When you buy a new baseball glove, I’m sure you’ll notice how the pocket area of the glove is slightly stickier than the rest of the surface. That stickiness in the pocket is to help the players grab onto the ball when they catch it. But over time, the stickiness of the glove can all but disappear.
Now, it is inevitable, and while regular maintenance and conditioning can delay it to some extent, sooner or later, your glove will lose its grip. But is there any way to restore it? Or do you just throw it away and get a new one? Since a baseball glove can get pretty expensive, having to throw it away never feels good.
Thankfully, this isn’t the end of the line for your favorite gloves, and there are plenty of valid ways to make them sticky again. Rubbing pocket adhesive on the glove is a safe and easy way to restore its stickiness, for instance.
I will talk about the ways you can make your baseball glove sticky so that you don’t have to throw it out and buy another one anytime soon.
How to Restore Your Baseball Glove’s Stickiness?
Using a slick baseball glove in your competitive matches is the quickest way to get benched. So if you notice the grip of your glove going bad, it’s best to deal with it as early as possible. Now, there are a lot of ways to fix this, but not all of them are equally effective or easy.
Personally, I like to go with the easy ways. So I’ll show you a couple of simple yet effective ways to make your baseball gloves sticky.
· Rub the Palm with Dirt
The simplest way to fix a slick baseball glove is to rub the palm of the gloves with some dirt. If the issue is related to moisture, which is most likely the case if you are playing in the cold or storing your gloves in a cold locker, it will get rid of the problem in a jiffy.
Moisture can really mess up the leather in your gloves. If the weather is particularly cold, the small water particles in the air can rest on the pocket of the gloves and turn it slippery. However, rubbing a small amount of dirt on the pocket removes the moisture and makes it sticky again.
· Use Pocket Adhesive or Spray
Another quick and easy way to restore the stickiness of your glove is to use some adhesive spray or pocket adhesive on the pocket. Now, it is important to apply only a small amount as going overboard with it might crack the leather or cause your thumb and fingers in the gloves to stick together.
You also want to make sure you are using an adhesive that is approved for leather, more specifically, baseball glove leather. Using the wrong type of adhesive will not only cause it to not stick properly but can also damage the leather of your gloves. So proceed with caution if you go with this method.
· Put it Out in the Sun
If your glove is relatively new and you live in a typically cold region, then fixing your glove should not be too difficult. You just have to put it out in the sun for a couple of hours, and it should be as good as new.
You see, even in newer gloves, moisture can be an annoying issue. If you play regularly in a cold environment, the glove can start to feel slippery and make it difficult for you to grab hold of the ball properly. However, once you dry it out, its stickiness should be restored.
· Use Glove Conditioner
Using a glove conditioner from time to time is essential for the health and durability of your glove. Not using it can lead to all sorts of problems like cracks in the leather, flaky leather, and not to mention a slippery pocket. So you should always make a note to use it on your glove from time to time.
Now, if your leather is cracked, take that as a sign that your gloves will not last any longer and that using conditioner will not fix it. However, if the issue is the pocket, then using a glove conditioner can restore some of the stickiness. At least, you will be able to get a few more months of use out of it.
· Use Petroleum Jelly
While petroleum jelly is not exactly an off-the-shelf glove conditioner, it can have a similar effect on your gloves. I would still recommend using a sports-approved baseball glove conditioner, but if you want a quick solution, petroleum jelly can get you out of a sticky situation.
But make sure you apply only a small amount and rub only over the affected areas of the gloves. So if the only issue you have is with the pocket, then you don’t want to use it all over the surface of the glove. Instead, go out and buy a high-end baseball glove conditioner.
Final Thoughts
A faulty baseball glove is all it takes to ruin your entire game. And while a slick baseball glove is an annoying issue to deal with, it is fixable. So you don’t have to worry about spending hundreds of dollars, not to mention going through hours of breaking in, on a new high-end baseball glove.
The tricks that I mentioned are not the only ways to make your gloves sticky again. There are other things you can do. But these methods are the easiest and require the least amount of effort to pull off. I hope my methods proved enough for you to make your baseball glove sticky again. Good luck!
