![]() Juan Soto was 23 years old and had already spent more than a quarter of his life in the organization. Still, though, at the heart of the Nats’ lineup was one of the most dynamic young players in the game - a paradox of proven success and valuable youth, iconic aggression and preeminent plate discipline. Just three years removed from winning the 2019 World Series, most of their championship core was gone, dealt at the 2021 deadline in a stunning exodus of talent. 1 draft pick in exchange for their ineptitude). Their 55-107 record was the worst in Major League Baseball (and following a change to the CBA, they were the first worst team to not get the No. Last year was rough for the Washington Nationals. I brought our PVC pipe wiffle ball strike zone to their factory and asked: “Can you make one of these strong enough to withstand baseballs pitched full speed?” A few years later, hours of testing, tons of candid feedback from coaches and players, 15 design iterations and counting, we’re happy to report the answer is. Rack-it Truck Racks ( has been perfecting the utility truck rack since 1986. Took it a step further, found yellow PVC pipe online and made some cool foul poles. Bought some PVC pipe at the local hardware store, cut up some netting, and made a wiffle ball strike zone. Same as with the medical tape strike zone in the batting cages, the hitting net strike zone led to heated debate on pitch calls. Problem was, games kept stalling out because kids constantly argued whether the pitch hit the strike zone attachment. We used a 7×7 hitting net for our backstop, with an adjustable strap strike zone accessory. Add a BBQ, some of these wiffle ball games would go beyond 3 hours. These same kids also played epic wiffle ball games. “That hit the tape! No way dude, that pitch was 2 inches off the tape!” For the most part this worked fine, but kids got into serious arguments on close pitches. Instead we used white athletic tape for a makeshift strike zone on the black vinyl backstop. As space inside the batting cage tunnel was limited, it was not ideal to have catchers gear up for LAB. LAB results determined our pitching rotation and batting order. We recorded LAB outcomes and posted results at our next practice. ![]() Each pitcher faced his teammates in the batting cage tunnel at game speed. Live at-bats (LAB) soon became our focus. I was coaching a 12u baseball team without field access. These are the questions we set out to answer beginning in 2017. ![]() do we wear a protective mask? Can you coach your pitcher as effectively while simultaneously catching pitches (or dodging balls in the dirt)? How can we create skills competitions during practice for catcher throw downs, pitcher pickoffs, or outfielder throws? BETTER THAN A BROKEN NOSE.Īs coaches, how often do we catch bullpens? Whether we’re squatting behind the plate or sitting on a ball bucket. How can both pitchers and hitters work on control of the outer half? TAG ZONE TARGET Anything else? WORK THE CORNERSħ0% of strikes in college and pro baseball are on the outer half of the plate. Benefits include repetition and internal competition. Kids instantly know what to do with the training tool once it’s in front of them. They don’t require 3 adults, an instruction manual, and 10 minutes for setup. The best baseball training tools are portable, durable, affordable, safe, easy to set up, fun and intuitive. ![]() But when you’re in the trenches, especially with younger ballplayers, as coaches we’ll take all of the help we can get. The years of coaching fly by in the blink of an eye.
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