Since being introduced to the glove market in 1958, many Rawlings Heart of the Hide gloves have come and gone.
We are especially aware of that here at JustGloves as we help promote Rawlings glove launches each and every fall. But something that we have to keep in our minds is that to many players who picking up a glove with each release; that one may be the glove that remains with them during childhood, through high school, across their college career and even beyond. We know this because when engaging with customers, we hear their stories about the gloves that have made lifelong journeys with their owners.
We’ve said it before that gloves are often referred to as “extensions of a player’s arm”, but in many cases they are an extension of the entire player and person that uses it.
We take seriously the honor of being able to participate in this year's launch of new Rawlings Heart of the Hide gloves! Keep reading to get the low-down on what can typically be expected from a Heart of the Hide what is new for this year’s launch!
The Heart of the Hide Mainstays
With every new release of Heart of the Hide gloves, there is going to be lots of anticipation for the new cosmetic looks that Rawlings will incorporate into the launch. However, let’s not forget the foundation pieces of each Heart of the Hide glove which make this release so anticipated each fall.
Top Grade US Steerhide Leather
Every Heart of the Hide glove can be counted on to feature excellent leather quality on its shell (palm and backing). The key to the quality of this material is that Rawlings has it cut from the “prime cut or center portion” of a smaller hide. Due to the manner in which it is harvested, the hide typically comes thicker than what is seen on other manufacturers’ gloves. And this hide will have less stretch to it. This makes the glove leather stiff right when it is pulled from the box. But if you see the break-in through, the glove will remain in the shape to which you broke it in for many seasons!
Deer Tanned Cowhide Lining
First, be sure to know exactly where the “lining” of a glove is located.
When a glove manufacturer is discussing lining, they will most likely be referring to the material that the palm of the player’s glove hand will rest on while he or she has her hand in the glove. Oftentimes, you may see our site refer to the lining as the “inner hand lining”.
Rawlings tans the cowhide used for the lining by following a process typically used to tan a deerskin. According to the Lusso Leather website, when deerskin is tanned to become leather it becomes “softer, more flexible, and more breathable than other forms of leather”. Rawlings doesn’t use deerskin leather to create the lining of their gloves, but they do tan the cowhide that is used for the lining in the same manner that one would tan a deerskin.
When a hand goes into a glove it is inevitably going to sweat and if the lining material just soaks in that sweat, the lining will quickly become rotted and smelly. By tanning the lining material in the same manner as deerskin, the lining should be more breathable and hold in less perspiration from a player’s hand.
Tennessee Tanning Laces
The Tennessee Tanning Company is based out of Tullahoma, TN and has been in operation for nearly 80 years. In 1983, the company was actually acquired by Rawlings and Tennessee Tanning has been responsible for the lacing featured on Rawlings gloves ever since.
The laces on Heart of the Hide gloves will most likely be alum tanned at the Tennessee Tanning factory. According to Leather Dictionary, this means that the leather used for the lace will be tanned using aluminum salts. And after the alum tanning process is complete, the material will be “stiff and firm”. Laces that take on these properties can handle balls thrown at high velocities and give a glove a long-lasting shape.
Recent Heart of the Hide Innovations
The Heart of the Hides are rooted in tradition. But Rawlings knows that they have to spice up the looks and sometimes even add a tweak in the design of the gloves to keep players coming back for this series!
Croc Skin Embossing
In the last five years, Rawlings has started adding some pizzazz to the backing of select Heart of the Hide models. Instead of replacing the leather on the backing of the glove and putting in a completely new material like their Speed Shell or Hyper Shell, they discovered that they can just emboss the back of the leather and give it some real character when someone gets a look at it upclose. Enter the Croc Skin embossing.
You may be wondering it in your head, so we'll just get it out of the way…this is NOT real Crocodile skin on the glove’s backing. Rawlings uses a process to stamp or mold the design into the glove’s backing. Be sure to check out the detailed view of the Croc Skin embossing below:
Oval Logos
Over their last couple of releases, Rawlings has started to add a small wrinkle into the look of their Heart of the Hide catcher’s mitts.
For many years now, Rawlings has been famous for their rectangle brand patch that goes on the wrist backing of nearly all their gloves. But recently when crafting their mitts, they’ve gone away from that patch logo and replaced it with an oval that contains the distinct Rawlings “R” within it. It’s just a small update to the cosmetics of the glove, but JustGloves really thinks their last few releases of catcher’s mitts have looked sharp due to that new logo!
R2Gs
The R2Gs have been around for a number of seasons at this point, but we get the feeling that many glove customers aren’t aware of the benefits of this line of select Heart of the Hide gloves.
At JustGloves, we love the tradition that oozes from an old-fashioned glove discussion. Most of these chats go something like this:
Person 1: Stiff gloves are the best! There’s nothing better than putting in a little elbow grease and breaking in a stiff glove to the exact shape that you want. It really gives you some sweat equity in your glove once the break-in is done!
Person 2: I couldn’t agree more!
Yes, if you’re up for it, you should get a stiff glove as it will give you a blank canvas to break in the glove to your exact specifications.
BUT…we’ve found that a lot of our customers don’t want a stiff glove.
Rawlings has built their Heart of the Hide R2G models for these customers. They will feature the same US Steerhide Leather as a traditional Heart of the Hide glove. But the leather of these R2G models will receive extra softening at the factory plus have a thinned heel pad. Because of these modifications, the player should only need to complete the last 35% of the break-in process (traditional Heart of the Hide gloves require 60% of the break-in to be done by the player).
Two 2024 Expert Picks:
1) Rawlings Heart of the Hide R2G 11.5" Baseball Glove (PROR314-2NCB)
This Rawlings Heart of the Hide is one that exudes excitement. The combo of navy, light blue and gold gives the glove an air of swagger that any infielder will want. As well, this glove is going to be extremely versatile as it comes with the R2G design (thinned out heel pad + only 35% break-in left to the player) and the wrist opening will be cinched to the tightest setting. The tighter wrist makes this glove extremely attractive for teenage-or-younger players as they will get a soft glove that fits them right out of the box. However, a simple adjustment of the wrist lacing to a looser setting will make this glove an excellent option for an adult!
More Reasons To Buy This Heart of the Hide:
- Great for use at 2B, SS and 3B
- US Steerhide should be able to allow the glove to be used for many seasons
- Deertanned Cowhide Palm Lining should allow for excellent breathability within the hand stall
2) Rawlings Heart of the Hide 12.5" Fastpitch Softball Glove (PRO125SB-3C)
If you're player moves all over the diamond on a fastpitch field, then get her a glove that can move with her! This Heart of the Hide 12.5 inch fastpitch glove could be just the tool for her to use to stand out at nearly any position and the tool that keeps you from buying her multiple gloves.
Due to the large size of a fastpitch softball, there is no threat of the ball getting lost in the longer 12.5 inch length of this glove. That means that if she uses it on the infield, she'll be able to quickly pull the softball out of the glove after fielding it. Meanwhile the closed web allows it to be used in the pitcher's circle as it will prevent batters from peering through the webbing to see her pitch grip. And lastly, the 12.5 inch length gives a player excellent reach in the outfield so that she can run down deep fly balls!
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There you go! All that you need to know about the latest Rawlings launch is right here in this blog. That being said, we know that questions might still exist. And if they do, please reach out to our team of dedicated Glove Experts! The Expert squad can be reach on the phone at 866-321-4568, through email via experts@justgloves.com or by LIVE CHATTING HERE!
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