Rawlings’ Heart of the Hide series has long been an icon in the ball glove industry. For decades, big leaguers and youth players alike have looked down at their palm in between pitches to see the distinctive HOH steer logo, with its head low and a jet of steam blowing from each nostril, and felt ready to attack anything hit their way.
But to truly get the most out of your Heart of the Hide glove – and to know whether an HOH is the right model for your game – it’s important to go beyond the iconography. What separates a Heart of the Hide glove from the rest of the ball gloves out there? What makes HOH different from other Rawlings series, like Pro Preferred? How should you break in your Heart of the Hide glove?
Knowing these answers will help you get most out of your gamer, and you’ll hit the field with more confidence and swagger when you understand the full scope of what goes into making a Rawlings Heart of the Hide glove.
What Makes Baseball Gloves Different?
In some ways, all ball gloves are the same: They all have finger stalls, a web, binding, laces, etc. But there are also a lot of ways that gloves can differ from one another.
Softball gloves, for example, are going to be constructed differently from baseball gloves: They’ll generally be larger and feature a wider pocket that can accommodate the bigger size of a softball. Gloves meant for different positions will be different, too -- obviously, a catcher’s mitt is different from an infielder’s glove.
Depending on their target audience, gloves are made from different materials. Youth gloves will often feature softer material like age-specific leather. Using these materials helps lower the price point and make gloves more available to young players just learning the game. On the other end, premium gloves may differ in what lace material they use, what synthetic materials they incorporate, or what kind of high-end leather they use (more on that later).
In short, all ball gloves serve a similar purpose, but not all gloves are created equal. This will help you understand what separates Heart of the Hide from the rest of the pack.
History of Rawlings Heart of the Hide Gloves
Rawlings’ ball glove legacy stretches back more than 120 years, but the company’s first true innovation in the game came in 1919. Bill Doak, a spitball pitcher for the hometown St. Louis Cardinals, approached Rawlings about some functional improvements to baseball gloves – namely, placing a “web” in between the thumb and forefinger to help secure the ball more easily.
Up until that point, baseball gloves were purely protective equipment, about as functional as playing with an oven mitt stuffed with tissue paper. But with Doak’s design, the ball glove became something entirely new: a piece of equipment that could improve your defense and give you an edge on the field.
Rawlings began manufacturing the Doak glove (1920 retail price: $10) and it soon became an industry standard. Rawlings established itself as the leading glove-maker in a new golden age of America’s Pastime in the 1920s and ’30s.
But as the game got more and more advanced, and the glove market became more and more competitive in the 1950s and 1960s, ballplayers were constantly searching for anything that could give them an edge in the field. Therefore, gloves became bigger and more sophisticated, with different position patterns, web types, and sizes. Many other Rawlings innovations, like the Fastback design and Trap-Eze web, came out during this era of glove design. But even as the market became denser and more diversified, one feature of quality ball gloves only became more and more important: High-quality leather.
Mickey Mantle was featured heavily in Rawlings advertising during his playing career.
When Rawlings developed its first Heart of the Hide gloves in the 1960s, the idea was that the HOH logo would serve as a guarantee that you were playing with only the finest, most durable leather, and you could depend on its performance game after game. HOH became particularly famous when TV networks began broadcasting games nationally using on-field microphones. Many fans watching at home were able to hear the loud “pop” of the glove clear as a bell in their living room, and that sound quickly became tied to Heart of the Hide leather.
Fans began noticing some of the era’s greatest players -- like Mickey Mantle (who was featured heavily in Rawlings advertising at the time) and Reggie Jackson -- using Rawlings Heart of the Hide gloves. Heart of the Hide leather became a mark of defensive excellence, and this reputation has carried the HOH line to its iconic status today.
What Makes a Heart of the Hide Glove Special?
The same thing that always as: world-class, ultra-premium steerhide leather.
Rawlings only uses the best of the best full-grain steerhide to construct Heart of the Hide gloves. Why? Because it makes a difference.
Youth gloves or lower-end adult gloves are often made with cowhide leather, which is softer, generally easier to close, and easier to break in. But it also wears out faster and has a harder time standing up to the pace of play in high-level ball. Steerhide leather is firmer – that means it takes longer to break-in, but it also holds its shape longer, performs better, and lasts longer. Heart of the Hide gloves only use leather cut from the middle of the back, which will always contain the most high-quality cuts of the hide.
This commitment to quality has made Heart of the Hide a go-to name for premium gloves: Once you form the leather to fit your game, you can use your glove for years and years. While many pro players have the luxury of getting new, custom-made gloves regularly, some still prefer to stick with their “perfect” gamer for multiple seasons. Many Heart of the Hide users are even able to pass gloves down through generations!
Heart of the Hide leather is so high-performing that Rawlings also uses it for the leather components in the new-age REV1X, which also includes special synthetic materials to enhance its playing weight and durability.
What’s the Difference Between Rawlings Heart of the Hide and Pro Preferred?
Rawlings’ other premium leather glove line, Pro Preferred, is crafted with kip leather. Kip leather features many of the same benefits as full-grain steerhide, but is typically a bit softer and more consistent, since it comes from younger cows.
Kip leather gloves generally carry a higher price tag because the leather is more expensive to acquire and use in manufacturing, but they feature many of the same performance benefits as steerhide gloves. Heart of the Hide gloves also feature more customization options because the leather is easier to color.
The internal linings of these gloves also differ: Pro Preferred gloves use a Pittards sheepskin lining, which is designed to help with moisture control, and Heart of the Hide gloves feature a deer-tanned cowhide lining, which is designed for softness. Modern Heart of the Hide also comes with a standard thermo-formed wrist liner (a foam-based pad wrapped in moisture-wicking synthetic material) whereas Pro Preferred gloves typically feature a wool wrist liner.
Often, the choice between Pro Preferred and Heart of the Hide comes down to personal preference and feel. You can check out this video for a more in-depth look at the difference between Heart of the Hide and Pro Preferred.
What Different Types of Heart of the Hide Gloves Are There?
As mentioned earlier, because Heart of the Hide leather is so high-quality and easy to work with, it’s also used in combination with other materials or manufacturing processes to make special lines of HOH gloves.
Heart of the Hide R2G:
The R2G series features 15% more factory break-in than traditional Heart of the Hide gloves. This means that when you first use your glove, it’s 15% closer to being completely broken-in. This special feature, which is only available thanks to the quality of HOH leather, means that you can play with your glove right away, but still finish shaping your glove’s break-in so it suits your preference and style.
Baseball Glove Image
Heart of the Hide Hyper Shell & Heart of the Hide Speed Shell:
Hyper Shell and Speed Shell gloves use HOH leather in addition to synthetic materials designed to make the glove lighter, and thus easier to handle in the field. A back with a Hyper Shell design is about 15% lighter than a completely leather Heart of the Hide glove; a back with a Speed Shell design is slightly heavier than that.
Heart of the Hide ContoUR Fit:
The ContoUR pattern is designed for players with thinner hands or players who are simply looking for a tighter fit on their glove. The ContoUR fit features lowered and narrowed finger stalls, a smaller wrist opening, and an adjusted back.
REV1X:
Rawlings' most innovative glove ever, the REV1X combines HOH leather with special synthetic materials that make these gloves extra-lightweight and more durable than anything else on the market.
Which MLB Players Use Heart of the Hide Gloves?
Hundreds of professional players turn to Heart of the Hide for their on-field gamer. Right now, you can purchase the gameday HOH patterns of the following MLB players on our website:
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How Do I Design a Custom Heart of the Hide Glove?
Rawlings Custom Glove Builder currently features seemingly endless Heart of the Hide patterns and designs you can choose from. Each of these features hundreds of design possibilities to create a truly unique gamer, collectible, or gift.
Designing your custom Heart of the Hide glove with Rawlings gives you the full big-league experience, putting you in the driver’s seat to create a glove that can last you for seasons to come.
You can check out more guidance on how to build your perfect glove by reading our “What to Consider for Your Custom Glove” blog post.
How Do I Break In My Heart of the Hide Glove?
As mentioned earlier, because Heart of the Hide gloves feature ultra-durable, premium full-grain steerhide leather, they can start off pretty stiff and require some care and work to break-in. This is actually a good thing: If your glove is easy to break-in, that means it will have a shorter on-field life!
You can read a more detailed guide for breaking in your glove by checking out this blog post, but there are a few basic dos and don’ts when it comes to breaking in a glove:
Do:
- Work the padding. Don’t be afraid to get handsy with your glove! This is high-quality leather you’re dealing with, so it can handle a little bit of roughness. Work the creases of your glove back and forth until they achieve the flexibility you need.
- ·Use accessories and break-in aids. You can use Gloveolium break-in oil and special break-in bands to help soften your glove in all the right places and form the perfect pocket.
- Play with your glove: There’s only one surefire way to get your glove in perfect shape to play with – play with it! Even if your glove isn’t game-ready yet, you can play catch, take grounders or fly balls, and even scrimmage with your glove to discover the ideal break-in style for you.
Don't:
- Don’t overdo it on the oil. It used to be the case that gloves required constant oiling to maintain their playing shape, but that’s not the case anymore. Again, this is high-quality leather you’re dealing with. Your motto should be “lubricate, don’t saturate.” Which brings us to #2 . . .
- NEVER put your glove in water. Seriously. Never, ever, ever do this. While it may soften your glove, it will also damage the leather and decrease your gloves performance and durability – essentially taking away everything that’s special about a Heart of the Hide glove. (It can affect your glove’s warranty, too.)
- Don’t steam and/or heat your glove. This is another popular trick for shortening break-in time, but again, doing so can alter the quality of your glove’s leather. You can use your Heart of the Hide glove for seasons to come – don’t be afraid to take some extra time to break it in properly.
Why Should You Use a Rawlings Heart of the Hide Glove?
When you use a Heart of the Hide glove, you can be sure of a couple of things. First, you’re getting ultra-premium quality – every HOH is made from the same glove materials and patterns that the pros use. Second, you’re joining a line of defensive excellence that stretches back to some of the game’s greatest players.
You can build your own Heart of the Hide or choose from the selection on our website. If you’re looking to take your defense to the next level and get a gamer that’ll stick by you for years to come, Heart of the Hide is what you’re looking for.
