Expert Advice

Common Myths:

Glove oil should be used to help break in a new baseball glove.

Use only Rawlings glove oil on your new glove. Rawlings glove conditioner contains lanolin and other agents that cures and forms the glove pocket. Unlike our light-weight conditioner, glove oil weighs down your glove and eventually breaks the leather down into a flimsy mush.

Baseball gloves can be soaked in a bucket of water to help break them in.

Water should not be used to soften a glove's leather. Water will make the glove heavy, and it will cause the leather to eventually dry out and crack.

A microwave can be used to break in a baseball glove.

Never try to use a microwave to break in a glove. A microwave cooks from the inside out, and doesn't heat evenly. A glove will get too hot in a microwave and may even have holes burned through it.

The easiest way to break in a basball glove is to tie a baseball in it and let it sit overnight.

This process will not produce the optimal pocket shape, and it does not form the glove to your hand. Use the suggested method to get the best pocket shape and glove fit.

Final Tips:

Remember, your Rawlings glove is a tool for good fielding. Break it in properly and fit it to your hand. Condition your glove with Rawlings glove oil which you can get from our website and replace loose and broken lacing when needed.