Baseball Cleats

Baseball cleats are regulation uniform for all professional and most amateur baseball associations The pronged underside of cleats allows for players to maintain traction on grass and dirt surfaces Baserunners require cleats to ensure maximum stability while they steal slide and dash between bases Moreover cleats are especially important for outfielders who spend the majority of their playing time swatting gnats while their feet rest unsteadily on wet grass Baseball cleats are not crafted like football and soccer cleats Unlike soccer cleats baseball cleats feature a spike located beneath the toe portion of the cleat This toespike is not found on soccer cleats mainly due to the potential dangers occurring in a sport that relies heavily on kicking maneuvers Baseball cleats also possess a midsole and usually boast a high to midcut cleat which provides the wearer with improved ankle support Many baseball cleats are fashioned with metal spikes Metal spikes are not permitted for use on football cleats Football cleats also contain a center toe cleat that allows for improved traction during quick starts. Where the actual sole is concerned baseball cleats are either manufactured using molded rubber or metal Some molded cleats actually employ hard plasticMany youth and amateur baseball associations do not allow the usage of metal cleats As mentioned before metal cleats pose a considerable threat of injury especially during baserunning Therefore for the purposes of player safety these baseball associations insist on the usage of rubber pronged cleats Metal cleats also jeopardize the integrity of a fields surface causing damage to freshly trimmed grass However metal baseball cleats are valuable on extremely hard fields where extra traction is necessary Baseball cleats can be crafted using a variety of leathers and or synthetic materials Higher quality cleats will use leather as a main crafting material simply because leathers properties allow the material to stretch and mold to the feet Moreover leather remains flexible and is generous regarding air circulation Baseball cleats are manufactured in two distinct styles labeled as

Low height
3 4 height

The ¾ height cleat is cut higher in order to provide superior ankle support while protecting the lower legs connective tissue from strain However some players will find the ¾ height binding and restrictive thereby favoring the low height cleat
Some styles of baseball cleats provide interchangeable prongs so that the wearer can alternate between metal and molded prongs. Adidas has patented a ClimaCool system for its baseball cleats This ClimaCool system provides ventilation for players through the use of a perforated sock liner thereby increasing air circulation and keeping feet fresh and unfettered.Baseball can be a messy ordeal particularly when the playing field has been recently exposed to heavy rains Cleats can become impacted with dirt and field debris Impacted material needs to be removed from the prongs before each consecutive use as this build up will lessen the traction performance of the cleat.When dirt hardens on the cleat it can become very difficult to remove from the sole A light application of water may prove helpful However some people find it simpler to let the material harden later scraping the dried dirt from the cleat using a stick or their fingers Wet cleats should never be exposed to a heater Heat sources will dry out the cleat and make it stiff Heaters can also crack the leather In order to maintain the cleats shape it is recommended that newspapers be stuffed inside the shoe