Looking for the perfect coach gift for your kid’s baseball coach?
As someone who’s coached my sons’ baseball teams, I can tell you I was always grateful for any present, no matter how small.
But if you want to do more than the standard gift card, check out our recommendations for coach gifts.
5. If Your Baseball Coach Likes to Grill, He’s Going to Definitely Want Baseball-Themed BBQ Grill Tools
The guys at Baseball BBQ have come up with some imaginative barbecue tools modeled on baseball equipment. And what baseball coach would not love a spatula or tongs for his grill with a neat wood bat handle that feels like you’re holding an actual bat?
They also have cutting and serving boards shaped like home plate, and a bottle opener that also comes with the baseball bat handle. It’s kitsch, but it’s pretty awesome, too. Check them out.
4. Every Baseball Dad Needs a Hitting Net
Every baseball dad needs a quality hitting net for the backyard. This allows you to do tee work and soft toss with your kid without breaking your windows, or your neighbors’ windows.
Another great thing about the net is your kid can use it to practice when you’re not there with him, and you can bring it indoors when it’s raining and during the winter.
You can also use the net for:
- Pitching drills (combine it with a pitching pad so your kid can work on locating his pitches)
- Fielding drills (use the net as a first baseman)
Amazon is selling the above hitting screen for about $100.
3. A Portable L-Screen is a Must Have if You’re Looking for a Practical Baseball Coach Gift
Nothing says I appreciate your work with my kid over the season than a gift that might save the recipient a trip to the ER.
An L Screen is the L-shaped net that someone stands behind when pitching batting practice. When the kids are young, it’s generally not necessary to have one because they’re not hitting it that hard and you have time to snag balls headed towards you. As they get older, and start cracking the ball, this becomes more dicey.
Also, like with aging parents and diminishing driving skills, coaches often overestimate their skills at evading batted balls and need intervention.
While a lot of Little League fields have L Screens, not all them do. Also, once the youth baseball season hits high gear, it’s tough to book a prime field when you want to practice, and you wind up going to a field without an L-Screen. Having a portable one is great for those situations.
L Screens are not cheap, so you should think of this if all the parents are pooling their money for a present. Amazon is selling a quality portable L Screen for about $140. My wife got me this for Father’s Day last year, AND she installed it herself. I don’t think I’ve ever loved her more.
2. David Cone’s Book on Pitching is an Awesome Baseball Coach Gift
If your coach is a reader, he’ll absolutely love former Major-Leaguer David Cone’s book Full Count. Cone recounts how his father dutifully worked with him on pitching as a young boy in Kansas City, getting him to throw softer until he could locate his pitches.
Throughout the book, which is half-biography, half-pitching manual, Cone provides great nuggets about pitching. For example, Cone writes that he wouldn’t want to end his pre-game warmups until he knew he could locate his outside fastball. Once he had confidence that he had that pitch, he could expand his arsenal knowing he had something to fall back on. After reading this, I started telling my son to make sure he has the outside fastball before starting a game.
It’s just a great book in so many ways, and any baseball coach will happily devour it.
1. A New Baseball Mitt is an Amazing Gift for a Baseball Coach
Like with the gift of baseballs above, you might think this present is totally unnecessary, because your coach already has a baseball glove. But let me tell you, your coach’s glove is old. It’s from his high school days if not before. Not to date myself, but my sad glove (see picture below) actually has 1980s All Star George Brett’s name written on it.
Your coach will do summersaults of gratitude if you get him a new baseball mitt as an end-of-season gift. They key here is to ask his wife or the assistant coaches to get you his glove size before making the purchase. You obviously want to get him one that fits.
Also, good gloves are expensive, so you’re going to want to coordinate with the other parents from the team and pool your money if you go this route. Amazon has a beautiful Rawlings Heart of the Hide catcher’s mitt for $279.
Consider buying your coach a catcher’s mitt. As the kids get older, they throw much harder. He’s going to want a catcher’s glove to save his palm from major trauma when he works with the pitchers.
DO YOU HAVE ANY OTHER COACH GIFT IDEAS? LET US KNOW IN THE COMMENTS.
For information about the emotional side of baseball, see:
- Anger Management and Youth Baseball: How to Calm Down
- How to Manage Your Kid’s Baseball Tantrums and Meltdowns
- 4 Ways to Respond to a Coach Playing Favorites
- How to Stop Being a Crazy Baseball Dad
- How to Be a Good Baseball Dad in the Backyard
- Is It Now Fashionable to Hate On Baseball Dads?
- Are Local Little Leagues Bad for Baseball?
For information on hitting, see:
- How to Get Out of a Hitting Slump
- 4 Best Baseball Batting Aids (No. 3 is Free)
- 4 Hitting Drills You Need to Do Before Every Game
- 4 Old School Baseball Drills You Need to Be Using
- 6 Mistakes to Avoid When Buying a Baseball Bat
For information on pitching, see:
- What You Need to Know About Little League Elbow
- 4 Ways To Increase Your Kid’s Pitching Velocity
- Is the Circle Change Dangerous for Youth Pitchers?
- Why I Don’t Let My Son Pitch in Little League
- Pitching and Head Injuries: What You Need to Know
- How to Make Sure Your Kid Isn’t Overpitched in Baseball
For ways to get faster, see: