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Best Cleats to Wear with Long Baseball Pants

- Updated April 13, 2011 by Q -

Choosing the right cleats is important to make your long pants look good and stay down without hassle.The most important thing to remember is that shoes with a flap that covers the laces are not the best for long pants.There is more bulk to the area just above the ankle bone... this is the same place the pant leg has to lay over.

Low Cleats with Flap - Worst Option

In addition, the flap usually doesn't stay down for more than a month of use. Some are made with Velcro to help keep the flap down, but it usually wears out. The majority of these are found on low cleats such as the Adidas Excelsior Low Metal Baseball Cleats ($79.99 at Baseball Express), Mizuno Classic G5 Low Metal Baseball Cleat ($49.98 at Team Express), and the Verdero Low Metal II Baseball Cleats ($84.99 at Team Express). If you wear your pants up, these are great cleats, but for the stylish long pant look they aren't your best option.

Low Cleats Without Flap - Better, but not great

The next option is a low cleat without a flap such as the Mizuno Vapor Elite G4 Low Metal Baseball Cleats ($79.99 at Team Express) or the Nike Shox Fuse 2 Low Metal Baseball Cleats ($79.98 at Baseball Express). Without the flap your pants are more likely to cover the laces, but because of the low height it's still easy for the pants to collect above the shoe.

Mid Cleats with free laces ... Almost there!

A mid-height cleat such as the Under Armour Clean Up Mid Metal Baseball Cleats ($29.99 at Foot Locker), or the Mizuno 9-Spike Classic G5 Mid Metal Baseball Cleat ($69.99 at Baseball Rampage) allow more of pant leg to cover the cleat, which lessens the chance they will come up over the shoe and bunch like they do with low cleats.

Mid Cleats with Lace Strap - Best Cleat for Long Pants

What I've found is that even with mid-height cleats, the laces still cause problems. The best way to ensure your pant legs will stay down over your shoes for the entirety of a game is to go with the Nike Huarache Mid Metal Baseball Cleat ($69.98 at Baseball Express). These have an upper ankle lace strap that keeps your laces and shoe tight around you foot, it also helps keep your pant legs from rising above the ankle. The strap makes the shoe height even higher than your average mid-height cleat. The only drawback to these cleats is the weight. At 14.6 ounces, they can be over 2 ounces heavier than a low cleat.

Where to Buy:

Low Baseball Cleats

Adidas Excelsior Low Metal Baseball Cleats
Baseball Express

Mizuno Classic G5 Low Metal Baseball Cleat
Team Express

Verdero Low Metal II Baseball Cleat
Team Express

Mizuno Vapor Elite G4 Low Metal Baseball Cleat
Team Express

Nike Shox Fuse 2 Low Metal Baseball Cleat
Baseball Express

Mid Baseball Cleats

Under Armour Clean Up Mid Metal Baseball Cleat (Selective Sizing)
Foot Locker

Mizuno 9-Spike Classic G5 Mid Metal Baseball Cleat
Baseball Rampage

Nike Huarache Mid Metal Baseball Cleat
Baseball Express