best baseball pitching nets - top ten list and buyer's guide - anytime baseball supply

Top 10 Best Baseball Pitching Nets

Players, coaches, and parents in baseball and softball spend too much time chasing around balls. A great pitching screen will allow more time for training and can improve your overall pitching skills.

Best Baseball Pitching Nets for this Season

In the pursuit of pitching excellence, only the most dedicated prevail. Whether you're a rising star with dreams of the big leagues or a seasoned coach sculpting future aces, you understand that every pitch counts. The arena of precision and dominance calls for unwavering commitment – and in this pursuit, a pitching net becomes your most trusted companion.

What You Will Learn

In this article, we are going to be covering the benefits of pitching nets and our top 10 best pitching nets picks for this season. This includes products like 9-hole pitching nets, pitching nets with targets, and more! 

Benefits of a Pitching Net - Why You Need One ASAP

  1. Target Practice: Pitching nets provide a designated area for pitchers to practice their accuracy and precision. Pitchers aim to throw the ball into a specific zone or target within the net, helping them improve their control over different pitch types (fastballs, curveballs, changeups, etc.). This leads to greater pitching command and more strikeouts. Baseball pitching targets are great for this type of practice, too.

  2. Convenience: Pitching nets allow pitchers to practice on their own without the need for a catcher or batter. This is especially useful for individuals looking to fine-tune their skills, warm up, or work on specific aspects of their pitching without the assistance of teammates.

  3. Repetitive Drills: Coaches often use pitching nets for repetitive drills, such as working on a pitcher's follow-through, release point, or stride length. This repetitive practice can help pitchers develop muscle memory and consistency in their mechanics. When you can train by yourself and get more reps in, you improve much faster.

 So, what makes a great pitching net/pitcher's pocket? Let’s break down a few key elements to help you make your decision on which pitching net is right for you!

 

Pitching Nets: Buyer’s Guide

Practice is just as important as a game. You wouldn’t use a cheaply-constructed glove or a low-quality bat in a game, you would use high-quality, trustworthy gear that you know will help you perform better on the field. Just like you use great quality gear in a game, you should be using a great quality pitching screen in practice.

Portability

The ease of setting up, taking down, moving and storing a pitching net is a very important factor when weighing your options. There is a good chance that you or, if you’re a coach, your pitcher will be practicing up to five days per week. Taking five minutes to set up and five minutes to tear down a net would take nearly one hour per week out of your team’s precious training time, and this wasted time is exactly what we’re trying to avoid.

The good news is that most of the pitching nets discussed in this article are easy to transport and assemble. We recommend looking for a pitching net that features a quick and easy assembly time and that is highly portable. One that is lightweight, compact and has a carrying bag is ideal. This way you can take it with you anywhere you go, without the hassle.

Size

When it comes to the size of the pitching net, consider the location where you plan on using it and how often you will use that space to practice. If you intend on doing most of your training in the backyard of your home, a larger pitching net may be the better option to decrease the chance that any out-of-control throws accidentally smash through your neighbor’s window.

However, if you plan to use it at the field during practice or a large, open area, then you won’t need to worry as much about the occasional wild throw wreaking havoc on your surroundings and a smaller net may suffice.

Pitching screens come in a variety of sizes but most commonly range from 5ft x 5ft to 7ft x 7ft. In general, most pitchers will be just fine in this range. For newer pitchers working on their skills, a larger size may be best as it will catch balls that are thrown across a wider area. For more advanced pitchers, we recommend a smaller net as it can help dial in pitch accuracy.

Net Quality: Which Type of Net is Best? 

A crucial element of a quality pitching net is the quality of the mesh netting itself. It’s best to avoid cheap netting and go for a high-quality material. Most nets are composed of either industrial-strength polyester (like polyethylene) or nylon material.

Industrial-Strength Polyester
  • Highly functional but lower durability
  • Best for amateur pitchers
  • Moderate use

 Nylon

  • High-quality and highly durable
  • Best for more advanced pitchers with faster throws
  • Moderate to heavy use

 

Net durability is extremely important. The last thing you want to be doing is ordering new netting every season because your previous net has already worn out. Look out for pitching screens that feature thick, lightweight netting that is weather-resistant. Some nets will also boast a PU (polyurethane) coating. This poly-coating is applied to provide a lightweight, weather-resistant, flexible and overall more durable net.

Top 10 Pitching Nets of 2023

1. The No Hitter Net 9 Hole Pitcher's Net

No Hitter Net Pitching Net Black

Buy from Anytime Baseball Supply

Easily our best selling pitching net and pitching training aid, the No Hitter Net will help you learn how to paint the corners and take your game to the next level. 

Pick which of the 9 pockets to throw into to increase your pitching skills. Aim for the corners and strike out the batter! Pitching with the all new 9 hole pitcher's pocket is like pitching with a live catcher and umpire that tell you exactly where the ball hits.

No Hitter Net Features

  • 9 individual pockets
  • Adjustable height
  • Quickly increase your pitch aim and accuracy
  • Preferred pitching aid by many coaches across the country

Pitching Pocket Dimensions

  • Weight: 25 lbs
  • Dimension: 2'6"H x 1'10"W

2. Pro Command Pitching Target

Pro Command Pitching Target

Buy from Anytime Baseball Supply

The Pro Command Pitching Target was designed by a professional pitching coach/ former pitcher with over 30 years of experience. The purpose was to provide a realistic pitching target that resembled the ideal and most accurate visual a pitcher of all ages sees from the mound. 

The Pro Command Target's uniqueness is an actual size catcher with perfectly located targets that every pitcher needs to hit in order to have optimal success. The catcher’s mitts were designed to give pitchers the glove details that will allow them to see a small lace or light coming through the web to aim small and miss small. The objective is for pitchers to miss within the intended glove, not missing it entirely. 

Features

  • Realistic pitching target
  • Actual size catcher with perfectly located targets
  • Glove details that allows the pitcher to see a small lace or light coming through the web.
  • Flexible and can be attached to any Soccer net, Lacrosse goal, an L-screen or any fence
  • The size of this live size catcher is 39.5” x 44.25”and can be easily transported

3. Pitcher’s Pocket XL

9 Hole Pitcher's Pocket

The Pitcher’s Pocket from Better Baseball is the perfect pitcher's pocket for beginners and for pitchers to practice throwing strikes at its 45-inch tall x 35-inch wide net. Its small stature is easily transported, though it doesn’t feature a collapsible design.

With 9 individual pockets, players can work on improving their accuracy by throwing pitches at specific spots within the strike zone. The sturdy and durable design is constructed with a galvanized steel frame and industrial gauge #60 net to withstand a high volume of high-speed pitches. The padded frame protects it from these fast pitches and prevents balls from sustaining damage.

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Pros

  • Durable: padded galvanized steel frame & industrial grade #60 net
  • Accuracy training: improve accuracy with the 9 individual pockets
  • Great for beginners to practice throwing strikes

Cons

  • Not as easily portable as other practice nets but is small in size

    4. PowerNet Baseball and Softball Practice Net

     

    Powernet Pro Pitching Net

     

    Buy from Anytime Baseball Supply

    Instant and portable are exactly what the PowerNet Baseball and Softball Practice Net does best. At 7-foot x 7-foot, it’s big enough to catch those pitches that are thrown a little too far outside the strike zone. Its large bow style frame firmly holds the netting in place while the weighted steel base and the included ground stakes provide solid stability. The fiberglass poles also interlock with the steel base for easy and quick setup or breakdown, which PowerNet proudly states takes less than two minutes. The knotless polyester net has a PU coating to withstand a high volume of use and features a built-in deep sock net to catch and hold multiple buckets of balls during training. This collapsible training net is lightweight and provides high portability with a carrying bag for easy transportation and storage, during and between practice sessions. It’s also endorsed by MLB shortstop Andrelton Simmons and other pro players.

    Pros

    • Trustworthy: used & endorsed by pro players
    • Large sock net to catch & hold balls during training
    • Highly portable: collapsible construction with lightweight netting & fiberglass bow frame

    Cons

    • Some buyers have experienced quicker wear down with repeatedly high use

    Bonus: We also love the Powernet 7x7 + I screen bundle or the 8x8 net for baseball or softball.

      5. Bownet Big Mouth

       

      Bownet Big Mouth Pitching Net

       

      Buy from Anytime Baseball Supply

      If you want a high-quality, innovative and portable pitching net, look no further than the Bownet Big Mouth. Its featured BMX® frame has a weighted gauge steel base that provides great stability and a one-piece BOW frame construction that is specifically engineered to be more durable and provide a seamless setup in as little as 60 seconds. The collapsible 7-foot x 7-foot composition is large enough to be used safely in many locations but can be easily stored and transported without any fuss. Bownet notably paid great attention to detail by using high-grade material in their craftsmanship from the 30-ply weather-proof netting down to the robust carrying bag included.

      Order today for FREE shipping!

      Pros

      • High-quality craftsmanship
      • Highly portable: lightweight collapsible frame with durable carrying bag
      • Easy setup: one-piece BOW frame construction; takes as little as 60 seconds to set up

      Cons

      • More expensive than alternatives due to high-grade materials

      6. Jugs Backyard Bullpen Pitching Net

       Jugs Bullpen Backyard Pitching Net

      Buy from Anytime Baseball Supply

      No catcher no problem. Practice pitching in the comfort of your backyard with the Jugs Backyard Bullpen pitching net. This pitching net is 7' tall and features 12 pockets for the pitcher to aim at which simulates a real strike zone. The backyard bullpen os lightweight, portable, and fits in a carrying bag. 

        Final Thoughts

        A good quality baseball or softball pitching net can help you evolve your skills while saving you time and energy chasing balls around during training. Our top ten pitching nets were hand-picked and are suitable for all players, from newbie to pro. 

        No matter what you choose, only you know what’s right for your needs. Pick a net that is durable, has great portability, and one that you’ll spend less time setting up and collecting balls so you can maximize your valuable training time. Click here to shop our collection of baseball pitching nets or take your pitching to the next level with a our collection of pitching tools

        KEVIN M. KING

        Founder / Senior Contributor

        Kevin King, founder of Anytime Baseball Supply and senior contributor of the Daily Diamond blog, started the company 7 years ago. He loves the Los Angeles Dodgers, playing the occasional pick up baseball game, skateboarding and his dog Panzer. Despite his busy schedule, he still finds time to contribute to the blog.

        2 comments

        Marc

        Marc

        You mention nylon netting being better yet NONE of the recommended nets have nylon. They’re ALL polyester. Makes sense. ?

        You mention nylon netting being better yet NONE of the recommended nets have nylon. They’re ALL polyester. Makes sense. ?

        Tim

        Tim

        Are there any digital type p-nets available. Looking for something for all ages to use at a wellness center. I have seen hockey shooting screens that are digital. Thinking something interactive electronically would be a great addition. Thanks

        Are there any digital type p-nets available. Looking for something for all ages to use at a wellness center. I have seen hockey shooting screens that are digital. Thinking something interactive electronically would be a great addition. Thanks

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