Best fastpitch catcher's mitts

What size mitt by age

Fastpitch catcher's mitts run from about 31.5 to 35 inches, and the youth range is narrower than the wall of a sporting-goods store suggests. These are the sizes the mitts on this page actually come in, matched to the ages the makers and the pitching speeds point at:

Read those as overlapping bands rather than a lookup table. The decider is the same test as a fielding glove: can she close it, one hand, with a ball in the pocket? A mitt she cannot squeeze shut will cost her every blocked ball in the dirt, and no amount of oiling fixes a mitt that is simply too big for the hand. The measuring method for the rest of her gear is on the youth softball glove size chart.

The one age where parents consistently buy too big is 10U, because 33 inches is the size everyone stocks and 32.5 is the size that actually fits. That is why the Mizuno is on this page at all.

How a mitt is measured, and why it is not a glove

A fielding glove is measured in a line from the heel to the top of the index finger. A catcher's mitt is measured around the circumference of the outside edge, which is why the numbers jump from 11 or 12 inches to 32 or 33. A 33 in mitt is not three times bigger than an 11 in glove; it is a different measurement of a different shape.

That shape is the other half of the point. A mitt has no individual fingers, a much thicker palm, and a pocket built to absorb a pitch rather than secure a thrown ball. A catcher wearing a fielding glove behind the plate will have a sore hand by the third inning and will start pulling her hand out of the way, which is how catchers learn to miss.

Does a fastpitch mitt actually differ?

Yes, in two documented ways and one practical one. Easton states that its fastpitch patterns are “designed for small hands and the fastpitch game” and that the Fundamental mitt is “crafted to fit smaller hands”; Mizuno describes the Prospect as “gender engineered: designed specifically for the female Softball player”. In practice that means a narrower hand opening and a shallower break at the wrist than the equivalent baseball mitt.

The practical difference is the ball. A 12 in softball is bigger than a baseball, so a fastpitch mitt's pocket is deeper and wider for its circumference. A baseball catcher's mitt in the same stated size will take a softball, but the ball sits high in the pocket and pops out on a blocked pitch. If you already have a baseball mitt in the garage, it will work for a backyard session and it is the wrong tool for a game. The broader version of that comparison is on softball catcher's gear vs baseball, and the whole-kit version is on softball vs baseball gear: what's different.

How these were ranked

Five weighted metrics, the same rubric every glove and mitt page on this site uses: size fit for the age (30%), ease of close for small hands (25%), leather and build quality (15%), break-in effort (15%) and value (15%). Scores are compiled from the published specs cited on each card. We do not break in mitts for review and nobody should trust a site that says it did.

Fit and ease of close together carry 55% of the weight, and that is why the order here will look upside-down to anyone used to brand rankings. The 31.5 in Rawlings and the soft Wilson A700 win because they are mitts a nine- or ten-year-old can actually close; the steerhide Easton Elite, which is unambiguously the best-made mitt on the page, ranks fifth because stiff premium leather is a liability for the buyer this site is written for. If your daughter catches every inning of a travel season, read the rankings in reverse — the Elite and the Ghost NX are the mitts built for that, and the page says so on their cards.

Leather, break-in and the 80% claim

Three leather stories on this page, and they lead to three different purchases.

1. Pre-broken-in full grain. Rawlings states 80% factory break-in on the Shut Out and Wilson describes the A700 leather as light enough to use in games right away without a tough break-in. Both are usable the day they arrive, and both will go soft sooner than a stiff mitt. For a kid who might catch for one season, that trade is correct.
2. Oil-tanned cowhide. The Easton Fundamental: genuinely soft out of the box, a middle price, and the shape holds better than a heavily pre-broken mitt. The sensible middle.
3. Steerhide. The Jen Schro Elite and the Ghost NX both use Easton's Diamond Pro Steer leather and both are described as game-ready, which is a maker's claim about a premium hide, not a promise that a twelve-year-old can close it in week one. Expect real catch sessions before a game.

However stiff it starts, the break-in routine is the same and it is not a microwave: play catch in it, use a little conditioner sparingly, and keep a ball in the pocket with the mitt closed between sessions. The method, including what not to do, is on how to break in a baseball glove — it is the same for a mitt.

The closure is the part that grows with her

Four of these six publish a real closure system and it is worth understanding, because it is the one feature that buys you an extra season. The Rawlings Shut Out uses a pull strap plus a Velcro wrist closure, which means the same mitt can be cinched down on a small wrist and let out a year later. Easton's Quantum Closure System is an adjustable open back on the Fundamental, the Elite and the Ghost NX. The Wilson A700 listing publishes no closure detail at all.

An adjustable back matters more on a mitt than on a glove, because a catcher takes the mitt off between innings and a loose mitt rotates on the hand when she blocks. If you are choosing between two mitts and one has an adjustable wrist, take that one.

The Flex Notch closure on the two Easton steerhide mitts is a different thing again: a notch in the heel that lets the mitt fold more easily so a smaller hand can squeeze a stiff shell shut. It is the one premium feature on this page that is aimed squarely at the problem a young catcher actually has.

Right-hand throw, and what that means on the box

Every mitt here is a right-hand-throw model, which means it goes on the left hand. Mizuno spells it out on its own listing: right hand throw equals left hand glove. This catches out more first-time buyers than any other spec in youth softball, so read the line twice before you order.

If your daughter throws left-handed, the choice shrinks sharply — left-hand-throw catcher's mitts are made in far smaller numbers and sell out first. Do not substitute a right-hand-throw mitt and hope; it is unusable. The same problem and the workarounds are covered on left-handed youth gloves explained.

The mitt is one of four purchases

A fastpitch catcher needs the mitt, a helmet and mask, a chest protector and leg guards — and in fastpitch the chest protector is a different shape from a baseball one, not a different color. If she is starting at the position, price a set before you buy pieces:

• Gear sets: best youth softball catcher's gear.
• Head protection: the fastpitch helmet-and-mask options are on best softball helmets with a mask, and the catcher-specific helmets, including the certification question, are on best youth catcher's helmets.
• Everything else: the whole-season list is on what does my daughter need for softball.

A word on the prices you see here

The numbers on the cards are pulled live and they move, so read them as brackets rather than figures. The Wilson A700 and the Mizuno Prospect sit at the bottom, the Rawlings Shut Out and the Easton Fundamental in the middle, and the Ghost NX and the Jen Schro Elite at the top. Check the number on the card on the day you order rather than trusting any figure written into prose.

Before you buy

1. Pick the size from her age and her hand, not the shelf. 31.5 to 32.5 in through 10U, 32.5 to 33 in at 12U, 33 to 34 in at 14U.
2. Do the close test. One hand, ball in the pocket, squeeze. If she cannot shut it, it is the wrong mitt, and that is not something break-in fixes.
3. Check the throwing hand twice. Right hand throw means the mitt goes on the left hand.
4. Match the leather to the calendar. Season starts next week? Take the pre-broken-in Rawlings or the soft Wilson. Buying in the fall for a full-time catcher? Take the steerhide.
5. Prefer an adjustable wrist. It is the feature that buys you an extra season on a growing hand.
6. Do not use a baseball mitt for games. A 12 in softball sits high in a baseball pocket and pops out on a block.
7. Budget for conditioner, not the next price tier. A small tub and twenty minutes a week does more for a mitt than the upgrade does.

Side by side

These are the two ends of the same decision. The Rawlings Shut Out is a 31.5 in mitt with a published 8–14 age range, 80% factory break-in, Zero Shock palm padding and a Velcro wrist: a mitt built so a kid can catch in it immediately and stop thinking about it. The Jen Schro Elite is 33 inches of steerhide with a Flex Notch heel and a rawhide-laced pocket: a mitt built to still be holding its shape in three seasons. If your daughter is eight and trying the position, the first one is right and the second one is a mistake. If she is twelve and catching every inning of a travel season, that reverses.