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If you are looking for the right or best thumb guard, you’ve come to the right place. Most of these options are specifically for a catcher, but they can be used for any baseball or fast pitch position.
Only those who have caught some serious heat understand the impact and damage on your hands after a few bullpen sessions, let alone a season of work. With that in mind, after consulting with some experts, we’ve considered the best thumb guards. Overall, if we had to choose, we would like EvoShield’s thumb guard best. But we are also partial to All-Star’s inner padded glove. If none sounds exciting, maybe a new, high-end catcher’s glove is for you.
Evoshield thumb guards are $25 in most places we looked.
Probably the most common thumb guard you'll see is the EvoShield thumb protector. They are relatively easy to find in big box stores like Dick's Sporting Goods and are inexpensive, costing around $25 for one. They are also straightforward and reasonably easy to use.
EvoShield protective devices come in a sealed foil package in a gel form that once you open, you form the device to the player's body part they are protecting, and it hardens into a protective shell that sets in about 20 minutes and fits your player well. While it is not difficult to form the thumb guard for your catcher, watching an EvoShiled's how-to YouTube video is recommended for a visual example, taking out any guesswork.
Evoshield thumb guards are $25 in most places we looked.
These are $35 for one, slightly more than the EvoShield.
The Catcher's Thumb is another thumb guard available for catchers specifically. It uses a plastic device fitted to the thumb. The process is a little more intricate than the EvoShield, as it requires making a template of part of your hand, cutting the material, fitting and then trimming the material up for best fit. Once hardened, it protects well, but if you trim too much you may be left without a usable product and out the $35 that it costs.
These are $35 for one, slightly more than the EvoShield.
These are on Amazon for about $30. We struggled to find these anywhere else.
The Endoskel is a thumb guard that takes a different approach than the wearable thumb guards. The Endoskel is an aluminum/alloy composite that is covered in foam and rubber for comfort. The Endoskel is a single piece that instead of wrapping around the thumb is slid into the glove's thumb hole and tied in place. The Endoskel remains in the glove so it removes the risk of the player losing his thumb guard, which we all know is a high probability with younger ball players. The Endoskel is competitively priced at $30.
These are on Amazon for about $30. We struggled to find these anywhere else.
These padded gloves from All-Star are your cheapest options to getting in on added protection for your thumb and hand as a catcher.
If you're looking to take the sting out of your catcher's hand from a big heater then why not forget about the thumb guard and go for an inner glove from the leader in catchers gear? All star inner protective gloves are similar to batting gloves but with additional foam in the high-impact areas of the hand.
The D30 retails for around $22. They also have their D30 protective glove sponge, a foam finger that slips over the index finger for protection, though it does nothing for the thumb. It retails for around $10. If you are not set on a thumb guard specifically, and really just want some added protection for your hands while catching, these might be the right choice.
These padded gloves from All-Star are your cheapest options to getting in on added protection for your thumb and hand as a catcher.
Wilson’s A2000 and A2K gloves are not cheap. But you can find some deals in the mid to $200 if you don’t care much about colorways and design features.
The answer might be an elite/high-level catching mitt if your thumb hurts while catching. These aren't cheap, and they are a real commitment. But, if you're using an old or more inexpensive glove and are just starting to catch some real hits, consider checking out Wilson's line of top-end catcher's mitts. The upgrade will be worth it, and you might not even need a thumb guard.
Wilson’s A2000 and A2K gloves are not cheap. But you can find some deals in the mid to $200 if you don’t care much about colorways and design features.
Catchers take a lot of abuse behind the plate, and one body part is particularly prone to injury in their hands. A catcher’s thumb guard is a piece of protective material slid over their catching thumb. A catcher’s thumb can be continually pounded by especially hard-throwing pitchers but is also in danger of hyper-extension from foul-tipped balls driving the thumb backward farther than intended.
Though a catcher won’t usually need a thumb guard until around age 12 and up, when pitchers mature more and begin to throw harder, younger catchers may need one to help handle hard throwers. Younger than 12 or 13 won’t see many foul-tipped balls straight back for that to be much of a problem.
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