Baseball Magazine

Best Gift for a Young Player

By Meachrm @BaseballBTYard

If you are a player or parent/coach of a player, you are probably hoping the holidays are good to you in the way of baseball.  I’ve always felt that if a player wants to go far in the game, a lot of it will have to do with his work away from the field.  If a player waits for his coach to call for a practice and never goes out and works on his own, his chances of going far are pretty much zero.

Working out on your own does not require a lot of space or equipment if you use your imagination.  However, if you are looking for one practice item that can go the farthest in terms of player development, a wall or pitchback screen is it.  Below are three variations of the pitchback screen from a lower cost, little league version to the Cadillac version a college or pro team would use.  Under that is a link to a video a friend of mine (Coach John Cohen – Mississippi State) made called “Wall Ball” which teaches players and coaches how to utilize a rebounder during team or individual workouts.

(Full disclosure:  I am an affiliate of Amazon products.  Clicking on the Amazon links below and purchasing earn me a small commission.  Just thought you should know.)

Little League quality:  usually under $50.00.  Good for the beginner but will not hold up very well once the player gets to about 10 years old.

Middle School – High School quality:  usually under $100.00.  Very good net that should last many years of strong use by older kids up to high school.

College – Pro quality:  The one pictured below from Burbank Nets is $500+.  The price is a bit ridiculous but it currently is the best available.  This rebounder is featured in John Cohen’s Wall Ball DVD linked below.

Best gift for a young player

Burbank Sports Net Rebounder

Coach John Cohen’s Wall Ball DVD can be found HERE.


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