Each sliding mitt will be constructed from Neoprene, Velcro and a ballistic Nylon outer shell. In our testing, we have found this new outer shell is providing outstanding results. Our simple design and ruggest construction are going to make this a home run with players! Give it a try to feel the quality and protection of our sliding mitt!
For the first season we are only offering black Neoprene with white lettering. Additional colors and styles will be available once production ramps up. Please stay tuned for new colors.
Many customers have already inquired about using Little League team colors, MLB team colors and printing player numbers (or names) on the sliding mitt. We will be offering many color choices, player numbers and player name embroidering in early 2019. Stay tuned for new designs as they are released.
If you have a son or daughter that slides into second base or third base headfirst, you probably wonder about potential hand injuries as we did with our kids. During a recent tournament, our son dove headfirst into second base and dislocated his finger. It is a painful injury and it appears it will take several months to fully heal. After the doctor visits, x-rays and waiting rooms, we started looking for something to protect his hand when he starts playing again. .
I started to read more about hand injuries in baseball and it became apparent that more and more Major League Baseball players have already made the move to protective hand gear. The list of players already wearing a protective sliding mitt is amazing. If you watch an MLB game on TV there is almost always at least 1 or 2 players taking time on first base to put on their sliding mitt to protect their hand. I asked my wife, "Why is it so difficult to find a quality sliding mitt for kids at a reasonable price?" There has to be a solution out there. The major sporting goods stores do not carry them, but they have every kind of football pad and baseball pad you can imagine.
I found a few companies online selling 'wrist guards' that do not protect the fingers. Those models were focused on protecting the wrist with stiff metal supports and the fingers are exposed at the end. I also found some medical orthopedic supports that cost more than the entire Little League sign-up fee in most towns. With a little research and some time working with designers to avoid infringing on anyone's patented design, we are well on our way to offering these to customers later this year. By offering a quality product at a reasonable price, our hope is every family can afford a sliding mitt to prevent their son or daughter from getting a hand injury while playing baseball or softball.