Baseball is officially back! With that comes an onslaught of new gear. Everyone is getting their new gloves, bats, spikes, and whatever else they need for the season. We were able to catch up with Phillies RHP Jon Duplantier, who has one of the best Nike glove line-ups we’ve seen in a while. Duplantier was a 3rd round pick in 2016 out of Rice University who signed a contract with the Phillies organization in January.
Dup let the creativity flow this year bringing to life five Nike SHADO Elite J’s with varying degrees of absurdity. Duplantier shot over some great pictures of his four gamers and his infield shag-piece for the year before answering some glove and general baseball questions for us.
Q: What was your motivation behind The Joker and Black Panther theme?
A: “The theme for the gloves was heroes and villains and I’m a big comic inspired movie guy. There were a couple of superheroes that were in contention, but The Black Panther holds a special place in my heart being the first superhero movie that starred a man that I and others could see our cultural roots in. The best movie villains in my mind come from the Dark Night movies, and Heath Ledgers Joker is iconic.”
Worth noting – the white swoosh and red outline is meant to represent The Joker’s smile and scars. Amazing touch.
Q: When customizing gloves outside a set theme, is there any special inscription you like to add to your gloves?
A: “I usually have some version of my name on the thumb. My name or nickname has been a staple for me. Recently, I’ve fallen in love with the phrase “fac si facis” which means “do it if you’re going to do it”. For me it’s a constant reminder to go with all I have.”
Q: Do you do anything special to break in your glove?
A: “Old fashioned catch play. If I could have it my way, I’d like them to stay a little stiff, so I like to have a couple I rotate and let the others rest.”
Q: What’s the biggest adjustment you’ve had to make since being drafted?
A: “The biggest adjustment has been understanding when I’m in training mode vs. compete mode. We go to work every day, so finding the balance between working on something and just getting the job done has been big.”
Q: Biggest piece of advice you would give your younger self?
A: “Spend quiet time with yourself and learn what it is YOU need. There’s a lot of noise, that if you’re not careful will creep in and derail you from the mission.”
Q: Go to song or artist right now?
A: “Go to songs recently have been Wins and Losses by Meek Mill and Come Together by Gary Clark Jr. Always fire me up.”
Dup put together a truly unique set of gloves for this year. Going from subtle with all black and white stitch to as flashy as can be with a purple and green stunner. Let us know down below which one is your favorite and any questions you’d want included in our next Talking Gear post!
Big thank you to Jon for sending over his gear and taking some time to answer our questions! Make sure to give Dup a follow on IG.
