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The 9 best tee ball gloves for 4-6-year-old kids in 2024

Finding the best tee ball glove for a budding ballplayer isn’t rocket science. Kids outgrow these gloves quickly. You can search out all the kids’ glove reviews, but there are only so many criteria your selection must fulfill.

In this article, we’ve compiled a list of the best tee ball gloves for 4-to-6-year-old kids in 2024, so you can make a well-informed choice.

About the author

Seth is a baseball expert and professional writer. You can find him testing new gear or debating questions like, how good would Ken Griffey Jr have been without any injuries, or whatever happened to Bobby Thomson’s home run ball.

young ballplayer with his tee ball glove
Image: Jonathan Novack

These are the best tee ball gloves to buy:

  1. Franklin MeshTek
  2. Franklin Air Tech Adapt
  3. Franklin RTP Performance
  4. Mizuno Prospect
  5. Wilson A200
  6. Rawlings Players
  7. Franklin Neo-Grip
  8. Wilson A200 MLB
  9. Franklin Infinite Web/Shok-Sorb

Franklin MeshTek

What better place to start a review of the best tee ball gloves than with the perennial best-selling mitt? Franklin’s MeshTek is the go-to glove for many parents because it hits all sweet spots. It is affordable, readily available and hassle-free.

Franklin MeshTek 9.5-Inch Tee Ball Kids Baseball Glove Image: Franklin

Franklin’s use of pliable mesh for the back of the shell and soft imitation leather for inside mean there is zero break-in time with this glove. Players can take it straight from the package to the first practice and be ready to go.

The MeshTek is also one of the lightest gloves in the Franklin lineup. Coupled with its 9.5-inch sizing, this is one of the best gloves for 5-year-old boys and girls.

What we like

  • Mesh makes it lightweight and flexible.
  • No leather means very little upkeep.
  • 9.5-inch size perfect for 5-to6-year-olds.
  • Solid construction for the cost.

What we don’t like

  • Mesh can trap dirt (especially troublesome for infielders).
  • Included ball not a ‘real’ tee ball.

Franklin Air Tech Adapt

The best glove for 4-year-olds is something small that their little hands can operate. The Air Tech by Franklin is 8.5 inches, just right for the littles players.

Franklin Air Tech Adapt Series 8.5-Inch Tee Ball Baseball Glove Image: Franklin

For the littlest players, only a truly tiny glove will suffice. Purchasing a larger glove for the player to “grow into” can create its own set of problems.

First, the player can become frustrated with an oversized glove that makes it difficult to close the web around the ball. Second, gloves of this type don’t often see a second season, so you aren’t saving any money.

The Air Tech Adapt tee ball glove also has an adjustable hook-and-loop closure that helps it accommodate a wide array of wrist sizes.

What we like

  • 8.5-inch width to accommodate tiny hands.
  • Available in muted red/white/blue or neon pink/green colorways.
  • Heavily padded to protect vulnerable little palms.
  • No break-in required.
  • Breathes well for a synthetic-leather glove.

What we don’t like

  • Not constructed as solidly as Franklin’s bigger gloves.
  • Hook-and-loop closure needs care if it’s to last.

Franklin RTP Performance

The Ready to Play (RTP) line is Franklin’s lightest tee ball glove, and the company claims it’s the most comfortable. Its synthetic leather is soft and pliable, requiring practically no break-in time.

Franklin RTP Performance Series 9.5-Inch Tee Ball Kids Fielding Glove Image: Franklin

A generation or so ago, many young players would quit the game because of ill-fitting equipment. Using gloves that are too heavy can lead to frustration and a mistaken belief that a young player isn’t able or ready for baseball.

Enter Franklin’s RTP Performance tee ball glove. This is actually the second version of the RTP construction, which is even lighter and stronger than the earlier generation of RTP gloves.

What we like

  • Franklin’s lightest, most comfortable tee ball offering.
  • Requires almost no break-in period.
  • 9.5-inch width well-suited for 5-6-year-olds.
  • Synthetic leather with the look of a real leather glove.
  • Can last a second season if well cared for.

What we don’t like

  • Not as strong as it appears to be.
  • Still needs a bit of break in, but a couple practices should suffice.

Mizuno Prospect

Mizuno obviously put a lot of time into designing the gloves it builds for the youngest players, and it shows. The Prospect series solves many of the issues young players struggle with.

Mizuno Prospect PowerClose Kids Baseball Glove (GPP900Y3) Image: Mizuno

First, the PowerClose technology (essentially a notch cut below the pinky finger) makes it much easier for young players to close the glove when the ball hits the pocket.

The glove is also made from pliable pigskin leather, which is soft by nature. The back of the glove features a soft mesh that allows for both easy break-in and a large amount of air flow.

Another feature of the Prospect line (which is commonly used in larger youth baseball gloves, not so much in smaller ones) is that it has generous palm padding.

Any child can become ball-shy after getting stung by a hard throw or hit, especially those new to the game. It can become a lifelong fear, one which ends a career before it has had the chance to begin. Ample glove padding reduces the chance of that happening.

Finally, Mizuno experimented and came up with another solution for difficult-to-close youth gloves. The engineers at the company tried removing laces from the webbing, and settled on a lace pattern that makes it easier still to close the glove without sacrificing any of its strength.

In the end, what we have here is a glove that can last multiple seasons, as either a hand-me-down to a younger sibling or a glove to grow into. It can easily survive the abuse young kids inevitably dish out on their gloves, and it simply looks good doing it. It’s a big kid’s glove and an excellent place to start.

What we like

  • Made from real leather.
  • Typical soft Mizuno feel.
  • PowerClose technology helps players learn to close the pocket.
  • Available in multiple sizes.

What we don’t like

  • Costs a little more than the competition.
  • Requires more break-in time than synthetic leather gloves.

Wilson A200

Wilson’s A200 is a good-quality starter glove, but it’s not to be confused with the company’s top-rated A2000 series.

As opposed to the latter’s top-quality leather, the A200 is made of the same synthetic leather (or pleather, if you will) typical of the beginner’s glove category. Still, the A200 competes well with the majority of the competition.

Wilson A200 10-Inch Tee Ball Glove (WTA0200TBBOY) Image: Wilson

The shell is curved to help with break-in, with a pre-formed pocket in the webbing. The web itself is well-constructed. It is heavily stitched, with two rows of laces holding a solid backing of synthetic leather.

There is no mesh on the 10-inch version, so it requires a bit of break-in, but that’s easily solved with a backyard pitch-and-catch session or two.

What we like

  • Good-quality glove from a top-rated manufacturer.
  • Victory web provides a solid pocket with excellent strength.
  • 10-inch glove usually fits 6-year-olds well.
  • Can be used over the whole field.

What we don’t like

  • Closed webbing can make it tough to see if you have the ball.
  • Even after break-in, heavy stitching can be on the stiff side.

Rawlings Players

The Rawlings brand is synonymous with quality baseball gloves, so you can be confident starting your youngster with one of the company’s offerings.

Rawlings Players 9-Inch Tee Ball Baseball Glove (PL91SR) Image: Rawlings

The Players Series is constructed of synthetic leather, with a softer interior liner than many competitors for more comfort during long practices.

The tartan webbing, with its weaved synthetic leather strips, completely encloses the ball. This design is suitable for any position, though it does hide the ball a bit on pop flies.

This model features a slick color scheme, with a minimal amount of white. Most baseball organizations limit the use of white in gloves to a minimal percentage, but this glove should meet that requirement.

What we like

  • Solid construction from a top maker.
  • 9-inch design perfect for 4- to 5-year-olds.
  • Tartan webbing has the look of a big-kid’s glove.
  • Blue/red/white colorway looks slick and modern.
  • Soft liner unusually comfortable for the category.

What we don’t like

  • Requires more break-in time than much of the competition.
  • Manufacturer’s age range is misleading (5 and under only).

Franklin Neo-Grip

The Neo-Grip from Franklin is similar to the company’s other tee ball gloves. It is constructed on the same last as the Franklin RTP series, but it has one key difference.

The palm and pocket area of the Neo-Grip are textured with a series of indentations. These indentations provide an extra bit of friction, helping learning players successfully hold on to the ball.

Franklin Neo-Grip Tee Ball Glove Image: Franklin

The glove also features an innovative wrist closure system that makes it easier to secure it to various size hands. It comes in a couple of rather loud neon colorways, but these are the in-style colors preferred by many younger players in the current game.

These gloves may seem a bit stiff at first to a new player, but they break in extremely quickly. The mesh backing is pliable right away, and the synthetic leather just needs a bit of use to become flexible.

What we like

  • Bright, in-style neon colorways.
  • Semi-tartan webbing is tough and long-lasting.
  • Pre-formed pocket is ready to play.
  • Adjustable wrist closure.
  • Indentations in palm and pocket help secure the ball.

What we don’t like

  • Bright colors aren’t for everyone.
  • If the adjustable strap were to break, the glove would be useless.

Wilson A200 MLB

The Wilson A200 MLB series is similar to the company’s regular A200 beginner’s gloves, but buyers can select colorways and logos from their favorite MLB teams. There is also a glove featuring the Major League Baseball red/white/blue colorway and logo.

Wilson A200 MLB 10-Inch Tee Ball Glove Image: Wilson

These gloves utilize a single-post (or H) webbing, which is open to allow for visibility on fly balls. Otherwise, they share the same construction as the regular A200 – with one exception. Every other finger on the MLB series gloves have mesh backing. This material lightens the overall glove weight, while speeding up break-in and allowing for cooling air flow.

If your little tee ball player has a favorite MLB team or player, this glove might be a wise choice.

What we like

  • Conservative and disguised use of mesh backing.
  • Break-in is quick and easy.
  • Features logos and colorways of MLB teams.
  • H-style (single-post) webbing allows for vision of ball.
  • Based on super-popular A2000 series.

What we don’t like

  • Single-post webbing styles can wear out sooner (after multiple seasons).
  • Some competitors’ offerings break in quicker.

Franklin Infinite Web/Shok-Sorb

The Franklin Infinite Web/Shok-Sorb series is a glove designed to help kids get into the game painlessly.

Franklin Infinite Web/Shok-Sorb 10.5-Inch Tee Ball Fielding Glove Image: Franklin

The Shok-Sorb palm padding is effective without being obtrusive, which is quite a feat. It protects little palms from the sting of a hard-hit ball.

Sometimes these features can extend break-in time, but not so here. These gloves are nearly as ready to play as the other Franklin offerings.

The Infinite webbing feature is unique to this glove. It consists of strips of stretchy fabric, which expand the size of the pocket when the ball is caught.

The amount of stretch is adjustable, and this is a thoughtful – if breakable – system. The glove also has a mesh backing that works well with its soft synthetic-leather materials.

What we like

  • More engineering and features than typical tee ball fare.
  • Infinite webbing expands to help secure the ball.
  • Shok-Sorb padding helps prevent stings that can end careers early.
  • Larger size is great for older beginning players (7 years or so).
  • Break-in time is shorter than some others.

What we don’t like

  • Expanding-pocket straps introduce an extra area for possible breakage.
  • A bit heavier than some of the competition.

Conclusion

As players age, they develop preferences in the brand and style of glove they play. Their positions on the field also dictate certain mitts. None of that is really true for a tee ball player. Cost also is rarely so important. The leather offerings here are certainly better than the synthetics, for example, but they’re not absolutely necessary.

Tee ball is about instilling a love of the game in children, whether they play further or not. It is about having fun and meeting people. Timid kids may require some palm padding, while better players may need real leather.

For everyone else, any glove on this list will work, as long as the sizing is right. So, don’t fret getting a teeballer the exact right glove. Teach them to enjoy themselves and to play their best. That’s what the game is all about, no matter the level.

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