Best Pitching Machines

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Best Pitching Machines

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How to Choose the Best Pitching Machine

The best pitching machines can be a great practice tool for players to improve their bat speed, vision, and timing. They’re also great for running fielding drills as well! Whether you’re looking for the best baseball pitching machine for team practice or a fun one to use in your backyard at home, we found several great options for everyone! Before we get started, here are a few things you need to do know before shopping for a new pitching machine.

Best Pitching Machines

Ball Type: Each pitching machine is designed to use a specific type and size of ball for the machine to work properly. We’ll let you know if each machine works with baseballs, softballs, or various types of rubber or plastic practice balls.

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Speed: The speed you need depends on how young or experienced your batters are. For smaller children, a slower machine is best to prevent injury and encourage success. For experienced batters, we found machines that accurately throw up to 100 mph!

How to Choose the Best Pitching Machine

Feeder: An automatic feeder stores several balls in the machine, and it will toss them out at various intervals so you can practice without a partner. Manual feeders require a parent, coach, or teammate to feed each ball in for you.

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Weight: Pitching machine weights can vary quite a bit! Lighter machines are great for transporting or moving around the field easily during long practices. Heavier machines are harder to move around, but the ball placement is generally more accurate and consistent.

Best Pitching Machines

Size: In addition to weight, the size of your machine matters too! Large pitching machines are great for storing at your practice facility. Smaller pitching machines can fold up and fit in your car for easy transport to and from practice!

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Warranty: Any time you invest a lot of trust (and money) into sports equipment, a solid warranty gives you the confidence that the company will fix any issues. Pitching machines can wear out and break, like any other piece of equipment!

Top 10 Products

Now that you have a good idea of what you need in a pitching machine, let’s get into the reviews! We reviewed 10 different pitching machines that work for a variety of sports and ability levels, so you can pick the best pitching machine for the money you are looking to spend! Short on time? No problem! Check out our Top Pick and our Budget Pick today, and come back later to look at the others when you have time!

Louisville Slugger Pitching Machine

Louisville Slugger Pitching Machine
At the top of our list is this all-around manual pitching machine from Louisville Slugger, one of the most recognizable brands in baseball! This pitching machine is 100% manual, so you don’t need batteries or electricity to run it. We like that because it means you can take it anywhere without worrying about needing a power source or replacing batteries! It’s also super lightweight at only around 25 pounds, so you can easily move it around the field to do batting and fielding drills. Another reason we chose this as the best pitching machine for sale is that it can throw almost any type of ball! You can feed in baseballs, softballs, rubber practice balls, plastic whiffle balls, and even larger soccer or volleyballs! If you are a coach looking for an inexpensive machine, or a family with kids involved in a variety of sports, this is a great little machine to help all of your athletes hone their skills!
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Franklin Sports Pitching Machine

Franklin Sports Pitching Machine
In our hunt for a cheap pitching machine, we came across this fun automatic machine from Franklin Sports! We think this is the best pitching machine for kids who want to improve their hitting, but don’t have a friend to pitch for them! The automatic feeder holds up to 9 plastic baseballs, so your child can hit away without needing to refill as often. The balls come out every 7 seconds, which is plenty of time to reset for another hit! It also has an indicator light to let your child know when the ball is going to pop out of the machine. For such a small machine, we were impressed that people are clocking the balls at somewhere between 30-40 miles per hour, which is great for teaching young batters to hit! At only 3 pounds, it’s also light enough for your child to set up and put away on their own! What a great machine for backyard practice!
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Jugs Lite-Flite Machine

Jugs Lite-Flite Machine
If you’re looking for a cheap softball pitching machine for practice sessions, we highly recommend this versatile, easy to use practice machine from Jugs! This machine throws practice baseballs, along with 11” and 12” practice softballs for a fun and education experience. It pitches anywhere from 30-50 mph, which is perfect for working on batting form. From 25 feet away, you can even simulate speeds up to 85 mph! Oh, and it can pitch fastballs, sliders, and curveballs to give batters more realistic practice pitches! You can also swivel the machine 360 degrees to throw fly balls and grounders for fielding practice. Since it only uses practice balls, it’s great for preventing injuries during training sessions with lightweight rubber, plastic, or wiffle balls. At around 35 pounds, we think this is a durable and lightweight machine that’s easy to set up and transport from the pitching mound to the outfield for whatever drills you need to run with your team!
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Diggin Lazer Pitch Machine

Diggin Lazer Pitch Machine
To help your little slugger learn to play, we found the best wiffle ball pitching machine for hours of backyard fun! This automatic pitching machine from Diggin is perfect for teaching young players to hit and field the ball on their own! It holds 5 plastic baseballs, and you can adjust the angle 5 ways to throw straight fastballs, slow softball-style lobs, and popups. We like that the machine comes with a bat that also works as a remote control! All your child has to do is hit the button on the bat, and the machine will throw the ball. We think this is perfect for young children who aren’t used to machines that throw the ball on a timer. You can also set it to auto-pitch, which throws the ball every 8 seconds with a light to indicate when the ball is coming. It is lightweight, so your child can set up and put away the machine as needed!
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First Pitch Baseline Machine

First Pitch Baseline Machine
Next up is one of our favorites for the best pitching machine for little league and softball practices! This manual-feeder pitching machine from First Pitch has everything you need for a solid baseball or softball practice. It can throw pitches, grounders, and pop-fly balls up to 70 mph! We like that this machine uses regulation baseballs and softballs, so your players can get a feel for what hitting and catching a real ball is like. The machine pivots to adjust the angle for different height batters, fly balls, grounders, and other drills. It’s also incredibly convenient to use! The machine is only 50 pounds, which is pretty light for a full-sized pitching machine. It’s also easy to set up and break down, with no tools required! It also comes with a 5-year warranty, so you can feel confident that you’re buying a machine that’s built to last! For a coach, this would make a great addition to your practice kit!
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Jugs Small Ball Machine

Jugs Small Ball Machine
Looking for a way to switch things up at practice? Maybe you need to work on teaching better reaction time and hitting accuracy? Definitely give this machine a try! The Jugs Small Ball Machine uses 5-inch practice baseballs that are roughly half the size of regulation baseballs to improve performance. The automatic feeder can hold up to 25 balls, or you can use it has a manual feeder to control pacing. We also like that you can simulate speeds of up to 75 mph from a short distance! To help with fielding grounders and fly balls, the machine pivots to change the angle however you want. We also like that this machine is only 23 pounds, so you can move it around the field to run different drills throughout practice sessions. We think this is the best pitching machine for youth players who want to further hone their batting and fielding skills!
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BSN Bulldog Pitching Machine

BSN Bulldog Pitching Machine
Next up in our pitching machine buying guide is a lightweight, yet durable manual pitching machine you can use for both baseball and softball practice. This machine is easy to set up and use during practice, weighing only 32 pounds. You can easily move it around from field to pitching mound, or you can pack it up quickly afterward! We like that this machine has adjustable legs that allow you to switch from using baseballs to softballs with ease. It pitches from 30-60 mph, giving you the chance to adjust the speed to your players’ needs. You can also pivot the machine, making this a truly versatile practice tool. In addition to hitting fastballs, this machine also allows you to throw grounders and fly balls for fielding practice. This means you can run a longer practice without wearing your arm out throwing or hitting! We think this is a solid practice pitching machine for both youth and adult players alike!
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Sports Attack Pitching Machine

Sports Attack Pitching Machine
If you’re looking for the best softball pitching machine to help your travel team, high school, or college players improve their batting game, consider investing in this high-quality pitching machine from Sports Attack. This manual-feeder pitching machine uses 3 pitching wheels to throw 10” or 11” softballs with increased accuracy and a wide variety of pitch styles. Your players will be able to hit just about any type of pitch they might see during a game, including fastballs, changeups, drops, risers, and even left and right-handed screwballs! You can even control the elevation of the pitch, so your players can get used to hitting all over their strike zone! In addition to batting practice, you can also use this to throw grounders, line drives, and even fly balls up to 175 feet. It’s easy to set up – just roll out the machine with the wheels that come attached to the base, attach the sturdy metal legs, and fire it up!
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Mound Yeti Pitching Machine

This pitching machine from Mound Yeti will make a sturdy addition to your practice routine for both baseball and softball players. It comes with adapters for both baseballs and softballs, which is nice because many high-end pitching machines require you to buy the adapters separately! We like that this machine can handle all kinds of pitches, including fastballs, knuckleballs, sliders, changeups, and more! You can also change up the angle to practice shagging fly balls or chasing grounders for fielding practice. It also puts a serious amount of speed on the ball – up to 90 mph – so your players can challenge themselves and improve their reaction time. Another thing we appreciate is the wheels on the base of the machine, so you can easily move this 112-pound pitching machine wherever you need it. If you’re looking to invest in a heavy duty pitching machine that can handle any batting or fielding drills you can think of, this is a great choice!
This pitching machine from Mound Yeti will make a sturdy addition to your practice routine for both baseball and softball players. It comes with adapters for both baseballs and softballs, which is nice because many high-end pitching machines require you to buy the adapters separately! We like that this machine can handle all kinds of pitches, including fastballs, knuckleballs, sliders, changeups, and more! You can also change up the angle to practice shagging fly balls or chasing grounders for fielding practice. It also puts a serious amount of speed on the ball – up to 90 mph – so your players can challenge themselves and improve their reaction time. Another thing we appreciate is the wheels on the base of the machine, so you can easily move this 112-pound pitching machine wherever you need it. If you’re looking to invest in a heavy duty pitching machine that can handle any batting or fielding drills you can think of, this is a great choice!
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ATEC M2 Pitching Machine

We’re going to wrap up our pitching machine reviews with this high-quality machine used by college baseball teams to improve their batting and fielding skills. This machine works well with regular leather baseballs, rubber dimple practice balls, and foam practice balls. The heavy-duty frame absorbs excess vibrations and movement, allowing for more accuracy with each pitch. We like that you can adjust the machine to throw a variety of pitches at up to 90 mph, including fastballs, sliders, breaking balls, and curveballs. You can also adjust it to fit each batter’s strike zone for more accurate hitting practice, which is nice! To move it, the machine has a couple wheels, so you can go from batting drills to fielding work without a lot of hassle. It’s also easy to set up and tear down to store in your locker room, or toss in your car and take it home! For a game-like pitching experience, consider investing in the ATEC M2!
We’re going to wrap up our pitching machine reviews with this high-quality machine used by college baseball teams to improve their batting and fielding skills. This machine works well with regular leather baseballs, rubber dimple practice balls, and foam practice balls. The heavy-duty frame absorbs excess vibrations and movement, allowing for more accuracy with each pitch. We like that you can adjust the machine to throw a variety of pitches at up to 90 mph, including fastballs, sliders, breaking balls, and curveballs. You can also adjust it to fit each batter’s strike zone for more accurate hitting practice, which is nice! To move it, the machine has a couple wheels, so you can go from batting drills to fielding work without a lot of hassle. It’s also easy to set up and tear down to store in your locker room, or toss in your car and take it home! For a game-like pitching experience, consider investing in the ATEC M2!
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About the Author

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Kimberly Graf

Expert Researcher and Writer

Kimberly Graf is a researcher and writer for GeekWrapped.com. She covers kitchen, cooking, and home products.

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Article last updated on:

September 30, 2019

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TOP PICK

Louisville Slugger Pitching Machine

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