Representing the crop of young talent currently drawing fans to baseball parks around the country, Mike Trout and Matt Kemp have a lot in common. Both are celebrated outfielders who play in Southern California, both were runners-up in league MVP balloting the past two years, and both wear no. 27 for their respective teams — the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and the Los Angeles Dodgers. And now each player can claim a Nike limited-edition baseball glove in honor of his achievements. Mike Trout’s player edition Nike Diamond Elite Pro II 6-Finger glove is built with high-grade kip leather (which is lighter and more tightly grained than conventional leather) and features reverse welting construction for increased comfort. Finished in black with red accenting, the traditional-fit glove is embroidered with Trout’s signature and finished with “30/30″ on the adjustable wrist strap, the numbers denoting the Jersey native’s breakout rookie season, in which he smashed 30 home runs and stole 30 bases.
Kemp’s model is a customized version of the Nike SHA|DO Elite J Post-Web glove, also handcrafted using kip leather and inspired by a Japanese style of play. (The “SHA|DO” name comes from the Japanese words SHA, meaning “gratitude,” and DO, meaning “way,” meant to convey the Japanese ethos of always playing with a sense of gratitude and pride.) Nike’s lightest baseball glove to date, the SHA|DO Elite J is designed to hold its shape and structure, featuring increased flexibility and the same “moist clutch” material found in Trout’s glove. Kemp’s player edition is accented with Dodger Blue welting and lacing, as well as the custom embroidered phrase “Mighty Fine” along the thumb — a tip of the cap to Kemp’s late grandfather Vernon Mukes, who used the phrase in response to Kemp’s spectacular plays.
Twenty-seven of each player-edition glove will launch tomorrow on Nike.com, while the inline version of the Nike SHA|DO Elite J Glove will be available later this year.