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Dustin Pedroia has added a couple of new wrinkles in his 2013 gear that I think you will like very much (look at those cleats!). And we just so happen to have exclusive photos of his new gear that you can only find at What Pros Wear.
Bat
Marucci DO34 Low Density Maple
Pedroia has been swinging the David Ortiz model Marucci for a few years now. Just goes to show you what kind of strength Pedroia has for a guy of his stature. If you’re that size and swinging the same bat as a big bopper like Ortiz, and swinging it like Pedroia does, you’re an absolute freak of nature. The DO34 is only available in ash, not Pedroia’s maple.
Batting Gloves
Franklin CFX Pro in Blue/Grey/Red (custom colors here, just not Pedroia’s)
Pedroia wears the CFX Pro in the exclusive colorway you see here:
The one thing Dustin Pedroia and I have in common is we both love Franklin gloves. Franklin was nice enough to send me a pair of the CFX Pros (I was already wearing a pair this season, but I couldn’t pass up a new set), and the bottom line is, Franklin knows how to make a batting glove. They’ve been doing it longer than anybody, and it shows.
The first thing you notice is that they feel fantastic. You never feel hindered because Franklin is smart about where flexible material needs to be, that way the leather doesn’t stretch and you don’t feel like you’re fighting your glove for a stronger grip. Durability is probably the most important aspect of batting gloves for amateur players, ya know, because we don’t get them for free on an unlimited basis like the pros. Franklin has that covered, too. In all honesty, I do think they sent me a slightly higher grade leather for my review, but even the ones off the shelf from last season lasted well into this season, a solid fifteen months of infield pop-ups (kidding, sort of). I spit on my gloves about 35 times a game and then leave them to dry out in my bag, but with the Franklin CFX Pros you have a leather that can handle that type of thing as well as any glove I’ve worn.
After buying the cheap 2-for-1 Eastons, my teammate invested in some CFX Pros at my recommendation this season, and he told me after swinging them what a difference he felt. No, its not as sexy a brand as some others, yes, the logo is literally just the name in black letters on a white background, but when you see the amount of pros still using them, you get the feeling that when it comes to batting gloves, sexy isn’t the priority. It’s comfort and durability. When it comes to those two components, there really is nobody better. Right, Laser Show?
Cleats
New Balance 3000 Low in Red Camo/Black (Home) and Blue Camo/Black (Away)
Here’s a couple of exclusive photos New Balance provided for us to show you the goods:
Source: Jim Rogash/Getty Images North America
Source: Elsa/Getty Images North America
Leg Guard
Evoshield Custom
You can see in the feature that Pedroia wears a guard to protect him from his own foul balls. We couldn’t find anything like it online, but as you probably know by now, Evoshield sells a leg guard that also protects the shin as well.
Here’s a nice little ESPN feature that’ll remind you just who we’re dealing with. I find it funny that they want to paint him as the underdog—“he went undrafted out of high school”—yeah, he was recruited as the starting shortstop for Arizona State. And then they go, “he didn’t score highly in any scouting category”—and then he went in the second round of the draft. Nice try, but this guy was never the underdog—he was always a filthy baseball player, at every single level.
Also found this article, explaining that Pedroia gave back his scholarship after his freshman year in college to sign a pitcher! The story goes on: “A Juco pitcher named Ben Thurmond was ready to transfer, and Dustin wanted the Sun Devils to grab him. There were no more scholarships available, so Dustin gave up his. He and Thurmond had played together on a US junior team. Dustin’s parents were making enough to afford the tuition, but Thurmond’s parents were not.”
What a player.
It looks like Pedroia wears an Evoshield elbow guard on the instep of his foot. Other players use the elbow guard for things besides the elbow. Pablo Sandoval used to wear it on his calf/knee area and I believe on his instep once or twice.
Sometimes players will wear just the foot guard from the shin guard Evoshield makes as well.
I appreciate the help. I considered that, but it doesn’t have the Evoshield logo under the strap like the elbow guard does, and the strap is centered, not offset like the elbow guard. I don’t think that’s the case.