Robinson invents new safety glove
As a young catcher, Dennie Robinson never thought that a baseball injury to his thumb would lead him to develop a preventative injury product that can help others.
“I‘ve been a baseball catcher since I can remember,” said Robinson, whose daytime job is plant manager of the Red Bay Water Plant. Photo by Keith Ledbetter.
By Keith Ledbetter
For the FCT
As a young catcher, Dennie Robinson never thought that a baseball injury to his thumb would lead him to develop a preventative injury product that can help others.
“I‘ve been a baseball catcher since I can remember,” said Robinson, whose daytime job is plant manager of the Red Bay Water Plant.
“When I was a young player, I was hit by a foul tipped ball that came off the bat and hit my thumb. It swelled up so much that I couldn’t bat. I had to keep my thump taped up until it healed.”
From that injury, Dennie, along his dad and mom, started working on a plastic protector that he could wear under his catcher’s mitt.
Over the years, and through playing college baseball, Robinson has fine-tuned a thump protector that he could fit inside his glove to keep the injury from happening again.
Since then, that first prototype has evolved from a thermo type material that would lose shape from too much summer sun to a heat resistant PVC material incorporated into a glove that can take a pounding.
Team Defender®, Robinson’s official registered trademark company, has created a batting style type glove that is worn on the catcher’s glove hand.
Inserted in the thumb extension is a comfortable, but rigid, piece of material that surrounds and protects the thumb.
Robinson’s Team Defender® thump protector glove is now available and is already being used by players from five major league teams.
In an effort to get the gloves literally in the hands of minor and major league players, Robinson has been in contact with baseball trainers across the country.
“I have sent all 30 major league baseball teams a glove and I have heard back from the Mets, the Orioles, the White Sox, the Padres, and the Astros,” Robinson said. “They have either requested more or purchased extras.”
The protector glove was just voted one of the Top 12 Best of Show products at the 2014 (ABCA) American Baseball Coaches Association Convention held in Dallas, Texas.
The design prevents hyper-extension of the thumb and protects the thumb from the force of the ball in an incorrect catch.
The simple product can prevent players from losing weeks of game time from this painful injury.
The Team Defender glove itself is well designed. It is double stitched, padded and very soft. It’s made of tactile material and has padded reinforcements in both the index and middle fingers and in the heel of the hand as well.
After 25 years of research and development, Robinson now has a product that he feels can meet the needs of players from the Jr. High level all the way to the major league.
“This year is the launch year for the glove,” Robinson said.
Although this is the first year the glove has been on the market, Robinson is receiving orders and positive comments on his website, and has already placed the glove in a retail store in Georgia.
Robinson also has launched a website where you can learn more about his Team Defender® gloves or you purchase his product online for $34.99.
For more information, visit team-defender.com.
