A couple of weeks back, during practice, one of the players from my youth team asked me a question I still think about. Why do fielders keep a finger out of their baseball glove? He’d noticed it while watching a game with his dad, and it bugged him enough that he brought it up at the next practice.

I like questions like that. It means the kid is actually paying attention, not just going through the motions. And funny enough, I used to wear my own glove the exact same way back when I played. I just never stopped to think about why.

So I dug into it, ran it by a few coaches I trust, and pieced together the real answer. Short version: leaving a finger outside the glove gives you more control over how the glove moves, and it takes some of the sting off your index finger. But there’s more nuance to it than that one line covers.

I’ll walk through why so many players keep their index finger out of the baseball glove, how the pros actually do it, and whether you’ve been wearing your own glove wrong this whole time. Let’s get into it.

How Do You Put Your Finger Out of The Glove?

Before I get into the “why,” let’s back up. Plenty of you already know exactly what I’m talking about, but there are still beginners who haven’t clocked this particular wearing style. Pull up any clip of a pro infielder and there’s a good chance you’ll spot it right away.

There are actually a few different ways of wearing a baseball glove, and if the way you’re doing it feels fine, you don’t need to change a thing. Still, it’s worth knowing your options.

Here’s the mechanic: instead of sliding your whole hand into the glove, you push your index finger out through the back of the glove near the wrist opening, leaving the index finger slot empty. A lot of players take it further and jam both their ring finger and pinky into the pinky slot together, a setup you’ll sometimes hear called a “staggered” grip.

You’ll also notice most players who wear it this way don’t slide their palm all the way into the glove either. They leave the heel of the hand resting just outside the opening instead of buried inside it.

What’s the Advantage of Keeping One Finger Outside the Baseball Glove?

Now that you know what the fuss is about, here’s the part that actually matters: is there a real reason for it, or does it just look cool? There’s a real difference in how a glove feels once you commit to wearing it this way. It’ll feel strange the first few times, and the glove might even slide around a bit while you adjust. Stick with it, though, and you’ll notice you’re catching cleaner.

Here’s the breakdown of why players keep one finger outside the baseball glove.

1. Better Protection

Infielders take a beating. Ground balls come off the bat fast, and the closer you play to home plate, the less time you have to react. Because of that, infielders usually gravitate toward lighter, less bulky gloves with a shallower pocket, since it helps with quick transfers, but a lighter glove also means less cushion between your hand and a hard-hit ball.

Adding more padding would help absorb the impact, but it also makes the glove heavier and slower to close, which works against you at a position where speed matters most.

Keeping the index finger outside the glove solves that problem without adding any bulk. It puts a layer of leather between the ball and your finger instead of your finger absorbing the impact directly inside a thin pocket. The glove stays light and quick, and the finger that usually takes the worst of it stays out of harm’s way.

2. Better Control

How well you control your glove decides a lot of what happens in the field. Baseball gloves are big, and if you’re new to the game, catching the ball while wearing one can feel clumsy at first. That gets better with reps.

There’s nothing wrong with wearing your glove the traditional way, one finger in each slot. But in my experience, and this lines up with what a lot of coaches will tell you, keeping one finger outside lets you move the glove quicker and track the ball more naturally.

With your index finger free on the back of the glove, you can push down on it to add a bit of extra hinge action as you move your hand toward the ball. It’s a small difference on paper, but once it becomes second nature, you’ll notice you’re steering the glove instead of just reacting with it.

3. Better Fitting

Baseball gloves come in a range of sizes, and finding the right size glove for your hand matters more than most beginners realize. But even a glove that’s technically the right size can have finger slots that feel a bit roomy. Wear it the traditional way and you’ll feel your fingers sliding around inside those slots.

Push your index finger outside and jam your ring and pinky fingers into a single slot, and the glove immediately feels tighter and more locked to your hand. And in my book, a snug glove beats a loose one every time.

Quick tip if your glove still feels loose after that: there are a few ways to tighten a baseball glove. Some models have an adjustable wrist strap that handles it for you. Otherwise, you can pull the lace and cinch it down yourself. And if your glove is brand new and just feels stiff rather than loose, that’s usually a break-in issue, not a sizing one. My guide on how to break in a baseball glove covers that separately.

4. Bigger Pocket

A deeper, wider pocket gives you a better shot at catching and holding onto the ball. You’re not really supposed to catch a baseball in your fingers. The goal is to get the pocket in front of the ball and close around it.

Pocket size and depth vary from glove to glove, and a lot of that comes down to web type as well as position. Infielders usually want a shallow pocket so they can transfer the ball to their throwing hand fast, while outfielders lean toward deeper pockets built for tracking down fly balls. If you want the full picture of how those two setups differ, I break it down in my infield vs. outfield baseball gloves comparison.

Keeping your index finger out of the glove opens up more usable space inside it. You’re essentially widening your catching surface, which gives you a better shot at trapping the ball securely instead of having it glance off the edge of a cramped pocket.

Why Do Baseball Gloves Have a Finger Hole?

You may have noticed some modern gloves, especially pitcher’s gloves, come with a small hole near the bottom of the palm. That’s called a finger hole, and it’s a relatively newer addition to glove design compared to everything else on this list.

If you wear your glove the way most pros do, your index finger sits outside, pushed out through the back near the wrist. A finger hole gives you another option. Instead of your finger sitting fully outside the glove, you can tuck it through the hole and keep it hidden on the inside surface.

It comes down to preference, and most players I’ve coached still skip it. But some players say tucking the finger inside gives them a bit more control and feel for the ball.

Pitchers are really the group I see using this feature most. Keeping the index finger tucked inside the glove, rather than sticking out on the back, helps hide the hand from the batter, which matters when you don’t want to tip off your grip before the pitch. So if you’ve never used the finger hole on your own glove, there’s no real need to start now unless you’re pitching and want that extra layer of concealment.

The Bottom Line

Even the best baseball glove on the market won’t do much for you if you’re not wearing it right. The traditional method works fine, but I’d still encourage you to test other styles before ruling them out. You won’t know what actually works for your hand until you try it.

Generally, infielders who need quick hands and take the most punishment lean toward wearing their gloves with a finger out. Outfielders, who prioritize a secure catch over quick transfers, tend to stick with the traditional method. My advice is the same one I give my own players: try both, and go with whatever actually feels more secure in your hand.

Hopefully this clears up why so many baseball players keep one finger out of the glove, and gives you something to try out at your next practice. Cheers.

Tyler Wells

With 4 years of Division II experience, a .272 career batting average, .410 on-base percentage, and 7 home runs, I’m now in my fifth season. I’ve played baseball since age 3, alongside future MLB Draft picks, and I aim to pursue a career in baseball professionally, be it playing, coaching, or scouting.