As long as the baseball shoe fits, wear it. Right? Wrong. There are definitely times where you need to have one kind of baseball cleat and other times when that same shoe will be a potentially disastrous choice for the ball player. For example, when you’re playing on artificial turf, the last thing you want are your traditional metal baseball spikes. Instead, having a pair of baseball turf shoes would be a much more appropriate choice.
So what is it that makes this kind of turf shoe so special? Simple; they are designed with very hard surfaces in mind (they don’t necessarily have to be used only for artificial turf. If you are playing on a natural surface which is unusually hard, a turf shoe could be a great choice for you too).
For example, in Arizona where the ground is very hard and often times the ‘grass’ is less than green and cushiony, a turf shoe will be a good choice. Trying to wear metal baseball spikes on ground that is almost as hard and unforgiving as concrete is not going to help with a player’s performance what so ever. Just think about trying to run fast in metal cleats on the sidewalk and you’ll start to get more appreciation for how wrong this kind of baseball shoe can be, depending on the circumstances.
Baseball turf shoes have softer, rubber cleats that cover more of the sole of the shoe. They are also much shorter, so the player’s feet are closer to the ground. When the smaller, softer cleats come in contact with the harder, unforgiving surface, they grip much better than hard-on-hard surfaces of metal baseball cleats.
Fortunately, all major baseball shoe manufacturers offer a number of choices when it comes to baseball turf shoes. So whether you’re a fan of Nike, adidas, Mizuno or some other big brand, you’re sure to find the shoe that fits the situation.