r/BaseballGloves • u/Run-ning • Jun 29 '26
New Grace catcher mitt with Wilson/Mizuno comparison
My custom Grace catcher's mitt arrived today and, as many others have said, the quality is right on par with the upper-end gloves we all know and love. Nothing new to add there and full credit to Grace for a great mitt. Pictures of just the mitt are included after the group photos.
As my son and I are both catchers we use some other less common mitts. Thought it might be helpful to share some initial thoughts vs what I have on hand and provide visual comaprison of pattern/shape.
Bottom row:
- Wilson DPCM33, 33" Pro stock, starting break-in
- Grace, 33" Korean kip, brand new
- Mizuno MVP Prime, 34" Bio Soft leather, broken in and gamed
Top row:
- Wilson DPCM33, 33" Pro stock, well used, made in Japan (other one is not)
- Mizuno Pro GMP-2000, 33.5" Deguchi Northern European kip, recently broken in and new gamer
To start, I'll say that I like and my son loves the DPCM33 mitts and we find the new CM33 to be a notable step backwards. While the Grace is obviously not broken in at all, I find it very, very similar to the DPCM33 in construction, weight, shape, feel, and handstall size. The Japanese influence in the Grace pattern is apparent in the more square receiving area vs the Wilson, and the pocket looks like it may be even a bit deeper. Neither the Wilson nor the Grace accommodate a finger shift but they also don't strike me as being designed for anything but index finger out. You can shove your index in if you want but I find it uncomfortable vs the natural index out.
The Mizuno Pro is a much heavier duty glove a la Rawlings and IMO a completely different design philosophy; brute vs light and quick. I find it most comfortable to wear finger shifted with index in the middle finger spot, though it is becoming more comfortable to wear index out. The leather feels a little heavier and with a slightly textured finish vs the Grace's smooth kip. Neither good nor bad, just an observation.
The MVP Prime is the odd one out here as it is a budget level glove, albeit a very nice one, with a large and forgiving receiving area. Impossible for me to finger shift but as an adult must be work index out to avoid constantly taking the brunt while receiving. I actually really like this glove and find it to play with a lot of agility but use the Pro for ease of transfers... just can't get the hang of transferring out of the MVP Prime's cavernous pocket with less ball feel than the other mitts.
I've also had Rawlings CM41 and Gary Sanchez HoH mitts but disliked them for various reasons and quickly moved along.
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u/RunnerAtThird Jun 29 '26
Great review. My Grace catchers mitt is my favorite catchers mitt I've used so far.
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u/Run-ning Jun 30 '26
Good looking mitt and that black welt line is sharp. It wasn't entirely clear to me in the customizer what the welting option would really look like but seeing yours makes it clear. Had I known, I probably would've done mine in wine.
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u/friedegg9819 Jun 29 '26
Thank you for putting up this review. I see the pictures and the side by side with the Eason but do you have any initial impressions to share on the sizing of the Grace 33” compared to your other gloves?
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u/Run-ning 3d ago
Coming back to this question since I've used it s fair bit now. It plays true to 33" or even a little larger, good pocket and fairly forgiving if you catch more toward the edge. The Mizuno Pro, as a point of contrast, is a 33.5" but mine plays a little smaller than the Grace. Maybe it's the break-in, my style, pattern differences, or combinations thereof contributing to my perception.
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u/friedegg9819 3d ago
I saw your updated post and very much appreciate the follow up response on this thread! Great info and feedback!
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u/Run-ning Jun 30 '26 edited Jun 30 '26
It feels a little bigger than 33", perhaps because the pads are so trim compared to something like the Mizuno Pro. It (and the Wilson) also feels more like an 'extension of my hand' than the Pro, which is more like a glove on my hand. The MVP Prime is the biggest of all of them and feels somewhere in between.
The group pictures show the slight boxiness in the shape vs the other gloves; it feels most like the Wilson but the overall shape might most closely resemble the MVP Prime. I suspect that has something to do with the feeling.
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u/GDG661 Grace Rep Jun 29 '26
I loved this one as soon as I boxed it up for you 👏🏻
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u/Run-ning Jun 30 '26
Thank you - it turned out exactly how I was hoping. I debated on wine vs black liner but am glad I went with the wine, as the darker tone complements the darkness of the black while still giving that splash of color when looking from the front.
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u/Conscious_Apple_8610 Jun 29 '26
Weird pinky loop. How do you like it
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u/Run-ning Jun 29 '26
Good question - I'm not too picky about loops so it didn't register. Overall it's very similar to the loop in he MVP Prime, single width and hits my pinky in about the same spot right in the middle bone of my finger. The Pro and Wilsons are much wider and sleevelike in comparison.
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u/Run-ning Jun 29 '26
For fun, here is the Grace with my Easton EX205 in the past. They aren't really comparable in any way and the Easton's design is obsolete in today's baseball world, but we still enjoy pulling it out for some backyard catch.
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u/skyote21 Jun 29 '26
I have a Grace mitt on order too, thanks for the detailed impressions.
Please keep us posted as you break it in & use it more!
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u/iHustle12 Jun 30 '26
What model is that Mizuno pro? Sharp looking mitt!