Sliding mitts are baseball’s ‘must-have,’ even if at youth levels, they’re all fashion, no function

By WILL GRAVES AP National Writer PITTSBURGH AP Andrew McCutchen hasn t had the conversation with -year-old son Steel yet but the Pittsburgh Pirates star knows it s allegedly coming at a few point Steel already playing in a youth baseball league will likely come home at one point and ask his five-time All-Star father if he can have whatever hot item his teammates might be wearing during a given spring McCutchen plans to accommodate Steel up to a point The oldest of McCutchen s four children is already rocking an arm sleeve just the way dad does Yet if Steel is hoping his father will spring for a sliding mitt a padded glove a participant can slip over one of their hands to protect it should the hand get stepped on while diving headfirst for a base he likely shouldn t get his hopes up McCutchen who has stolen bases at the major league level has never worn one And he s quick to point out the next time the cleat of a fielder mashes his hand will also be the first Still the -year-old understands Once upon a time he was a -something who epitomized baseball cool from his dreadlocks long since shorn to his goatee to his rope chain to the occasional skull cap he wore underneath his batting helmet all of it designed to accentuate McCutchen s innate blend of talent and charisma It s all about the drip McCutchen declared with a smile Even if the drip Gen Z slang for stylish clothes and their accessories emphasizes fashion over function particularly when it comes to the gloves which look a bit like oven mitts that are becoming just as ubiquitous in the Little Leagues as they are in the major leagues FILE Chicago White Sox s Scott Podsednik steals second base during a baseball encounter against the Cleveland Indians June in Cleveland AP Photo Mark Duncan File Safety and self-expression Former major leaguer Scott Podsednik career stolen base total is credited with inventing the sliding mitt during the late stages of his -year career Tired of having his hand stepped on Podsednik worked with a hand therapist for a fix The initial mitts were relatively simple A picture of Podsednik sliding into second base shows his left hand covered in what looks like a padded modified batting glove all wrapped in black to match the trim on his Chicago White Sox uniform Things have gotten considerably more intricate over the years Google sliding mitt designs and you ll find themes ranging from the American flag to an ice cream cone to aliens to a poop emoji yes really Scott McMillen a lawyer in the Chicago area had no plans to get into the baseball accessory business He first took notice of sliding mitts when his son Braydon then pointed out one of his teammates had one and reported basically Oh hey dad wouldn t it be nice if I had one too They headed to a local sporting goods store where McMillen was surprised at the variety available That was around By early McMillen had launched Goat d a specialty baseball accessory company with everything from sliding mitts to batting gloves to arm sleeves to headbands and more numerous of them religiously inspired Sales during their first full year Over million units We were surprised at how large the marketplace is McMillen announced Maybe he shouldn t have been Related Articles MLB notes What external options could Red Sox have at first base Garrett Crochet Red Sox blow out Cole Ragans Royals in - bonanza Cerullo Rafael Devers missing opportunity to lift Red Sox up Red Sox blow lead in extras lose to Royals - in innings Top Red Sox bosses flew to Kansas City to meet with Rafael Devers Youth sports have bounced back from the COVID- pandemic The Aspen Institute s State of Play document noted that the participation levels in sports among children ages - were the highest they ve been since Baseball s numbers have steadied following a decline Little League International narrated The Associated Press last fall that more than million kids played baseball or softball under its umbrella across the world an uptick over Multiple of those kids are also fans of the battle particular of whom may have noticed their favorite major leaguer sporting a mitt when they re on the bases Yes that was San Diego Padres star Fernando Tatis Jr sliding across home plate feetfirst by the way with a bright yellow mitt on his left hand in the ninth inning of a - win over Pittsburgh last weekend It s one of the countless strategies in which the meeting has evolved over the years When McMillen grew up there wasn t much swag to go around We had our baseball uniform and our glove and everyone looked the same everyone was the same he declared Now everyone wants to express themselves individually The best way to do that without acting like a clown is to wear something that shows people who you are Self-expression however doesn t exactly come cheap particularly in an era when top-of-the-line bats are or more What amounts to an entry-level sliding mitt can go for but Goat d and others have versions that can fetch double that That hasn t stopped sales from being brisk and McMillen points out it s not merely a luxury item We don t play football with s safety equipment he explained You feel better in the batter s box when you have something that protects you right With a sliding mitt it s also like Hey this is fun It s cool I want to be like my fave high school contestant like my favorite college performer It s becoming increasingly common for McMillen and other members of the company s staff to spot Goat d gear at the field In current months they ve popped up in youth tournaments from Georgia to Las Vegas sometimes in the back pockets of players as young as or McMillen can t help but shake his head to see his product become part of the time-honored tradition of kids imitating their heroes Which is good for business and oh by the way ostensibly unnecessary Youth ballplayer Josiah Jones bats during youth baseball battle in Monroeville Pa with his sliding matt in his back pocket on April AP Photo Gene J Puskar Youth ballplayer Josiah Jones bats during youth baseball championship in Monroeville Pa with his sliding matt in his back pocket on April AP Photo Gene J Puskar Show Caption of Youth ballplayer Josiah Jones bats during youth baseball encounter in Monroeville Pa with his sliding matt in his back pocket on April AP Photo Gene J Puskar Expand The pressure to keep up Here s the thing In greater part if not all youth baseball leagues headfirst slides that would require a participant to stretch out their hand to secure the bag are illegal In Little League for example stealing bases for players and under is rare because the member can take off only after the ball has reached the batter And even if they do bolt for the next base they have to slide feetfirst The only times in Little League that a baserunner can dive headfirst toward a base is when they are returning to it while in a rundown or during a pickoff attempt both of which are also rare That doesn t stop the players from wanting a sliding mitt It also doesn t stop their parents from buying them all part of the pressure to keep up with the Jones that has practically been a part of youth sports custom since the first time somebody came to practice with a batting glove or wristbands It s a phenomenon Chelsea Cahill and her family has known for years The longtime educator who lives just east of Columbus Ohio has spent greater part of the last decade shuttling her three boys from practice to games to tournaments What she and her husband have learned over the years is that a few trends come and go but the pressure to have the right stuff remains There s consistently that feeling of This is the next new thing or This is what you ve got to get Cahill stated They appeased their sons up to a point but only up to a point Last summer their youngest son Braxton then and the rest of the kids on his passage crew kept pestering their parents to buy sliding mitts Entering the final tournament the association moms decided to give in Sort of Rather than plop down that kind of money for something they didn t certainly need the moms headed to a local dollar store and bought them actual oven mitts the kind used to pull tonight s dinner from out of the oven Average retail price Less than a cup of coffee at the gas station Oh and the kids loved them and wore them during the competition Cahill posted video of them playing with the mitts stuck in their back pocket to her TikTok account The video is now at million views and counting They thought it was hilarious but we didn t really think they would wear them for the rest of the tournament Cahill stated We were wrong They really embraced it Among viewers of that TikTok by the way were the people at Goat d who sent Braxton a couple of mitts as a product The good news is Cahill now won t have to buy one for Braxton this spring Yet there s also something else she has learned through the years This time in her boys lives is fleeting For proof just look at her calendar Her two older sons the ones who played progress baseball just like Braxton and appealed for all the cool stuff their teammates had just like Braxton has gave up baseball by the time they got to high school Her advice to parents who might be feeling the financial pinch of what it takes to play these days Relax We ve learned as parents is to stop taking it so seriously she explained They re kids Let them have fun San Diego Padres Fernando Tatis Jr left scores before Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Joey Bart can apply the tag on a wild pitch by pitcher David Bednar during the ninth inning of a baseball championship in Pittsburgh Saturday May AP Photo Gene J Puskar The reality A day after hundreds of members of the Monroeville Baseball and Softball Association marched through the Pittsburgh suburb s well-appointed public park the regular season is in full swing All four fields are alive with the chatter of coaches parents and boys and girls aged anywhere from - Over on Field the Rays are in the middle of their season opener Playing first base Josiah Jones has his glove at the ready with a black sliding mitt noticeably sticking out of his left back pocket Per the league rules the Rays and the other players at the Bronco level ages - play actual full-on baseball They can take leads and steal bases whenever they like though headfirst slides are only allowed when returning to a base just like in Little League Longtime MBSA executive commissioner Josh Plassmeyer is milling about trying to keep tabs on everything Plassmeyer outlawed sliding mitts on his son Grant s -and-under tournament association calling them a distraction because players would spend so much time fiddling with them once they got to first base they would miss signs from the third-base coach About feet away Jones settles into the box and rips a ball to left-center field His long legs carry him past first base and he cruises into second with an easy double As his teammates erupted in the dugout Jones beamed for a brief moment Then as the opposing pitcher stepped onto the rubber he took an aggressive lead off second and eyed third His back pocket the one where his sliding mitt had been minutes before was empty