Valle Eagle 11S First Base Training Mitt
The Valle Eagle 11S is an 11 inch first base training mitt for baseball and softball players, built with a single-post web, a Japanese steerhide shell and an adjustable strap wrist back. A game first base mitt runs 12.5 to 13 inches with a pocket deep enough to hide a bad pick; the 11S takes away that margin. Every throw in the dirt, every stretch and every tag has to be received in the center of the pocket with the mitt in the right position, which is exactly what a first baseman needs to practice. It is the mitt youth, high school, college and professional first basemen train with, and it doubles as a game mitt for young players.
A Mitt That Makes First Basemen Earn Every Pick
First base is where errant throws get saved or become errors in a baseball game. The skill is receiving: getting to the bag, presenting the mitt, and picking a short hop cleanly without stabbing. A full-size mitt is forgiving enough that lazy picks still look fine in practice. The 11S is not. With two inches less mitt and a shallower pocket, a short hop picked late or off-center kicks out, and the fielder knows immediately. Repeat that a few hundred times and the mechanics of the pick, the scoop and the tag become automatic, so the game mitt feels enormous when it goes back on.
Built Like a Game Mitt, Sized Like a Trainer
The 11S is a real first base mitt in every way but size. The shell is Japanese steerhide with the lacing quality used on Valle's game gloves, the web is a single post with double bars that flexes for scoops while keeping its shape, and the palm is padded for throws with pace. The strap wrist back cinches the mitt to the hand so it stays put through a full stretch, and it opens enough to fit an adult. The mitt is Valle white with "Train Like A Pro" embroidered on the shell, and it is stocked for right-hand and left-hand throwers.
Who This Baseball Training Mitt Is For
The 11S is for first basemen at every level who want to train receiving: youth players learning to stretch and pick, high school and college first basemen sharpening their footwork around the bag, and professionals keeping the skill honest in pregame work. For a young first baseman, the 11 inch pattern is also a workable game mitt that the player will not outgrow for years. Softball first basemen use it the same way. Players who want the same mitt in Kip leather should look at the Eagle Pro 11, and a weighted Pro version is made for glove-hand strength. Infielders should look at the Eagle 975S or Eagle 8S instead.
How to Use the Eagle 11S
Start at the bag with baseballs thrown by a coach from 40 to 60 feet: catch every throw in the center of the pocket with the mitt presented early and the throwing hand covering the ball. Move to short hops, first rolled and then thrown into the dirt at different distances from the mitt, working the pick from both sides. Add stretch-and-pick reps with the foot on the bag, tag plays with the runner coming, and 3-6-3 double-play footwork. Coaches feeding a first baseman in the 11S can see a bad pick instantly because the ball does not stay in. Finish every session with a few rounds in the game mitt.
How the 11S Fits the Eagle Training Line
Every Valle trainer shrinks one part of the fielding job. The flat Eagle KK and Eagle Switch remove the pocket to teach two hands; the Eagle K47, Eagle 8S and Eagle 975S shrink an infield pocket so the catch has to be clean; the catcher's mitts do the same for receiving. The 11S is the first-base piece of that system. It keeps the shape and single-post web a first baseman needs for scoops and stretches, and shrinks everything else. A first baseman who also plays the infield will often pair the 11S with a 975S, using the mitt for work at the bag and the glove for ground-ball rounds. Coaches equipping a baseball program usually buy one 11S per first baseman rather than sharing, because the strap fit and the pocket both break in to the player who uses it.
Valle Eagle 11S First Base Training Mitt Specifications
- Type: undersized first base training mitt for baseball and softball
- Series: Valle Eagle S-Series
- Size: 11 inch
- Web: single post with double bars
- Leather: Japanese steerhide shell with USA-tanned leather lacing
- Wrist back: adjustable strap
- Position: first base
- Throwing hand: available for right-hand throwers (mitt worn on the left hand) and left-hand throwers (mitt worn on the right hand)
- Color: Valle white with "Train Like A Pro" embroidery
- Age range: 14 and up as a trainer; usable as a game mitt for younger players
What's Included
One Valle Eagle 11S first base training mitt in the throwing hand you select.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a youth first baseman use the 11S as a game glove?
Yes. At 11 inches it is a real first base mitt with a single-post web, so younger players use it in games and grow into it as a trainer.
Is the wrist back open or a strap?
The 11S has an adjustable strap wrist back. The Eagle Pro 11 is the Kip leather version with an open wrist back.
How much smaller is it than a game mitt?
Game first base mitts run 12.5 to 13 inches. The 11S is about two inches shorter with a shallower pocket, which is enough to expose a late or off-center pick.
Does it work for softball?
Yes. The pocket receives a 12 inch softball; the pick is simply more demanding.
Should a first baseman also own an infield trainer?
Many do. The 11S trains receiving at the bag; an infield trainer like the Eagle 975S trains ground-ball hands. A first baseman who fields bunts, charges slow rollers and turns 3-6-3 double plays benefits from both, and the two gloves cover the whole job.
Does it need a break-in?
The 11S arrives with an easy break-in. A few rounds of throws at the bag are enough; there is no need for steaming or oiling.