Valle Eagle Pro 27 Catchers Training Mitt
The Valle Eagle Pro 27 is a 27 inch catchers training mitt in Japanese kip leather, built for baseball catchers who want to train receiving in an undersized mitt without training their hand into a bruise. It has a closed two-piece web, an open wrist back and additional padding through the palm.
Twenty-Seven Inches, and What That Means
Baseball catchers mitts are measured around the circumference rather than the length, so the numbers look unfamiliar next to a fielding glove. A game mitt is thirty-two to thirty-four inches around. At twenty-seven, this one is dramatically smaller, and the pocket is shallow rather than deep.
The effect is immediate. A ball received off-centre comes out. A ball caught with the mitt turning comes out. A catcher who has been getting away with catching the ball in the webbing finds out inside five pitches. What remains is the catch itself: get the mitt to the spot early, receive with a still hand, and hold it.
Padding, Because a Trainer Still Has to Catch a Bullpen
The Pro 27 carries extra padding in the palm compared with a standard trainer. That matters more than it sounds. An undersized mitt puts every ball into a smaller area, and a catcher working a real bullpen with a velocity arm can end a session with a hand they cannot use. Padding is what makes the tool usable often enough to change anything.
It is still a trainer, not a game mitt, and it will never feel like one. If the index finger takes a beating, the Valle G-Pad sits behind it and takes the sting out.
Japanese Kip, and an Open Wrist Back
The Pro Series shell is Japanese kip, a lighter and finer-grained hide than steerhide with a tighter fibre structure, laced with USA-tanned leather. On a catchers trainer that is worth paying for, because a mitt taking a hundred pitches into the same shallow pocket either holds its shape or stops being the tool you bought.
The wrist back is open across the Pro line. The S-Series Eagle 27S is the same 27 inch idea in Japanese steerhide with an adjustable Velcro strap, at a lower price. Some catching coaches prefer the strap precisely because it holds the mitt tight to the hand and removes a variable; others want the mitt to sit the way a game mitt sits. Both views are reasonable.
Who This Catchers Mitt Is For
Baseball catchers at high school level and up, and catching instructors running receiving work. It is the middle of Valle's catching range: less punishing than a 25 inch mitt, considerably more demanding than a game mitt.
A catcher who wants the same lesson taught by web rather than by size should look at the 27HW, which removes half the webbing from a 27 inch mitt. One who wants to train the hand rather than the catch should look at the weighted Pro 27WT. A younger catcher is usually better starting with the T25.
How to Train With It
Receiving work, not blocking. Take a short baseball bullpen in the trainer, ten to fifteen pitches to each side of the plate, and pay attention to where the ball ends up rather than whether it stuck. Then finish the bullpen in the game mitt, which is where the improvement shows.
Machine work suits it, because a machine repeats the same pitch and lets a catcher isolate one receiving position at a time. Do not block in it: it is not built or padded for balls in the dirt, and neither is the catcher's hand inside it.
Valle Eagle Pro 27 Catchers Training Mitt Specifications
- Size: 27 inch catchers training pattern, measured around the circumference
- Series: Valle Eagle Pro Series
- Leather: Japanese kip shell with USA-tanned leather lacing
- Web: closed two-piece
- Wrist back: open
- Weighted: no
- Padding: additional palm padding
- Color: white
- Hand: right hand throw
- Sport: baseball
What Is Included
The mitt. No break-in service is included.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I block with the Pro 27?
No. It is a receiving trainer. Blocking work belongs in a game mitt with the protection built for it.
How is it different from the Eagle 27S?
Leather and wrist back. This is Japanese kip with an open back; the 27S is Japanese steerhide with an adjustable strap. Both are 27 inch receiving trainers.
Is it weighted?
No. The weighted 27 inch Pro mitt is the Pro 27WT.
Is it available for left-handed catchers?
No. The Pro 27 is made in right hand throw only.
Will it hurt my hand?
Less than a trainer without the extra palm padding, but it is still a small mitt taking real velocity. Keep the sessions short, and use a G-Pad if the index finger is the problem.
Care That Does Not Void the Warranty
Kip is a fine-grained leather and it rewards being left alone. Let the glove air dry after a wet session rather than putting it near heat, store it with a ball in the pocket instead of flat in a bag, and wipe the white leather down now and then so it stays white. If it needs conditioning, use a little of the Valle glove conditioner and use it sparingly. Avoid the shortcuts entirely: steaming, soaking, microwaving and baking all void Valle's warranty, and on a trainer they also soften the glove into the very pocket it was built to deny you.
Valle covers the glove with a one year limited warranty against defects in materials or workmanship, running from the date you receive it. Worth knowing: the warranty is void if the glove is steamed, soaked, microwaved or baked to speed up break-in. Playing catch with it is the method that keeps it intact.