What a piece of mitt!
Cylones first baseman Cole Frenzel has been using the same glove since 2009 — and it shows.
The leather webbing of his Rawlings first baseman’s glove wore out while he was still at the University of Arizona in 2010. But instead of trashing the glove and starting the breaking-in process all over again, the North Dakota native got creative, using strips of tape to fashion a new pocket.
“Our equipment manager in Arizona said it was unfixable, so I just used tape,” he said.
The Frankensteinian abomination is turning heads in the clubhouse.
Even for a veteran like skipper Rich Donnelly — a man who has seen it all — Frenzel’s glove is something else.
“I’ve been in baseball for 42 years and I’ve never seen a glove like this,” said Donnelly. “It looks like something Ty Cobb used to use.”
Baseball is full of famous peculiarities and superstitions about equipment. Former Met Moises Alou did not wear batting gloves, and would instead pee on his own hands to toughen them up. And players have been known to never wash their hats or socks.
But for Frenzel, the mitt isn’t about superstition; it just feels good.
“In this glove, every ball sticks in the pocket. That’s why I like it,” said Frenzel after last week’s 2-0 victory over the Auburn Doubledays.
Regardless of his equipment, Cole hasn’t disappointed: he has a perfect fielding percentage with 69 putouts. And he’s shown an uncanny ability to snatch balls out of the dirt.
“I’ve been impressed with him on first base,” said Donnelly.
Frenzel’s parents sent him a new glove last week, Donnelly said. But Frenzel won’t give up on Ol’ Duct Tape just yet.
“It doesn’t feel right,” he said.
