Baseball Gifts That Actually Build Skills (and the Drills to Use Them)
The best baseball gifts for young players are not the flashiest ones. They are the cheap, simple tools that unlock real practice at home: a tee, a net, a band, a weighted ball. This is a parent's guide to what to buy and, more importantly, the coach-credited drills that make each one worth it.
Why are these the best baseball gifts for young players?
Because the gift is only half of it. A shiny new bat sits in the garage. A tee with three good drills attached to it gets used three times a week. The tools below are the ones professional coaches actually build their teaching around, which means every gift here comes with a library of things your player can do the day they open it.
None of these cost much. All of them last for years. And all of them turn "I got you baseball stuff" into "here is exactly how to get better with it."
What can a batting tee actually do?
If you buy one thing, buy a tee. It is the most flexible training tool in the sport, and nearly every hitting coach we index works off one. A tee removes the pitch so the hitter can focus on one piece of the swing at a time, which is exactly what young players need. Here are three ways to use it, from three different coaches.
The hip-drive tee drill, by @hittingwithbert
A tee drill built for the kid who swings with just their arms and wonders why the ball never travels. It trains the hitter to drive the swing with the hips and turn rotation into real power instead of muscling the bat with the upper body.
Watch @hittingwithbert's drill →The PVC pipe sequence drill, by @icoachbaseball
Swap the bat for a length of PVC pipe on the tee and teach the order of the swing: stride first, then rotate. It helps the hitter lead with the hips, separate the lower half from the upper half, and keep their eyes down on the ball instead of pulling off it.
Watch @icoachbaseball's drill →The planted-feet oppo drill, by @d.r.hitting
The hitter keeps their feet planted and drives the ball to the opposite field off the tee. It fixes spinning out, pulling off the ball, and rolling weak grounders by forcing the player to use the ground and stay through the ball.
Watch @d.r.hitting's drill →Why give a hitting net (and a couple of extra tees)?
A net turns any garage, driveway, or backyard into a hitting station, which means your player can get reps without a partner and without chasing balls into the neighbor's yard. Pair it with a second or third tee and you have opened up a whole category of drills that work timing and swing path indoors, all winter long.
The three-tee "on command" drill, by @daddyballhitting
Set up three tees at different pitch locations. A coach or parent calls out a tee, and the hitter reacts and swings at the right one. It sharpens swing path and the ability to adjust to inside, middle, and outside pitches, and it all works into a net indoors.
Watch @daddyballhitting's drill →The reaction and timing tee drill, by @d.nelsonnn
A tee drill focused on reacting to different pitch locations without hesitating and staying behind the ball. Great for the hitter who is consistently late, because it trains a quick, on-time response instead of a guessing swing.
Watch @d.nelsonnn's drill →The tee-to-machine progression, by @jake_oliger
A full warmup progression that builds toward live swings: propeller flicks, half swings, coils, split-grip flips, and no-stride flips, all before facing a machine. It layers swing sequencing, bat path, and connection one step at a time, which is a great structure to give an older, more serious hitter.
Watch @jake_oliger's routine →What about a weighted or stability ball?
A small stability or medicine ball is a cheap add-on that punches above its weight. It gives the hitter something to balance on, brace against, or move, which builds the body awareness young players are usually missing. Toss one in the gift bag alongside the tee.
The back-foot balance drill, by @icoachbaseball
The hitter puts their back foot on a small stability or medicine ball and hits off the tee. It forces balance and controlled weight transfer, which is exactly what fixes the player who leaks power by lunging or falling out of their swing.
Watch @icoachbaseball's drill →Is a resistance band a good gift for a young pitcher?
Yes, with a caveat. A set of light resistance bands is one of the best, most affordable gifts for a kid who pitches or throws a lot, because arm care is the part of the game families neglect until something hurts. Bands make it easy to build the small muscles that protect a young arm.
Finger and forearm band work, by @bighen.12
A set of band-based finger and forearm exercises meant to strengthen the arm, help protect the UCL, and support velocity down the road. Simple, quick, and easy to do a few times a week at home.
Watch @bighen.12's drill →One important note: youth arm care should be guided by an experienced coach, and throwing volume matters as much as any exercise. If your player ever reports arm pain, stop and see a physician before doing more. Bands are a great gift, but they are not a substitute for good in-person coaching.
How do I actually use these gifts once they're unwrapped?
Pick one tool and one drill per session. Ten focused reps beats fifty sloppy ones. Rotate through the drills above over a few weeks so your player is not grinding the same thing every day. And credit where it is due: every drill here belongs to the coach linked with it. Go follow them, because they post new ones constantly.
The gift gets your player started. The right drill for their exact swing is what actually moves the needle, and that is the part most families guess at.
Match the gift to your player.
The drills above are a small sample of a much deeper index. Tell us your player's age, level, and what you actually see at practice or in games, and we'll email the 3 best drills for that exact player, within minutes, so the tee or net you bought gets used the right way.
Find your drills → Coaching a team, or want a full weekly plan for your player? See Fungo plans.