People ask me this all the time: Rawlings Heart of the Hide or Pro Preferred, which one should I actually buy? It’s a fair question, and it’s not an easy one to answer, because both gloves have earned their spot among the best baseball gloves Rawlings makes.
These aren’t two totally different products fighting for your attention. Both lines come from the same company, both get worn by pros, and both hold up if you take care of them. The real differences in this Rawlings Heart of the Hide vs Pro Preferred matchup come down to leather, price, and how long you’re willing to wait for a glove to feel like part of your hand.
I’ve spent real time with both gloves, and I’m going to walk you through the materials, the specs, and the price gap, so you’ll know exactly which one fits your game and your budget by the end of this comparison.
Rawlings Heart of the Hide vs Pro Preferred: Full Comparison
Rawlings Heart of the Hide
Rawlings Pro Preferred
Materials
Heart Of The Hide: The shell is built from U.S. steer hide, the same core leather Rawlings has used on this line since 1958. It’s thick, holds its shape, and takes a beating from daily reps without breaking down. Rawlings’ factory crew molds every panel for a consistent feel across sizes.
Pro Preferred: Here’s a correction worth making: Pro Preferred isn’t a sheepskin glove. The shell itself is Japanese-tanned kip leather, lighter and more supple than steerhide. Rawlings does line the palm with Pittards sheepskin for moisture control and a softer catch, but that’s the liner, not the outer shell. Every Pro Preferred glove is still hand-crafted, which is part of why it costs more. If you want to see kip and steerhide compared side by side, I broke it down in my kip vs steerhide leather guide.
Winner: Rawlings Pro Preferred, thanks to that premium kip shell, though the steerhide on the Heart of the Hide is no slouch either.
Webbing
Heart Of The Hide: Every position gets its own webbing option here. Whether you’re a catcher, a pitcher, or anywhere on the infield, there’s a pattern built for your glove.
Pro preferred: Same story. Outfielders and third basemen can pick from trapeze, modified trap, H-web, I-web, and cross patterns, while first basemen get single post, modified H-web, and dual bar options.
Winner: Both. Neither line skimps on webbing choices.
Size Variation
Heart Of The Hide: Sizing comes down to your hand measurement and comfort. Rawlings offers this glove in nearly every size, including youth models, so finding the right fit for your position shouldn’t be a problem.
Pro Preferred: This one covers a full size range too, but heads up: Pro Preferred doesn’t come in true youth sizes. Rawlings builds it for players roughly 15 and up, so younger players will outgrow the value here faster than they would with the Heart of the Hide.
Winner: Heart of the Hide, simply because it covers more age groups.
Comfort
Heart Of The Hide: Rawlings uses deer-tanned cowhide palm lining and soft full-grain finger backs here, so the glove absorbs impact well without feeling stiff on your hand.
Pro Preferred: The Pittards sheepskin palm liner gives this glove a plush, comfortable catch and helps wick away moisture during long games. If you’re taking a lot of high-velocity throws or hot corner line drives, the extra cushioning here is noticeable.
Winner: Pro Preferred, mostly because of that sheepskin lining.
Hand Variation
Heart Of The Hide: Whether you’re a left-handed thrower or a righty, this model has you covered.
Pro Preferred: Same deal here. Every position and web style comes in both LHT and RHT builds.
Winner: Both.
Colors
Heart Of The Hide: This line comes in a wide range of colorways across its different position models, so you’ve got plenty of room to match your team’s look or just pick what you like.
Pro Preferred: Color options here are more limited since Rawlings treats this as more of a premium, classic-leather line. What you do get looks sharp.
Winner: Heart of the Hide, for sheer variety. Exact color lineups shift season to season, so check Rawlings’ current catalog before you buy.
Warranty
Heart Of The Hide: Rawlings backs this glove with its standard one-year warranty against defects in materials and workmanship.
Pro Preferred: Same coverage here, one year from your purchase date. Just know the warranty doesn’t cover normal wear and tear, over-oiling, heat treatment, or machine break-ins done outside a Rawlings facility, so hang onto your receipt and break it in by hand.
Winner: Both. Same policy, same protection.
Overall Ease Of Use
Heart of the Hide: This is the easier glove to live with early on. Standard Heart of the Hide models need roughly two to four weeks of regular use to break in, and if you grab an R2G (Ready 2 Game) model, Rawlings pre-conditions it so it’s closer to game-ready out of the box. It’s also the more affordable of the two, typically running somewhere in the $300 to $330 range depending on size and pattern. If you want the full breakdown of what actually drives that price, check out how much a baseball glove really costs.
Pro Preferred: Because kip leather is denser, expect closer to four to six weeks before the pocket really opens up. Rawlings prices this line higher too, usually starting around $380 and climbing toward $500 for specialty patterns. I always recommend a slow, hand break-in with a light coat of oil rather than rushing it. If you want to know which oil actually works without wrecking the leather, I cover that in my glove break-in oil guide.
Which One Should You Buy?
Both of these gloves have been broken in and battle-tested by plenty of players who take this game seriously. Picking a winner in the Rawlings Heart of the Hide vs Pro Preferred debate isn’t easy, because the two share a lot of DNA. If you’re weighing Rawlings against other trusted glove brands like Wilson, you’ll find both of these Rawlings lines hold their own.
Here’s how I’d break down the decision:
- Go with the Heart of the Hide if you want a durable, game-ready glove at a lower price, a shorter break-in period, and sizing that works for younger players too.
- Go with the Pro Preferred if you want the lightest, most premium feel Rawlings makes, don’t mind a longer break-in, and you’re buying for a player 15 or older.
My final verdict:
- If you want the single best glove between these two and price isn’t the deciding factor, the Rawlings Pro Preferred is the one to buy.
- If you want a glove that performs at a near-identical level for meaningfully less money, the Rawlings Heart of the Hide is the smarter buy for most players.
If you’re new to baseball and picking out your first glove, it’s worth checking Rawlings’ own sizing guide before you buy. A glove that doesn’t fit right will never break in the way you want it to.
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.