Uniforms & Player Gear

Uniforms

NW Seattle Little League (NWSLL) will provide each player with a hat and jersey, and these items are for the player to keep.  Beyond that our guidance varies based on division:

  • Tee-Ball and Coach-Pitch (A Baseball/Softball) – Your players may wear whatever pants they would like, but we recommend something that is athletic in nature (e.g., not jeans).  In A Baseball/Softball many players switch to wearing gray baseball pants (gray is much easier to keep clean than white!).  But these are by no means required.  Some players choose to wear molded rubber baseball cleats (metal cleats are not allowed), but typically, most players wear athletic shoes.
  • AA Baseball/Softball and Older – Your players should have gray baseball/softball pants, either plain or with navy piping (for Softball, check with your coach as occasionally a team will choose to wear black pants).  Most Baseball players buy pants that have open cuffs and that go down to the shoe (so you don't even see the socks really).  The pants with elastic cuffs really only look good if you are planning to wear them "high socks"-style like old-school baseball players.  Different brands of pants are cut differently, so you'll want to try them on.  Some boys need a slim cut and some need a more relaxed cut.  Wearing baseball pants to practice is advised in case there is sliding involved.  Most players wear dark socks.  The players should also have molded plastic baseball cleats (or soccer cleats are fine).  Metal cleats are not allowed, and regular tennis shoes are too slippery on the dirt or damp grass to be a good choice.  You also wouldn't want to mess up your kid's regular shoes with dirt and mud.  All male players should wear a protective cup.  We recommend versions where the cup is part of sliding/compression shorts that are worn under the pants.  The sliding shorts really help prevent scrapes when sliding, and players are more willing to slide when it doesn't hurt.  With early-season practices and games being chilly, we recommend having a long-sleeve undershirt.  Under Armor-style shirts are nice to stay warm, but are breathable and more comfortable if they get wet in light rain.  Please get your player a baseball/softball belt in Navy Blue.  These belts are highly adjustable and should last 3-5 years.  Each Spring we open a Protime Sports league store where families can purchase appropriate pants, shirts, belts, and socks.  But families are welcome to buy these items from any source.

 

Helmets/Bats/Gloves

NW Seattle Little League (NWSLL) does provide teams with limited numbers of league helmets and bats.  But players should provide their own gloves.

  • Helmets – We do recommend that players get their own batting helmet (to minimize the risk of spreading head lice).  The helmet is an important safety item.  Typically a helmet costs $20-25 and will last 3-5 years before the player outgrows it.  We will provide each team with 2-3 helmets as backup, but most families choose to buy one for their player.
  • Bats – NWSLL provides each team with 3-5 good quality team bats of varying lengths and weights.  But many players do bring their own bats, especially as they get older and advance in the sport.
    •  Bat Standards – Little League uses the “USA Baseball” bat standard.  This means the bat should have a “USA Baseball” logo on it to be considered legal for Little League play.  There are other bat standards that are used by other organizations or club ball (e.g., USSSA), but these bats are not legal for Little League as many of them generate higher batted ball speeds.  This is especially important at the AA and higher divisions, and non-legal bats will be removed from games.
    •  Bat Material – Metal, composite, or wood bats are fine, but metal and composite are by far the most common.  Composite bats are usually more expensive, so those become more common as players get older and advance in the sport.  For a good quality bat, expect to spend $50-80.  Cheaper bats simply do not perform as well, and they wear out faster.  Starting at the AAA division, some players invest in nicer bats that can cost $100-300, but that is not the expectation by any means.  Players typically get 2-3 years of use out of a bat.
    •  Bat Length and Weight – Kids will often want to use the biggest bat they can, but the bat should be appropriate for their size and strength.
      •  Tee-Ball – Buy a Tee-Ball bat.  These are typically 24” or 25” long.
      •  Coach-Pitch (A Baseball/Softball) – Typically players in these divisions use bats that are 25” to 27” long and 14-16 oz. in weight (since players range from Kindergarten to 2nd grade, the bat size often tracks their grade).
      •  AA Baseball/Softball – Typically players in these divisions use bats that are 27” to 29” long and 15-18 oz. in weight.
      •  AAA Baseball/Softball – Typically players in these divisions use bats that are 28” to 30” long and 16-20 oz. in weight.
      •  Majors Baseball/Softball – Typically players in these divisions use bats that are 29” to 31” long and 17-21 oz. in weight.
    •  Bat Barrel Diameter – There are two common bat barrel diameters available, 2 1/4" and 2 5/8".  The larger diameter is more desirable for players as the hitting area/sweet spot is larger which leads to more solid hits.
    •  Batting Gloves – With colder PNW weather, kids often like to use batting gloves to avoid the sting of cold-weather hitting or hitting a ball off the handle.  Batting gloves become particularly helpful at the AA divisions and above when batters are facing kid pitchers.
    •  Fielding Gloves – Guidance on fielding gloves varies by division as follows:
      •  Tee-Ball and Coach-Pitch (A Baseball/Softball) – At these ages the skill of catching is challenging for most players.  Avoid the plastic-like, fake leather gloves that do not work well.  Generally, you want a glove that has a “pocket” to capture the ball, and ideally, it has some flex to allow the player to open and close the glove at least a little.  You should expect to spend $25-40 for a glove.  Typical sizes would be 9” for Tee-Ball and 10” for Coach-Pitch, but that will depend on your player’s hand size and strength.
      •  AA Baseball/Softball – Once players advance to the AA division, the glove becomes a much more important aspect of your player’s gear.  The glove size needs to be a little larger for most players who advance beyond Coach-Pitch, and we generally recommend a glove that is 10.5” to 11”.  The ideal glove is not overly stiff, so the player can more easily open and close the glove to catch the ball.  Gloves will continue to “break in” over time and get more flexible, so it is OK if it starts out a little bit stiff.  Brands/models that have worked particularly well for NWSLL players over the years include Rawlings Youth Highlight, Rawlings Youth Premium, and Mizuno Youth Prospect (w/ PowerClose).  These gloves cost $45-70, and you should expect to get 2-3 years of use.
      •  AAA and Majors Baseball/Softball – Players advancing to AAA and Majors often need to move up in glove size to one that is 11” to 11.5”.  As discussed above for AA, brands/models that have worked particularly well for NWSLL players over the years include Rawlings Youth Highlight, Rawlings Youth Premium, and Mizuno Youth Prospect (w/ PowerClose).  These gloves cost $45-70, and you should expect to get 2-3 years of use.  There are also nicer models that run $75-150 (e.g., Rawlings Select Pro Lite), and players can expect to get 3-5 years of use out of them.  Lastly, there are outfielder gloves available in 12” and 13” sizes, but we do not generally recommend these for players until they advance to the Juniors and higher divisions.

Local Sponsors

Copyright © 2024 Northwest Seattle Little League Baseball  |  Privacy Statement |  Terms Of Use |  License Agreement |  Children's Privacy Policy  Login