Brandon Hyde, Chicago Cubs first base coach Brandon Hyde doesn’t need to manage a Little League team to understand the value of training gloves at the youth level. The Chicago Cubs’ first-base coach only needs to sit in his backyard and watch his 7-year-old son, Colton. It was during the 2014 season that Cubs third-base …

Hector Ortiz caught the catching bug when he was 10. “I was a first baseman when I started playing in Puerto Rico,” the Texas Rangers first base coach says. “Then, they tried me at third. But one day, the coach said ‘We need a catcher on our team. Any volunteers?’ I told him I would …

Matt Martin’s job title with the Detroit Tigers sounds better suited for the NFL’s Detroit Lions. But as defensive coordinator, he is symbolic of baseball’s evolution from home run derby to small ball. “When teams were averaging 5-6 runs a game, poor defense could be overcome,” Martin says. “But when it’s 3-2 or 2-1, there’s …

Whether he was a player, instructor or coach, Aaron Vail always understood the need to use the best training tools available. He still does, as a first-year assistant coach with the Division I Oregon State softball team. And when it comes to quality, Vail says Valle training gloves stand above the rest. “It’s the quality …