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- BASEBALL BUYERS GUIDE - Fitzgeralds Sports hopes this section will be helpful in making the appropriate baseball selections for your league. There are 3 main components that make up a baseball (the cover, the wool windings, and the center core). We will discuss each of these below.Baseball Cover: Baseballs are primarily made using 3 different type covers. We will list them below in order from cheapest to most expensive. SYNTHETIC LEATHER (cheapest) -These baseball have a rubber cover and sound dead when coming off the bat. They usually contain on a solid cork and rubber center and no wool windings. They have more bounce than real baseballs because of the rubber cover. Economy practice ball for youth. TOP GRAIN LEATHER (cheap to moderate) Please note baseballs with these covers usually have GENUINE LEATHER printed on them. Although technically they are leather, they have none of the characteristics of FULL GRAIN LEATHER. The grain has been sanded away and a fake grain has been embossed on the ball. These are sometimes called SPLIT LEATHER baseballs also. There is a huge difference between top grain (split leather) and full grain leather. The top grain leather has more of a synthetic leather feel. Good practice ball for youth and batting cages. FULL GRAIN LEATHER (most expensive) Full grain leather is the best available for baseballs. It is usually labeled FULL GRAIN LEATHER or PREMIUM LEATHER. This type of leather usually comes in different grades ranging from A to D. With A-Grade being used for only the best baseballs and D-GRADE being used for most youth league balls. Full grain leather has a better grip and increased veracity and durability. WOOL WINDINGS The inside of baseballs can consist of many things. Wool windings are the primary guts of a premium quality baseball. Only Grade-A wool windings are used in premium baseballs. The percentage of wool windings in a baseball determine the quality and cost of a ball. Wool windings give the ball pop and also allow it to keep its shape longer. Most youth league balls contain very little if any wool windings 0%-10%.Major league baseballs must have at least 85% wool windings. White wool windings being the most expensive with the most pop as they can be wound the tightest. As a general rule, The older the players, the more wool content you should use in a baseball. CENTER CORE The center of a baseball is very important. Baseballs usually have one of 3 centers (solid cork and rubber, cork and rubber pill, or Cushioned cork center). The solid cork and rubber center consists of 1 round piece of cork and rubber directly under the cover. The cork and rubber pill center is usually 7" and leaves a small amount of room for wool windings between the center and the cover. Premium baseballs only use the cushioned cork center. It consists of a small round ball of cork surrounded by two layers of rubber to cushion it. This allows for more consistency and also leaves room for more wool windings to be used in the baseballs. That is why most organized leagues only allow the use of cushioned cork center baseballs for there tournament play.
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