Good non-$200 A2000 glove options

[bebopdeluxe]

Hello there. My daughter (14U shortstop) is in her 2nd year of using her Rawlings 12-inch R9 series glove (travel and rec ball - including fall ball). For $79 I couldn’t have asked for any more from the glove - although I have found myself doing more frequent tightening tweaks this season.

I am thinking about buying her a new glove to start breaking in - which she can start using this fall in HS. I have a big problem with dropping $200-300 for A2000/HOH gloves, I feel like she has gotten 85-90% of the performance for 40% of the price with the R9.

I am not sure if Rawlings is still making the R9 - so what are the price/value leaders that aren’t in the A2000 stratosphere?

Thanks!

 

[LEsoftballdad]

Rawlings still makes the R9. The next level up is the Liberty Advanced, which is higher quality but still not at the HOH/A2000 level. If you know whom to ask, you can get them for less than retail.

They are not the same quality and will not last as long as a well cared for HOH or A2000. So while you're saving money now, you'll wind up going through the cheaper gloves more often.

 

[Strike2]

A $200 A2000 is a bargain...you should jump on that. That said, I'm a fan of Mizuno Franchise (budget) and MVP (mid-priced) lines. Break in is easy and they work well. DD used them for years and, even though it was probably more expensive in the longer run, I didn't want to mess with success. She now has an A2000, but we didn't have to pay for it. It's a nice glove, but it's not 2-3 times as good as what she used growing up. It certainly doesn't catch the ball any better. BTW...Rawlings R9s aren't hard to find. Check Amazon.

 

[ANNASDAD]

They are not the same quality and will not last as long as a well cared for HOH or A2000. So while you're saving money now, you'll wind up going through the cheaper gloves more often.

This right here!!

 

[ANNASDAD]

So what is the top of your budget, $200? Like Strike said, $200 is a bargain for a A2000, well a A2000 baseball glove, I’d never give that for one of their softball gloves!

Build her a Gloveworks custom to you guys specs, their Midnight Tan Steerhide is every bit HOH / A2000 quality, and they may be running a sale today?

 

[ANNASDAD]

Yep, 20% off coupon this weekend!

 

[kibadbo]

So what is the top of your budget, $200? Like Strike said, $200 is a bargain for a A2000, well a A2000 baseball glove, I’d never give that for one of their softball gloves!

Build her a Gloveworks custom to you guys specs, their Midnight Tan Steerhide is every bit HOH / A2000 quality, and they may be running a sale today?

Your post sent me down a Gloveworks rabbit hole. They look beautiful, especially that dark tan color. If my DD was right-handed, I would have ordered one of those factory gloves already. Beautiful, but I'm not sure the dark brown it is still available in the custom builder.

Do you have any experience with their kip? It's $40 more than the steerhide but still seems fairly inexpensive.

 

[Gags]

If my DD was right-handed,

If you're saying your daughter throws left-handed (LHT) - you should be able to find any number of higher-end gloves much cheaper than RHT, and for the same model. You'll find the biggest price difference for the Mizuno Pro Selects, and while I haven't seen any lately, there was always a few sites still selling some of the LHT All-Star gloves, which were always well-regarded on this board.

 

[injnyr]

I'd highly recommend an All-Star CMW3000 or 3001 mitt (right at $200). I am a lefty myself and bought it to catch my two daughters. I have had it for 2.5 years and it is still in great shape, holding its form! Only have gotten one thumb stinger on it but it was my fault for not being ready to catch...they offer excellent thumb protection being single hinged.

 

[ANNASDAD]

Your post sent me down a Gloveworks rabbit hole. They look beautiful, especially that dark tan color. If my DD was right-handed, I would have ordered one of those factory gloves already. Beautiful, but I'm not sure the dark brown it is still available in the custom builder.

Do you have any experience with their kip? It's $40 more than the steerhide but still seems fairly inexpensive.

My only experience with GW's leather was their Pro-Steerhide in Midnight Tan, super nice, beautiful leather!