Best Protective Gear for Baseball

Sometimes there is a lot of confusion over which protective gear is comfortable and will get the job done, so I’ve put together a list of the best protective gear in each category – including the best batter’s elbow guard (which I use every day), shin guards, best baseball cup, and more.

Call it a product review, product guide or recommendations, or what ever you want.  These are just a few pieces of equipment that the pros use, but that ANY baseball player needs.  Since injury hurts your team and your future career prospects, taking these simple measures to keep you healthy can seriously pay off in the long run.

Best Batters Elbow Guard

The next time a 95 mph fastball smashes into your elbow, an elbow guard could be your new best friend.

There are two batters elbow guards that I can confidently recommend because I or many other pro players I know personally wear them in games.  These are my tried and tested picks for best batters elbow guard.

One is more heavy-duty and the other is lighter.

G-Form Elite Batter’s Elbow Guard

G-Form is making headway in professional baseball.  I personally have several friends and former teammates who use them (including their catcher’s gear) and really like them.  You can find it here

Evoshield Elbow Guard

More and more of the guys I play with are starting to use Evoshield protective gear, and they really like it.  It’s amazing how it molds individually to your leg, elbow, ankle, wrist, and thumb.

When you first pull Evoshield out of the bag, it is flimsy.  You wrap it where you want it to protect and set it with tape or ace bandage to hold it in place.  Being exposed to air it starts to harden making it custom fit to your body.

– Pros:  Evoshield is lighter and stronger than previous leg and elbow guards.  It’s very low profile in it’s design and not nearly as bulky as some elbow guards.

– Cons:  The Evoshield elbow guard is minimal in bulk but also in padding and area coverage.  If you want better protection, the G-form (above) might be a better option for you.

Buy the Evoshield elbow guard for batters here

 

Best baseball Shin Guard

I also like Evoshield’s shin guard.  It’s extremely versatile because you can add a foot protector and ankle bone protection as well.

You can get Evoshield protective gear from BaseballRampage.com (Their free return shipping is nice in case it doesn’t fit).

Other custom Evoshield gear for baseball includes

• Chest and Back guard
• Batter’s elbow guard
• Wrist guard
• Catcher’s thumb guard
• Compression sliding shorts, sleeves, shirts, etc.

 

Best Baseball Cup

Baseball cups are a very important piece of protective equipment in baseball.  No need to get into why it is very important but even with a baseball cup, impact can still be unpleasant.  There are not too many differences with baseball cups, other than the Nutty Buddy.  Things to think about are size and whether you prefer a deep contoured cup (which may provide more protection) or a wider and flatter cup.

1. Nutty Buddy

Nutty Buddy is by far the best baseball cup on the market.  Many new designs for a better fit.  It has a little different style or form, so it could be a little more uncomfortable than a regular baseball cup.  But the benefits may outweigh the concerns.

It lowers the impact forces of a baseball up to 2000%.  It was tested by the developer by taking a 90 mph fastball to the groin while wearing the Nutty Buddy.  He claimed there was no pain.  It disperses the impact differently than a traditional cup.

You can buy the Nutty Buddy baseball cup from NuttyBuddy.com or Amazon

2. Shock Doctor

I know many pro players who like Shock Doctor protective cups and use them every day on the baseball field.  You can buy the Shock Doctor baseball cup  from Amazon.com

 

 

3. Under Armour

Men’s Armour® Athletic Cup II Protective by Under Armour.  This baseball cup comes in many different sizes and styles. You can get it from Under Armour or  Amazon.com.

 

How to protect your hands

Pro Hitter Direct Protect

This training aid is a rubber guard that fits over the thumb of your top hand when hitting.  The rounded part faces into your palm and the flat part makes contact with the handle of the bat.  The direct protect helps take the sting away on an extreme jam job or when you hit a ball off the end of the bat.  There are three different sizes to ensure you get a proper fit.  They also help keep the bat in your fingers which is the optimal bat placement in your hands.  This prevents the bat from getting too deep into your palm.  Most people that use the direct protect get so used to it that they can’t hit unless they have it on their thumb.  Direct ProHitter Thumb Protector has an adult or youth size

 

Other Good Stuff

Phiten Titanium Necklaces and bracelets

You will see a lot of pro baseball guys wearing the Phiten Titanium necklaces and bracelets.  These colorful necklaces have titanium mixed into it supposedly making your blood circulate better, and increased blood flow is what helps injuries.  More so than their health benefit, they add a little bit of flair that players like.  I am not sure if they help keep you healthy, but they have many different colors and have a few different styles including a braid style necklace.  You can get them from BaseballRampage.com, Amazon and BaseballExp.com

Powerflex Stretch Tape

Our pick for best athletic tape is the Powerflex 2″ Stretch Athletic Tape.  This is my tape of choice as well as 95 % of other pro players.  This tape does everything standard athletic tape can do, but better.

I don’t like the feel of standard athletic tape when I tape my wrist.  It gives me support but also allows me to throw a baseball without feeling restrained.

I primarily used it to tape my wrists but the tape is so unique I found other uses for it.  It helped keep my socks around my calf keeping them in place without falling down.  It works well for taping the handle of your bat.  It gives you grip and it has a little cushion making the grip comfortable.  I’ve also put it on a pull up bar so I could have a good grip without getting blisters.

Powerflex is the most versatile athletic tape on the market.  Water and sweat resistant Powerflex tape is also designed without adhesive making it useful as pre wrap.  But because it sticks to itself it is great for keeping a bandage or gauze in place during a baseball game.  Because it is flexible it is more comfortable than standard athletic tape.  This is what most MLB players are using to tape their wrists.

It adds support as well as personality since they come in 26 different colors to match any team.  They come in 1 inch, 1.5 inch, 2 inch, 3 inch, 4 inch, and 6 inch rolls each are 6 yards long.  The most commonly used width is 2 inches for baseball.

You can buy it at Amazon.com

For more awesome baseball insider info, check out…

• Guide to Catcher’s Gear
• 5 Best Batting Tees
• Our many free , quality baseball instruction articles
• Our baseball insider’s blog
• 7 Things ALL good hitters have in common