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This post identifies every piece of catchers gear made by Rawlings, which is one of the most well known brands among baseball and softball players.
We also provide our top pick - and a review of each pick - for every category of Rawlings catchers gear.
If you're interested in Rawlings and/or you're in the market for new gear, then you won't want to miss this post...
Rawlings Catchers Gear
Rawlings is one of the pre-eminent sports manufacturers in the US.
Founded way back in 1887, the company has been making gear for ballplayers for over 130 years now.
Rawlings' mission is: enabling participation by developing and producing innovative, high-performance equipment and protective apparel for the professional, amateur and entry-level player.
The company holds over 100 patents, around 25 of which were for proprietary creations improving upon "protective equipment", which includes catchers gear.
When most people think of Rawlings today, they probably think about their gloves, about the gold glove award, or about the company's logo on official major league baseballs.
However, they do much more than just these things. They also make bats, batting gloves, bags, and most importantly - for us - they make catcher's gear.
Rawlings does not only focus on baseball; they also make quality catcher's gear for fastpitch softball catchers.
MLB Catchers That Wear Rawlings Gear
A large number of catchers in the major leagues currently use Rawlings products for at least one component of their catcher's gear.
For example, in our annual inventory of the gear used by MLB opening day starting catchers, over half (63%) of them used Rawlings catcher's mitts.
One of the most well known pros using their equipment is Salvador Perez, who has almost exclusively worn Rawlings gear.
Others include Omar Narváez, Alex Jackson, Sean Murphy, Buster Posey (mitt), Gary Sanchez (mitt), and J.T. Realmuto (mitt).
Rawlings' Current Inventory of Catchers Gear
Knowing that Rawlings makes high quality gear used by many pro catchers, we set out to do a survey of all the catcher's gear that Rawlings makes, and then cover it all in one post.
The purpose of this post, then, is to provide our readers with a comprehensive overview of all the options available when looking to purchase Rawlings catcher's gear.
What you will see in the below section of the post are multiple tables detailing what catcher's gear Rawlings currently manufactures. We've organized it into sections based on the category of gear that they sell.
We also add context to the data by highlighting a particular product or product line within each section that we believe is the best option in that category.
Our intent in doing that is to provide our readers with a quick and simple understanding of what might be their top choice for each component of gear.
So without further delay, lets get into the specifics about the catcher's equipment that Rawlings makes.
Catcher's Gear Sets
Rawlings sells three primary catcher's sets - the Velo, the Renegade and the 950X.
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Our top choice in this category goes to the Velo set. It's available in three sizes: youth (generally for ages 9 - 12), intermediate (ages 12 - 15) and adult (ages 15 up).
Included in this set is the Velo catcher's helmet, chest protector, and leg guards. This set comes in multiple colors, and each color has a two tone design. 
We like this particular set the best because of the features that come with the gear.
For example, the catcher's helmet has what Rawlings calls Coolflo™ venting, which is a type of design that allows air to circulate in the helmet, cooling off the wearer.
The helmet also has moisture wicking material inside, which is helpful especially when playing in hot weather.
The chest protector is high quality and comes with adjustable and/or removable shoulder caps. The leg guards are lightweight with really good (triple padded) protection over the knee, making blocking pretty painless.
As an added bonus, many versions of this set (including a large number sold on Amazon) also include a Rawlings-branded equipment bag with the set.
Brief Video Review
Catcher's Mitts
Rawlings has built their reputation over many decades primarily on the quality of their gloves. It should come as no surprise then that Rawlings manufactures a TON of catcher's mitts, as you'll see in the below table.
Don't be overwhelmed - it is a lot, but we've already reviewed this list and we provide our top choices below the table.
Please note that, generally speaking, this list is organized by price, with the more expensive catcher's mitts on the top and the lower cost mitts toward the bottom.
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Since catcher's mitts differ based on age and sport, we are providing our top picks for the following categories:
Best Rawlings Catcher's Mitt for Baseball
Our top pick for Baseball catchers is the Heart of the Hide series.
This is Rawlings' premium catcher's mitt, and variations of the Heart of the Hide are used by a large number of MLB catchers.
It's made with choice steer hide leather and it comes with a really nice pocket right out of the box. It has a conventional back with a 1-piece closed web.
Heart of the Hide mitts are available in 32.5, 33, and 34 inch varieties based on your preference, and some are able to be customized as detailed in the table above.
Close Up Picture of One Variety of a Heart of the Hide Catcher's Mitt (Baseball)
Best Rawlings Catcher's Mitt for Fastpitch Softball
We also like the Fastpitch version of the Heart of the Hide catcher's mitt (PROCM33FPB), and it is our top pick for Softball catchers.
Built with its namesake heart of the hide steer leather, this black catcher's mitt measures 33 inches.
The Fastpitch Heart of the Hide mitt has an H-web and leather laces, as well as a padded thumb enclosure to help mitigate sting.
The hand opening and finger stalls were designed for female hands, so the fit should be excellent for Fastpitch catchers.
Overall, it's a solid choice.
Close Up Picture of One Variety of a Heart of the Hide Catcher's Mitt (Fastpitch)
Best Rawlings Catcher's Mitt for Youth Catchers
Our top Rawlings-brand pick for youth catcher's mitts goes to the Gamer.
These mitts are built with a full-grain leather shell and a 1-piece solid web. They are designed for smaller hands so they fit youth players well, yet Gamer mitts still have the same shape and materials as Rawlings' higher-level, professional catcher's mitts.
It comes with extra padding around the palm and index finger to reduce the potential for stinging.
Additionally, the Gamer also has a player break-in level of 20, meaning that it should not take too long to get the Mitt sufficiently broken in.
Close Up Picture of a Gamer Catcher's Mitt
Catcher's Helmets, Masks, and Skull Caps
Below is the current list of all catcher's helmets, catcher's masks and skull caps that Rawlings is currently making. Please note - this table does not include masks for umpires.
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The two choices that stand out to us in this table are the Pro Preferred and the Velo catcher's helmets.
The Pro Preferred is Rawlings' newest catcher's helmet, as of the date of this post. It has a steel cage with a chrome finish, with moisture wicking pads and strategic venting to allow for more air flow.
Interestingly, the Velo catcher's helmet is incredibly similar to the Pro Preferred helmet.
Besides the Pro Preferred's chrome cage, the main differences between the two includes the white paint lining around the inside frame on the Pro Preferred and the slightly varied shape of the helmet (particularly around the jawline and near the back of the head).
To demonstrate just how similar both helmets are, we made the below comparison table. Take a look:
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Our verdict it this: both catcher's helmets are high quality and we really don't think you will be disappointed with either.
However, due to: a.) it's expanded color options, b.) it's availability for Baseball and Fastpitch Softball catchers, and c.) it's lower overall price, our top pick for best Rawlings catcher's helmet goes to the Velo.
Close Up Picture of a Velo Catcher's Helmet
Chest Protectors
Rawlings currently makes seven chest protectors for catchers, which can be found in the table below. Please note - this table does not include chest protectors for umpires.
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Like the catcher's helmet section, the Pro Preferred is the newest chest protector that Rawlings makes.
While the Pro Preferred is indeed nice, our preferred chest protector pick is the Velo.
We like the Velo line because - like the catcher's helmet - it comes in two sizes (adult and youth/intermediate) and it is available both for Baseball and Fastpitch Softball.
Velo chest protectors are designed with "C" channel build, which provides a fit that conforms to the body for added protection and comfort.
Internal padding is comprised of impact absorbing foam, with embedded technology that allows air to circulate throughout the chest protector. It has a nice look, with a cool two tone fade color scheme.
Also, it comes with an adjustable back harness and shoulder caps that can be re-positioned or removed.
These are the primary reasons why Velo chest protectors stand out to us.
It's available in a large number of colors, and is definitely worth a close look if you (or your child) needs a new chest protector.
Close Up Picture of a Velo Chest Protector
Leg Guards
Rawlings currently manufactures eight leg guards for use by catchers, which are shown in the table below. Please note - this table does not include leg guards made for umpires.
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Continuing the trend from the above section, our top pick for Rawlings leg guards is also the Velo.
This is not to discount the Pro Preferred series, since it is a high-quality line that will indeed provide excellent protection.
Nor are we intending to ignore the Player's line, which is a good entry level lineup, especially for young catchers just starting out.
Instead, our choice of the Velo is largely driven by its superior combination of cost and quality, and that fact that it is available in multiple sizes for both baseball and fastpitch softball catchers.
Velo leg guards feature Rawlings' proprietary Advanced Impact Management System™ (AIMS) technology which does an excellent job of providing leg protection. There is plenty of padding on the knee, and internal padding is lightweight and moisture wicking.
These leg guards (like the Pro Preferred) also come with a "Supertoe", which is a guard covering the top of the foot.
Competitively priced and with lots of colors to choose from, Velo leg guards easily earn our top pick.
Close Up Picture of Velo Leg Guards
Accessories and Replacement Parts
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We don't have a top pick for this section, since each accessory or part listed in the above table is more or less a standalone piece.
However, we do think it's helpful to visualize the replacement parts, since it can be hard to do that just by reading a list. Pictures of those parts are below:
One last item to note is the Yadier Molina wheeled bag. With dimensions of 37" L x 14" W x 14" H, this bag should be able to easily hold most catcher's gear, including up to 4 bats.
While we don't particularly like that the bag only comes in 1 color and that the wheels are fairly small, overall it is a good bag and worth a closer look if you're in need of a new one.
Close Up Picture of a Yadi Wheeled Catcher's Bag
Wrapping It Up
With that, we've now officially covered all the gear that Rawlings makes for catchers!
We hope that this post and our reviews were helpful helpful to you.
If you have any questions for us - whether it's about Rawlings catchers gear or catching in general - then don't hesitate to reach out by heading over to the Contact Us page or email scott [at] catchershome [dot] com.
Thank you for reading.
Scott Perry
Scott Perry is the owner and lead author at Catchers Home. He's a former baseball player, a current coach, a husband and a Dad. He remains as passionate about baseball today as he was as a kid.