Throughout the 19th, 20th and 21st Centuries, the sport of baseball has undergone significant changes and this includes the baseball shoes that the players wear. The sport began with the players preferring to wear leather shoes as these were relatively durable at the time, and even though they were soft underfoot it didn't really matter too much because the game was played on grass fields. Roll on to the 1970s and the introduction and implementation of artificial turf, and it became clear that the future of baseball shoes were in spikes. These spikes, detachable on the soles of the shoes, became very popular as they increased the grip the players had on the field tremendously, which is obviously very important for fielders and batters alike. However, these spikes were banned in 1976.

Today players' baseball shoes (known as baseball 'cleats' in the States) have rubber studs on the soles to still allow for good grip on the field, without causing serious injury to any basemen caused from batters sliding from base to base and colliding with their hands.

There are many different manufacturers of baseball shoes. However, baseball shoes all appear to be in black as their main colour, a tradition in the sport that has been kept. Most baseball shoes range in price from as little as £15 up to £50 for brand new top of the range designs from the more prestigious manufacturers. The market is dominated by the usual multinational powers, Nike, Addidas and Reebok, but there are also other niche brands such as Under Armour which specialise in this field.

More baseball equipment: Baseball Mitt