The following is a list of equipment for your ball player. Some are required, some are optional.
We want all eligible players to join North Portland Little League. Gear exchanges occur at Assessment/Tryout days. You can check out those resources before buying new equipment. Scholarships for equipment are also available.
Required:
- Baseball Glove - NPLL recommends a glove that is fairly broken in, please read the bottom of this page for how to pick out a glove.
- Uniform Pants - Color will be decided by team's head coach
- Baseball Cleats - Tee Ball can re-use soccer cleats if you have them
- Athletic Cup for Farm and Coastal Catchers and ALL Minors/Majors players
- All Catchers are required to wear a cup
- All Minors/Majors players should wear a cup regardless of whether they are playing catcher
Optional:
- Helmet - We supply helmets but some players prefer their own.
- We also highly recommend helmets with a Jaw Guard
- USA bat (we have team bats, but feel free to buy your own) - See below for how to pick out a bat.
- Baseball Socks
- Baseball Belt
- Baseball Bag
- Sunglasses
Each year Dick's Sporting Goods offers us a 20% off weekend usually in late March. This a great time to get all of your gear! Stay tuned for this year's dates!All players will be provided with a Baseball Hat and Uniform Shirt.Picking Out a Glove
Most little league kids should have a glove between 11 and 12 inches. 11.5-11.75 is a great size for most kids.
1. The sooner you purchase a new glove, the more time your player will have to break it in. Bringing a brand new glove to your first game in April won't give you time to break it in, and stiff leather makes it difficult to squeeze the glove after a catch. Some youth glove models are made of soft leather that is nearly game-ready right off the shelf. These gloves aren't made from the highest quality of leather but will often do the job if you need to purchase one right before the season begins. Higher quality gloves are made of leather that takes longer to break so if you're looking at a product like that it's a good idea to purchase one long before the season begins so your glove can be broken in before Spring.
2. The most prevalent glove break-in method is playing lots of catch. Glove manufacturers sell baseball-shaped mallets that can be used to pound the pocket of a glove several times over a short period of time to replicate a game of catch.
3. After forming the pocket of a glove, you can apply a shaving cream containing lanolin to all surfaces and laces to help soften and preserve the leather. This is also a good product to use to maintain the leather after a glove is exposed to an excessive amount of dirt / dust or when you put it away during the offseason. Baby wipes can be used to remove dirt from the leather prior to the application of shaving cream.
4. Some manufacturers recommend and sell glove oil. If you choose to purchase this type of conditioning product, we suggest you verify the manufacturer of your glove recommends the use of a specific type of oil on the model of glove you have.
One thing to consider: eBay, Craigslist and similar websites often have several good used gloves for auction or sale. If you can find one that is the correct size and has already been broken in properly, you won't have to go through the break-in process and you'll save some cash as well.Picking out a Bat
At the youth levels, bat swing speed is the most important aspect to give ball players a good connection and power through the swinging zone. Most players that struggle with connecting quickly are often using a bat that is too long and too heavy for their strength and skill level.
Bat length
North Portland Little League recommends the following general rules of thumb:
- Farm/coastal division players - 26 or 27 inch bat
- Minor division players - 27 or 28 inch bat
- Majors division players - 28 or 29 inch bat
Very tall and strong players could swing a 29 inch at the minors level or a 30 inch at the major level, but this will be an exception for top 5%.
Bat Weight
North Portland Little League recommends players select a bat with "a drop -10" weight.
"Drop -10" means a 27 inch bat weighs 17 ounces; a 28 inch bat weighs 18 ounces; and a 29 inch bat weighs 19 ounces. Strong players in the top 10% could swing a "drop -8 oz", which again means a 28 inch bat weighs 20 ounces and a 29 inch bat weighs 21 ounces, etc.
As a guideline (using minors and majors divisions as an example), the players at the lower 20% weight and height will swing the lower lengths of 27 inch, middle 60% of height and weight will swing the middle listed 28 inch and top 20% of height and weight could swing a 29 inch).
If you aren’t sure about the correct size for your player, here is helpful measuring tip:
Position the bottom of the bat in the center of your chest, facing outward. If your arm can reach out and grab the barrel of the bat, then it is the correct length or stand the bat up against the side of your leg. If the end of the bat reaches the center of your palm when you reach down, it's the appropriate length.
Brands
First, make sure you pick USA approved bats. Second, while not a North Portland Little League endorsement, we have had good luck with Louisville slugger, Demarini and Axe bats for finding good bats at reasonable rates.
Little League Bat Rules
The formal Little League Bat Resource Center can be found below:
https://www.littleleague.org/playing-rules/bat-information/