O.C. family will appear on TV’s ‘Shark Tank’ to pitch baseball-themed invention of 8-year-old
Orange County devotees of the reality TV show “Shark Tank” may see familiar faces next Friday, as a local family pitches a product that’s gone from the hands of an 8-year-old Little Leaguer into the Angels’ and Dodgers’ locker rooms.
Tustin resident Jon Batarse is scheduled to appear alongside 8-year-old son Gavin and daughter Morgan, 11, in front of a panel of potential investors — aka “sharks” — to sell them on “Glove Wrap,” a device designed to break in and shape the gloves of baseball/softball players and hockey goalies.
Created in early 2022, the product is a solution to the age-old problem of transforming stiffly manufactured leather gloves and mitts into supple, performance-ready pieces.
“It basically shapes your glove,” Gavin explains of his invention. “It takes less time to break it in, and it’s a lot easier.”
Like most good inventions, Glove Wrap was born from necessity. In an interview Thursday, family members recalled a day in January 2022 when Gavin, then 6, bought a new baseball glove that needed breaking in.
The Batarses typically accomplished this task by placing a baseball inside the leather contraption, then winding dozens and dozens of rubber bands tightly around its exterior. Time and physics took care of the rest.
But on this fateful day there was a problem.
“We used to use rubber bands, but we didn’t have enough,” Gavin recalled. “So Dad asked me to find a different way.”
Challenging the kids to think outside the box is nothing new for Batarse who, aside from being executive pastor at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Newport Beach, heads his own marketing agency and is a firm believer in entrepreneurship and its ability to foster ingenuity, diligence and confidence in those who practice it.
And so, Gavin gave the matter some serious thought and eventually returned to his father with an idea: What if, instead of using 50 to 100 rubber bands, they could use one giant one?
“I went online after he asked, because I’d never seen anything like that,” Batarse recalled. “When I couldn’t find anything like it, I told him, ‘It sounds like you have a really good idea.’”
That simple suggestion started a process that would lead to the purchase and testing of various materials, sized and cut into different configurations, until just the right combination of thickness and flexibility was obtained.
The end result was a sheet of latex-free rubber that, when wound tightly around a glove, tucked in at the ends and left overnight, provided just the broken-in feel necessary for immediate game play.
Coming up with the self-explanatory name Glove Wrap, the Batarses contemplated next steps and determined how the invention would be packaged, manufactured and priced. Its yellow and black coloring, selected for easy visibility, had the added bonus of standing out from any one individual team’s colors.
While Gavin is more of a pitch man and face of the brand, his father helps out with many of the logistics and marketing techniques, as only an adult could, while Morgan serves as more of a manager overseeing operations.
“I keep everyone on track. There’s no goofing off in this business — we’re very serious,” she said. “I also package, label and ship orders.”
With a ready-to-use product in hand, the family reached out to their respective networks in their school and little league communities, where people happily became early adopters of the new technology.
But that was only the first step. Glove Wrap catapulted into a national spotlight when the Batarses began handing out samples to players in the major leagues, sharing videos of their endeavors on Instagram and other social media accounts.
In short order, clips included Angels players Mike Trout, Brett Phillips and Eduardo Escobar as well as those in the Los Angeles Dodgers’ dugout, including Chris Taylor.
Most simply accepted the product, congratulating Gavin on his invention. But outfielder Phillips went a step further, actually using Glove Wrap on his own brand-new Wilson “I love baseball!” glove in his own video.
“Thank you so much for your cool new invention, the Glove Wrap — I’m going to try it out and give you honest feedback,” he said, taking his own wrap out of the packaging and winding it around the glove.
“I already know this is going to be really good. Gavin, thank you so much, buddy. I’ll let you know how it goes. You’re the man, take care.”
Just two years in, sales are strong and the Batarses are already testing new products, like Glove Rub, which keeps glove leather pliant and flexible.
To further the visibility of their brand, the family decided last summer to apply to appear on the reality show “Shark Tank,” where inventors and start-up companies pitch products to industry moguls.
“We watch “Shark Tank” a lot,” Morgan said Thursday.
“They do a really good job of sponsoring entrepreneurship,” Bartase added. “It really was a way for the kids to learn about business and life, going in front of people and being confident and brave.
“I can’t wait to see the airing because, obviously, it’s a dream come true, but because they get to watch the value of hard work come to life.”
Although the process was long, Glove Wrap will finally air before a national audience on Oct. 13. Unable to share details on filming or outcomes, the Batarses are scheduling a viewing party with friends and family members.
Regardless of any TV fame, celebrity testimonials or five-star reviews, however, just the process of testing, branding, manufacturing and marketing Glove Wrap together as a family has been both a learning and a bonding experience for the Tustin family.
“What I like most about it is making fun videos and spending time with family,” Gavin said of the process.
For more information on Glove Wrap, visit glovewrap.com. “Shark Tank” airs Oct. 13, at 8 p.m. on broadcast channel ABC.
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