11 to 11.5 inch band, and Mizuno Prospect vs Wilson A500 if the squeeze test is the thing he is failing.