Sneak Peek: Orioles Pitcher Jeremy Guthrie's Custom Sneaker Vault

Get a teaser glimpse inside the custom built vault that Baltimore Orioles Pitcher Jeremy Guthrie had build to store his sneaker collection.

words // Nick DePaula

For most collectors, finding a place to store hundreds of sneakers is enough of a challenge. Closets, basements and any additional hallway cabinet space to be found around the house are liable to be filled with black, orange and blue boxes.

For Baltimore Orioles opening day Pitcher Jeremy Gurthrie, he took things several steps further, by building a custom sneaker vault at his home in Utah to house his collection. There's an actual code-entry vaulted door to even get in.

Earlier this morning, Guthrie gave me a call to talk sneakers, tell me a bit about his favorite shoes while growing up in Ashland, Oregon, and of course, tell me all about his custom vault. His first sneakers of note were the original Air Jordan IV and V, which he proudly wore in elementary and middle school. Once he got to high school during the mid-90s, he loved every bit of the "best years," sporting a rotation that included everything from the Air Go L.W.P. to various colors of the Air Penny II, Air Jordan XI, Zoom Flight V and many more. He's still dying to track down a pair of Air Ups in black and blue.

A huge Ray Allen fan during his UConn days, Guthrie specifically even sought out a pair of the Air Max Uptempo to wear in his hometown's biggest 3-on-3 basketball tournament. Unfortunately, he waited til the day before the tournament to track them down, and the only pair he found in his size 13 was a more than three-hour drive away in Eugene, Oregon. So he left at 4 in the morning, bought the shoes once the store opened, and drove back in time for his team's game at noon. For his very last high school basketball game, he warmed up in his beloved Max Uptempos, then switched to a brand new pair of Concord Jordan XIs right before tip-off to cap off his basketball career in style. 

Just after our call, he tweeted out an image that his wife recently took at their home in Utah, where he keeps his current collection of nearly 200 Jordans and over 50 Nikes. His favorites include original Obsidian/ French Blue and White/ Varsity Red Jordan XIIs, his original Concord XIs and several player exclusive cleats that he's collected from various baseball and football players through the years. While he's away from his sizable collection during the season, he made sure to point out that he keeps several pairs of IIIs and XIs with him in Baltimore. He even recently cleated a pair of Black / Max Orange Jordan Retro 1s for baseball use.

Enjoy a glimpse below of Jeremy Guthrie's insane vaulted sneaker closet, including both turf-ready and cleated Air Jordan XI PEs and McFly Hyperdunks, and check back for more of Guthrie's collection soon.