Gloves have certainly come a long way in the last 30 years. It seems that not long ago, about all you could find for a webbing on an infield glove was a basket web.
Don't get me wrong, there is a special place for a basket webbing. I'll never forget the inumerable amount of times that Derek Jeter's basket webbed glove went into the hole between short and third to a glove a baseball. And with as popular as Derek was throughout his career, his basket webbed glove might be the most viewed piece of baseball equipment in history.
But as the new millenium started, I think sporting goods manufacturers found that baseball and softball gloves didn't have to have basket webs as players often preferred other webs over the classic basket.
To this day, fully closed webs (which includes basket webs) still make up the largest population of web types that JustGloves carries, but this writer believes that is mostly because the fully closed web meets the needs of youth players and those who don't have a web preference. If you were to ask a serious baseball or fastpitch player about the type of web they prefer, you are much more likely to get a response mentioning an I-Web, an H-Web, a Modified-T Web, etc...
In this blog article we get down to the nitty gritty discussing what are the three most popular glove webs being used by infielders!
I-Web Gloves
Without a doubt, I-Webs are the most popular choice by both professional and high level amateur infielders. Through extensive research, WhatProsWear determined that 56% of their profiled infielders chose to use an I-web. The attraction to an I-Web is that it typically will promote a shallower pocket for a glove. And a shallow pocket is oftentimes a good thing as it promotes a quick transfer of the baseball or softball from the glove to the infielder's throwing hand.
Most I-Webs will feature the double laced X's at the base. See below...
On most gloves, those double laced X's will keep the I-Webbing from separating further from the base of the web. Thus the pocket will remain shallow.
Second Base is going to be the spot where you'll see tons of I-Webs get used. A quick transfer of the ball from the glove to the throwing hand is essential and a deep pocket is not always as desired at 2B as it is on the left side of the infield!
And on a separate note, it is good to know that Wilson will actually refer to their I-Web gloves as H-Webs. They feel that when an I-Web glove is sitting in its natural resting position, the web actually looks most like an "H".
Single Post Web Gloves
Although not quite as popular as the I-Web, there are quite a few infield gloves that come with a Single Post Web. The Single Post Webs are typically going to leave a lot of open space in the glove's webbing, as can be seen below...
Thus the pocket will usually feel a little more deep when compared to an I-Web glove.
And if you want to make a glove with a Single Post Web feel even deeper in the pocket, you should go ahead and try wearing the glove with two fingers in the pinky stall. Even if you have a smaller 11.5" glove that features the Single Post Web, the deeper feel of the web combined with the shift of your ring finger to the pinky stall should make the glove feel as big as an 11.75" or 12" glove. Using this hack might be especially attractive for shortstops or third basemen who are most comfortable using an 11.5" glove, but also want the glove to play as big as possible.
H-Web Gloves
Third base, aka the Hot Corner, can be a bit daunting at times. Some of the hardest hit balls come your way. The ability to glove a ball without the worry of it popping out is essential. Enter the H-web....
The H-Web gloves are going to extremely rugged and durable as they'll incorporate a lot of leather while also leaving very few laces exposed (compare to the I-Web's double laced X's that are completely exposed on its base). If you want the strongest web for infield use, the H-Web should be your selection.
As well, you might sometimes see or hear H-Web gloves referred to as Dual Post Webs. If you hear Dual Post being used about a glove's web. Be sure to know that an H-Web is being discussed.
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To recap, I-Webs, H-Webs, and Single Post Webs are the top three best web options for infielder gloves. What do you have to say about these options? What type of web do you prefer to use while playing infield?
If you have any specific glove questions, our Glove Experts are available via telephone at 866-321-4568, email at experts@justballgloves.com, or you can always live chat. Don't forget, with our customer service, we'll be here for you from click to catch!
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