Wilson Launches New Game-Model Gloves, Louisville Slugger Designs for Players Weekend
Image credit: (Photo courtesy of Louisville Slugger)
It’s a colorful time in Major League Baseball, as Wilson-owned Louisville Slugger readies its lineup of themed bats ahead of the Aug. 15 Players Weekend. Along with new Slugger bats at the plate, some of Wilson’s top players—Mookie Betts, Elly De La Cruz and Austin Wells—have a revamped glove to sport on the field.
Players Weekend Louisville Slugger Bats
MLB Players Weekend is getting plenty personal thanks to Louisville Slugger. As part of the event, Slugger created individually-customized, hand-painted bats for 21 players, plus a hot dog- and ice cream-themed version or a paint splatter bat for an additional 48 players.
The August project starts in spring training when Louisville Slugger staff visits players to come up with fun ideas.
“The best part of this project is taking a rough idea from one of our pro players and bringing it to life on one of the tools they use to be successful every day,” Mike Butler, Louisville Slugger senior product line manager, told Baseball America. “It is especially fun to hear these ideas and what interests and hobbies our players love outside of baseball that they want to share with their fans.”
Louisville Slugger works with custom artist Keenon to create the special masterpieces. One of the most personal is Cincinnati’s Jake Fraley bringing pictures his kids drew that he wanted duplicated on his bat. Other key themes include:
- Kyle Schwarber with a Neighborhood Heroes charity theme honoring first responders
- Tyler Stephenson has a throwback to Cincinnati’s Big Red Machine
- Ronald Acuna Jr. will have a tie to his hometown in Venezuela
- Vinnie Pasquantino has his personal Pasquatch mascot theme
- Royce Lewis is celebrating comic books
- Ian Happ highlights coffee beans
- Marcell Ozuna has two bats, one with a coconut tree, beach and water, while the other features a big bear and personalized logo
- Elly De La Cruz offers a “game over” theme
- Lawrence Butler is honoring Atlanta
“With relaxed restrictions during Players Weekend,” Butler said about the guidelines for bat color and design, “our goal was to make the bats fun and bring a sense of youthful and electric personality to the game that weekend. We also wanted to create unique and memorable bats our pros will hopefully showcase long after this weekend is over.”
Jake Misener, Louisville Slugger marketing manager, told Baseball America that working with players is a key part of every process of the pro bat creation, and that Players Weekend simply offers a fun way for players to give fans a look into their personalities.
New Gloves for Betts, De La Cruz and Wells
Wilson debuted three new game model gloves for stars the Dodgers’ Mookie Betts, the Reds’ Elly De La Cruz and Yankees catcher Austin Wells.
The Betts A2K MB1175 GM 11.75-inch Infield glove features black and royal blue Pro Stock Select Leather with extra reach for backhand plays. Crafted in Japan with Double Palm Construction—the design includes an extra layer of thin leather between the palm shell and liner—for improved break-in and shape retention, Betts’ signature appears in the palm, and the red and white accents match LA’s look in Chavez Ravine. The glove also features a flat finger binding for greater comfort and control when playing with a finger outside the glove.
Shigeaki Aso, Wilson master glove craftsman who works directly with Betts, told Baseball America that Betts likes to have a slightly bigger glove at shortstop compared to what he uses for second base, the A2K 1786.
“So, we made it 11.75 inches, a quarter-inch bigger than the A2K 1786,” Aso said. “It has the same style except length, creating a similar feel.”
Switching from infield and outfield with a “reliable piece of leather on my hand is huge,” Betts told Baseball America, adding that he wanted something a little bigger for his new gloves and “it feels good.”
Getting a new glove is still exciting for the major leaguer.
“It’s like a mini version of Christmas,” Betts said. “It’s always exciting to get your new glove.”
And having his own is extra special, especially with his logo on the thumb.
“I remember when I was younger,” Betts said, “seeing all the gloves out there and seeing the pictures of the big leaguers on there and knowing whoever’s glove it was, that’s who you were going to play like.”
The De La Cruz A2000 EDLC44 GM 12-inch Infield glove is crafted for a shortstop. Using flamingo pink Pro Stock leather with De La Cruz’s signature, the buffed sky blue Pro Stock leather across the back and dual post web with a modified wrist strap adds to the design. The DriLex wrist lining is meant to help keep the hands dry, and the modified wrist strap bends toward the hand near the pinky for a snug fit.
“Elly came into our office, and we showed him a few new things like our 1724 glove pattern,” Kira Heinen, Wilson marketing manager, told Baseball America. “He liked the way that felt on his hand, so we made a 12-inch version with a dual post web for him. He also was interested in the look and feel of the sky blue buffed Pro Stock leather. He is a big pink and blue fan, so that is where the color combos came from.”
The Austin Wells A2000 AW28 GM 34-inch catcher’s mitt features black and white camouflage SuperSnakeSkin and a black Pro Stock leather across the palm with a half-moon web. The larger mitt offers a viewable target for pitchers. The exterior features seafoam accents inspired by the Statue of Liberty, along with bold logos. The mitt features flat finger binding, DriLex wrist lining and an extended index finger pad for extra cushion.
“Wells came and visited us last August and wanted to do something fun,” Heinen said. “He is particular about colors, but he liked the look of the dark camo print and wanted to add some seafoam as a touch, which is a nod to the Statue of Liberty.”
Tim Newcomb covers gear and business for Baseball America.
