I play 3rd and wore a mask all last year after my buddy took a bad hop to the mouth. Broke his bottom jaw and lost 4 teeth... After that, I knew that a mouth guard wouldn't be enough. I have never been asked why I wear a mask because most people understand it. In fact, I am seeing more short stops wear them now. I went with the Champion Sports Mask on Amazon and it has worked very well. No shifting or anything. The only drawback is you only have sunglasses to deal with the sun - no hat bill to help.