League Uniform
Included in your league fees are an excellent jersey and a matching MLB hat. As a parent you will be required to buy the remaining items listed below under "Required Equipment." You can find these at nearly any sporting good store. We also encourage you to visit a used-equipment store as you can often find pants and other items much cheaper. Kids out-grow this stuff quickly so why pay more? Important to note, Parents are responsible for purchasing socks and belts.
Required Equipment
Pants: Pants come in standard colors and are reinforced in the right areas for sliding. They are loose fitting, flexible, and have rear pockets for batting glove storage. Your Manager will inform you of the required colors needed for each season. These items are easily found at Dicks, Sports Authority, Sport Chalet or our on-line store.
Cleats: If you want to be entertained, watch someone run the bases without cleats. These are pretty much required to play baseball of any kind. Stores sell baseball-specific cleats cheaper than they were when we were kids. You could also get away with utilizing football or soccer cleats, provided they are not metal. Hand-me-downs and used cleats are perfect, especially when the kids are growing like weeds. It's not common for cleats to fit for more than one season, so take that into consideration.
Protection Cup: The cup is another important piece of equipment and especially needed for catchers since they more likely to be hit by foul balls. Cups can be found in all sporting goods stores and are sold by age. They typically have a sizing chart printed on the back of the packaging to make it easy for parents. Keep in mind that your child will likely lose his cup and the athletic supporters are often found deep in the laundry hamper so having more that one is a good idea, but not necessary.
Batting Helmets: You have to protect the noggin. All baseball leagues require batting helmets. All sporting goods stores have these and they are basically all certified for use in Little League. Face masks are allowed but not required in any level of Little League. Most kids in WLL do not wear face masks but some do, so if it makes your child feels more secure, feel free to use one. As for color, any will do. You might buy a Red helmet this year because you are on the Angels but next year you might be on the Dodgers. It's perfectly OK to wear that same helmet next season even if it doesn't match the uniform. For fitting make sure it's not too tight and also make sure it doesn't slide around when the child swings.
Optional Equipment
Batting Gloves: This is completely optional. Some wear two gloves and some wear one only on their left hand (right for left-handed kids). Some Major Leaguers actually prefer bare hands, so its a matter of preference. They do improve grip slightly and help with blisters and vibration during prolonged batting practice. Batting gloves are relatively cheap and can be found at all sporting good store.
Sliding Pants: When most of us were kids, these didn't even exist, and are optional. Some kids are inherently tough and would not benefit much from sliding pants, but others are more sensitive to the decomposed granite we line the infields with. They could benefit from sliding pants as it gives them more confidence running the bases. They are basically a shorter pant with built-in padding in all the right places that the young ball player wears under regular baseball pants.
Baseball Bag: This is optional but highly recommended. Baseball gear is bulky and hard to carry. Companies like Easton, Franklin, and Under Armor all make excellent bags to carry bats, helmets and gloves to and from practice and games.
If you have any questions on gear please consult with your manager or flag down a board member at the fields to help you out. We were all beginner baseball parents at some point and know what its like to come into a strange new league for the first time.