What is that odd looking mitt that some of the MLB players are wearing?
If you have been watching the Diamondbacks games this postseason you have likely noticed that many players are wearing an odd-looking glove when they get on base.
It’s called a sliding mitt and it has been a game changer for many of the professional baseball players.
As D-backs star Corbin Carroll runs home, you can see he is wearing a pretty large red sliding mitt on his left hand.
Twin brothers Ellis and Owen Lacey who love to play and watch baseball have noticed.
"Usually like a couple of players each wear them," Ellis Lacey said. "Five MLB and like two in my league, so yeah I see um pretty often."
At Between the Lines in Scottsdale, the protective mitt is a popular product.
"We’ve been selling them now confidently a year or two years," Noah Zahn with the local baseball store said. "It’s a huge product."
Zahn says the goal is to prevent an injury.
"Between sliding into the bag or sliding into another person’s cleat or foot, this is going to be a really helpful tool in making sure we keep our players on the field rather than on the sidelines or in the training room," Zahn said.
Wrist protection is also built in.
"We came out with this product to protect guys' hands from hyperextending on the bags. Whether diving into second base or diving back to first base," Matt Dierks said.
Dierks and his team designed the Evoshield Sliding Mitt which is owned by Wilson Sports Goods.
"I don’t see the trend dying down," Dierks said. "If anything, it’s ramping up. We see more and more guys wearing it."
As more professional ball players wear them, kids who hope to play at the major league level want them.
The Lacey twins have the mitt on their wish list. The mitt costs around $50.
In the spring, a new one will be coming out that can be worn on either hand.