Fisher-Price Espn Better Batter Baseball

by Fisher-Price

Product Features

• Innovative tee-free design helps kids keep their eye where it should be when they're learning to bat-on the ball, not the tee!
• This batting trainer makes learning to hit the ball fun and easy.
• Just tap the plate and the mechanical arm automatically loads a ball!
• Sound effects, baseball "chatter," and ESPN music add to the fun.
• Height adjustable for peewees to preschool pros.

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 15.9 x 23.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• Shipping Advisory: This item must be shipped separately from other items in your order. Additional shipping charges will not apply.
• ASIN: B000LT2J0E
• Item model number: K9873
• Manufacturer recommended age: 36 months - 8 years
• Batteries: 3 C batteries required.
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #77,988 in Toys & Games (See Top 100 in Toys & Games)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (87 customer reviews)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

Innovative tee-free design helps kids keep their eye where it should be when they're learning to bat-on the ball, not the tee! This batting trainer makes learning to hit the ball fun and easy. Just tap the plate and the mechanical arm automatically loads a ball! Sound effects, baseball "chatter," and ESPN music add to the fun. Height adjustable for peewees to preschool pros. Includes bat and 3 balls. Requires 3 "C" (LR14) alkaline batteries (not included).

Product Description

Innovative tee-free design helps kids keep their eye where it should be when they're learning to bat-on the ball, not the tee! This batting trainer makes learning to hit the ball fun and easy. Just tap the plate and the mechanical arm automatically loads a ball! Sound effects, baseball "chatter" and ESPN music add to the fun. Height adjustable for peewees to preschool pros. Includes bat and three balls. Requires three "C" batteries, not included. Measures approximately 24"H.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

62 of 65 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Cute Idea, March 28, 2007

By 

Great Mom "momof4" (Show-Me State) - See all my reviews

I bought this today for my 6 year old son because we had signed him up for T-Ball and I thought this would be great for him to practice with. I put it together and tapped the button for the ball to come up to the velcro tether and it worked fine. That was the first and last time it worked. The sounds are great, but I was bummed that the mechanism that brings the balls up only worked once. The tether that holds the balls so you can hit them is also kind of low. Kids have to be 3 or 4 to really have fun at that height. Overall it's a cute toy. If I had it to all over again, I think I would pass. Plus it comes with only 3 velcro balls that have to stay dry and clean or they won't stick to the velcro. And there are no refills of the balls if you need more.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic except for..., December 7, 2007

By 

Mom2Three (California) - See all my reviews

= Durability:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:4.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:4.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Fisher-Price Espn Better Batter Baseball (Toy)

We've had this for about a month and our 4-year-old and 2 1/2-year-old both like taking turns with it. It is perfect except that the velcro is WAY to strong on our unit and the balls almost never come off when the kids hit them. I usually can't even hit the ball hard enough for it to come off! It really is a pain in the neck to always have to p-u-l-l the ball off and gently reattach it before hitting. And it means that the kids can't do it independently, I have to help them.

UPDATE: We've now had this product for a year. The velcro has softened and no longer is too clingy. It usually works great and the kids still love it. Also, every kid who comes over wants to play with this and I've heard that many of them have ended up with one because they loved it so much!

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Better than a tee, November 27, 2007

By 

Katherine Harmsen (NC, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

= Durability:4.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:4.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Fisher-Price Espn Better Batter Baseball (Toy)

My 3 year old just received this as a gift, and he loves it! Within 5 minutes of hitting the ball, he was hitting it harder and more correctly than he had in months of hitting it off a traditional tee. My nephews (5 and 7) also loved it, and since the height can be adjusted this toy should last a while.

We had no problems of the arm coming off or the velcro coming off. Occasionally one of the balls would stick too tightly to the arm and we would have to loosen it, but it was no big deal. Yes, we would love to have more than 3 balls available for this as well, but even with only 3 balls my son will continue to play with this until we make him stop!

Overall, I think this is a great toy, and my son enjoys it a lot (and gets lots of exercise chasing down those 3 balls).