Hello all, obviously we all know that most of the mlb guys are sponsored or get free gloves through companies or their agents. Im not sure if there is a thread about this but i was wondering if any of you guys had stories about mlb or minor league guys getting their gloves; if their agent would get them, the low-down on how or why they switched to that company, why they picked that model etc. Just intrigued by the wilson glove days and stories about mlb players and their gloves.
How MLB Players get their gloves
- Thread starter Chucktown
- Start date
I play adult league baseball with some guys who played pro baseball and this is something weve talked about. Either the player or his agent orders his gloves through a pro department rep with all his personal requests and theyll usually order two to have ready for the season. Many guys like to have their gloves sent to them before they even get to spring training so they can get a head start on breaking them in. A couple of guys whove been to mlb spring training said that the wilson glove day videos that get posted on youtube are staged promo videos. All the wilson players in the videos already have their real gloves that they ordered but wilson films them going through those duffle bags of gloves to make it look like theyre regular people shopping for a wilson glove in a store.
yeah i always wondered that, i would watch them and think that why would Wilson inconveniently give them their gloves while theyre at spring training and wouldnt they want to break them in right before? always wondered if it was a marketing scheme especially for the GOTM gloves.
jb_onethree
Addicted to Softballfans
Minor league guys still have to pay for their gloves, but get a hefty discount. Mizuno uses the diamond pro store where you need to be registered with the MLB, where gmp's are around $200, elites are $130ish, Catchers gear is around $150, and bats are around $40 for maples. I used to have access but my buddy retired and they deleted his account.
beeblebobble
Starting Player
I never knew those Wilson videos were to be taken serious, huge break down in logic when they are in the middle of spring training getting a new glove?. As a diesel mechanic I never showed up on the job waited a couple weeks then went to buy what I needed from the Snap On truck. I show up with what I need from day 1.
I knew a few minor league guys and one in particular made it a point in his agents contract that anything he needed equipment wise that the agent would get and pay for. He would come work out at the college i played for and would always have multiple gloves (he was a pitcher) and different nike combat stuff from the different teams he played for in the farm system. He also asked kids what size clothes and shoes they wore because whenever the season was over multiple guys would just leave their extra cleats, turfs, and clothes in the clubhouse and he'd take what they didnt want. Let me tell you, there were some sick PE's that he would grab.
NYC
Swag on 100.
Maybe they do actually get their EXTRA mitts in the middle of spring training? Or possibly experimental mitts for next season? Because I saw brandon phillips get "dat dude" glove like a year or 2 before they released in stores. Atleast in that particular color.
He didnt get a dat dude. He ordered the exact custom glove he wanted from the wilson pro department and wilson ended up making a retail version afterwards that they sold in stores. Thats like saying that derek jeter got a prodj2 before they were released to the public. Rawlings made the dj2 for jeter then turned it into a retail model.
beeblebobble
Starting Player
David the Gnome
The Veteran
To be fair, the DJ2 was just renamed. It was already a model before Jeter used it, they changed the name when he got famous. He was famous for using all the same equipment through his whole career.
I have a few friends who are in the minors and they've told me that the team will pay for one glove, a certain number of bats, and provide one set of catcher's gear for the catchers at the start of every season. If they want anything beyond that they have to pay for it themselves. They do get hefty discounts and they can choose to sign deals with manufacturers who will provide them with free equipment in addition to what the club provides.
Yeah, the DJ2 was called the PRO-5XBCB until around 1999.
Absolutely true but just like how the dj2 as based off the existing pro-5Xbcb the dat dude glove was based off the existing 1786. Both the dj2 and the dat dude glove just took existing models and added some custom touches from their best known users.
Brewzer
NW Vinci Rep
Carlos Torres of the Mets calls Vinci and orders his gloves directly and pays retail. I have sold Vinci gloves to a couple local minor league players and I provided them with a big discount but they were still paid for. The contracts the players sign with the glove company of their choice only accounts for their play in MLB. When they go to the winter leagues they may use a different brand or different glove than they did during the MLB season and I have proof of that.
Brewzer
NW Vinci Rep
Just like all of the other professional athletes, they have enough money. He pays for his own gloves to show support and appreciation for Vinci. He is our biggest ambassador and will never wear another glove. So yes, he really likes Vinci.
Vinci will never pay any athlete to wear our gloves. They may give them a discount or give them a glove for free but that's as far as Vinci will go.