WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- One of the few chances a baseball player gets to express himself on the field is with his glove, which is why so many players can't wait for Wilson Sporting Goods -- the official glove of Major League Baseball -- to come through camp.
Astros outfielder Josh Reddick picked up a pair of custom orange and blue gloves -- one with "Red Dawg" stitched on it, and the other with "Spider-Man," a superhero Reddick enjoys. Meanwhile, pitcher Collin McHugh's custom glove took a more serious tone, with a blue ribbon to recognize prostate cancer. McHugh's father, Scott, has been battling the disease.
"It's just something, a little reminder to think about him and think about the tons of other people that are struggling with this year-round," McHugh said. "I've kind of taken it upon myself to raise awareness for cancer research and help raise funding as much as I can. If this is one of the ways we can do it, I'm excited about it."
Among the players to receive their custom game model gloves were All-Star middle infielders Carlos Correa and Jose Altuve, the reigning American League Most Valuable Player. Altuve's gloves feature "superskin" leather, which is lighter and doesn't hold moisture as much and is easier to break in.
"It came out perfect," Altuve said. "It feels really good in my hand. I'm really happy."
Altuve doesn't like the pocket of his glove to be too deep so he can easily transfer the ball to his hand if needed.
"I need to be able to turn some double plays with two hands, so I need to find the ball very quickly," he said.
Wilson also presented each Astros player who was on the 2017 World Series championship team and who's under contract with the company with a commemorative orange-and-blue glove, with the Astros' logo on it and a World Series championship logo on the inside pocket.
"We give them a World Series glove as a token for our appreciation for what they do," said Wilson's Scott Paulson. "Kind of a keepsake they can put on their mantle."