Jugs | Small-Ball Machine
Jugs Small-Ball Pitching Machine
A 5 in. foam ball weighing half an ounce is the entire idea behind this machine. Jugs throws it at 55-75 mph from 20 feet, which is a smaller target arriving on a shorter clock than a full-size ball off a mound. The manufacturer states the training case directly: hitting smaller 5-inch foam balls helps players sharpen focus, improve tracking and build better habits from release to contact. The machine weighs only 23 lbs, sits on a solid steel frame and runs on a 110V AC outlet.
What separates the Small-Ball Machine from everything else in this group is the feeder. It is built into the machine and holds 25 balls, so one player loads it once and hits alone with what Jugs calls consistent rhythm and minimal downtime. The machine throws fastballs and overhand curveballs, and adjustable legs create a lifelike delivery angle for baseball or softball. Because the ball is polyurethane foam at 0.5 oz, Jugs states the Small-Balls are soft and lightweight and perfect to use anywhere. Jugs states 3 Small-Balls are included with the machine. Jugs publishes no chute size, tire, feed interval in seconds, dimensions or pitch count for the Small-Ball Machine.
Speed Range55-75 mphMeasured at 20 feetMachine Weight23 lbsSolid steel frameBuilt-In Feeder25 ballsLoad once, hit aloneBall5 in. foam0.5 oz polyurethane55-75 mph at 20 feet25-ball feeder built inWeighs only 23 lbsFastballs and overhand curves
Inside the Small-Ball Machine
The Feeder, the Ball and the Twenty-Foot Figure
Four things Jugs publishes about this machine, and what each one changes about a practice.
?A Feeder Inside the MachineThe other three machines in this group need a person to hand them a ball or a feeder bought separately. The Small-Ball Machine has one built in, holding 25 balls, and Jugs states it lets players train independently with consistent rhythm and minimal downtime. That changes who can use the machine. A single player sets the speed, loads 25 balls and takes 25 swings with nobody else on the field. Jugs publishes no feed interval in seconds for this machine, so the ball count is the figure to plan a round around.25 balls⚾Why the Ball Is Five InchesThe ball this machine throws is smaller than a regulation baseball, and that is the training premise. Jugs states that hitting smaller 5-inch foam balls helps players sharpen focus, improve tracking and build better habits from release to contact. A smaller target narrows the margin at contact, and the hitter has to find it earlier out of the machine. The ball is polyurethane foam at 0.5 oz, which is what lets Jugs describe the Small-Balls as soft, lightweight and perfect to use anywhere.0.5 oz?Fifty-Five to Seventy-Five, at Twenty FeetJugs publishes this machine’s speed with a distance attached: 55-75 mph at 20 feet. The distance is part of the specification. A ball at 55 mph from 20 feet reaches a hitter in a fraction of the time the same speed takes from a full pitching distance, so read the figure as the speed a hitter sees from 20 feet. It is the only speed range in this group published with a working distance in the same line, alongside the Lite-Flite Machine’s 25 feet.55-75 mph?Solid Steel and Adjustable LegsThe frame is solid steel and the whole machine weighs only 23 lbs, the lightest thrower in this group of four. Adjustable legs create what Jugs calls a lifelike delivery angle for baseball or softball, so the same machine sets one plane for a baseball hitter and another for softball work. It runs on 110V AC power. Jugs names no generator and no battery pack on the Small-Ball Machine page.23 lbs
The published figures
Eight Facts From Jugs on the Small-Ball Machine
Every line below appears on the manufacturer’s own Small-Ball Machine page.
?55-75 mph at 20 feetPublished with the distance?Weighs only 23 lbsLightest thrower in this group?25-ball feeder built inSolo training⚾5 in., 0.5 oz foam Small-BallsPolyurethane foam?Fastballs and overhand curveballsBoth published by Jugs?Solid steel frameManufacturer construction note?Runs on 110V AC powerNo generator named by Jugs?Adjustable legsLifelike delivery angle
Closer look
Three Things This Machine Is Built To Do
The ball
Half an Ounce of Polyurethane Foam
Everything about the Small-Ball Machine follows from the ball. A 5-inch polyurethane-foam Small-Ball weighs 0.5 oz, so it can be thrown at 75 mph in a garage without the consequences a leather ball at 75 mph brings with it. Jugs states the Small-Balls are soft and lightweight, making them perfect to use anywhere. The size is the training work: a smaller ball has to be picked up earlier and tracked further to be hit squarely.
- 5-inch polyurethane-foam JUGS Small-Balls
- 0.5 oz per ball
- Soft and lightweight, perfect to use anywhere
- Jugs states 3 Small-Balls are included with the machine
- Jugs lists no other ball type for this machine
5 in.0.5 ozFoamSolo work
Twenty-Five Balls, One Player
The built-in feeder is what makes this a machine a player can run alone. It holds 25 balls, and Jugs states it lets players train independently with consistent rhythm and minimal downtime. Twenty-five swings is a full round for most hitters. Nobody stands beside the machine feeding it, which means the drill happens on a weekday evening in a backyard with one person present. Jugs does not publish an interval in seconds between balls.
- Feeder built into the machine, holding 25 balls
- Lets players train independently
- Consistent rhythm with minimal downtime
- Feed interval in seconds is not published by Jugs
- No separate feeder purchase is listed for this machine
25 ballsBuilt inTrain aloneDelivery
Fastballs, Overhand Curves and a Set of Legs
Jugs states the Small-Ball Machine throws fastballs or overhand curves with uncanny accuracy. Two pitch shapes at 55-75 mph is enough to make a hitter commit early and then be wrong about it, which is the point of a curveball at any level. The adjustable legs set the delivery angle, and Jugs states they create a lifelike angle for baseball or softball. The machine itself is 23 lbs on a solid steel frame, running on a 110V AC outlet.
- Throws fastballs and overhand curveballs
- 55-75 mph speed range at 20 feet
- Adjustable legs for baseball or softball delivery angle
- Solid steel frame at 23 lbs
- Runs on 110V AC power
Two pitch shapesAdjustable legs110V AC
Compare
Four Entry-Level Jugs Machines
The Small-Ball Machine is the only one of the four with a feeder inside it, and the only one that throws a 5 in. foam ball.
Jugs Toss MachineWeighs 13 lbs and tosses a ball every 5 seconds for up to 8 hours on its internal battery, in a 10 ft x 10 ft space.13 lbsBall every 5 seconds8-hour batteryHolds 14 baseballsShop the Jugs Toss MachineYou’re HereJugs Small-Ball MachineThrows 5 in. foam Small-Balls at 55-75 mph from 20 feet, and its built-in 25-ball feeder lets one player train alone; 3 balls included.55-75 mph23 lbs25-ball feeder5 in. foam ballsCurrently viewingJugs Lite-Flite MachineSimulates speeds up to 85 mph at 25 feet and switches between baseball and softball in seconds with the Switch-and-Play knobs; weighs 35 pounds.Up to 85 mph35 poundsCurves and sliders2-year warrantyShop the Jugs Lite-Flite MachineJugs PS50 MachineSeparate 9 in. baseball and 12 in. softball chutes plus Quick-Snap legs on a 50 lb frame, with digital speeds from 15-50 mph.15-50 mph50 lbs9 in. baseball chute12 in. softball chuteShop the Jugs PS50 Machine
Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
It is a small-ball trainer. Jugs lists exactly one ball type for it: the 5-inch, 0.5 oz polyurethane-foam JUGS Small-Ball, thrown at 55-75 mph from 20 feet. For regulation balls at real speeds, the PS50 in the grid above throws JUGS practice baseballs and 11 in. or 12 in. softballs from 15-50 mph.55-75 mph at 20 feet. Jugs publishes the distance in the same line as the speed, so the figure describes what a hitter sees standing 20 feet away.Jugs states 3 Small-Balls are included with the machine. An earlier version of this listing said Small-Balls were sold separately, which contradicts the manufacturer. The Jugs figure is the one published here. Confirm the current pack-out before ordering on the assumption that balls are or are not in the carton, and order the 5-dozen Small-Ball pack if you need a full round.25. The feeder is built into the machine, and Jugs states it lets players train independently with consistent rhythm and minimal downtime. Jugs does not publish a feed interval in seconds.Fastballs and overhand curveballs. Jugs states the machine throws them with uncanny accuracy. There is no numbered pitch dial on this machine and no changeup published for it.23 lbs, on a solid steel frame. That is the lightest throwing machine in the compare grid above. The Lite-Flite Machine weighs 35 pounds and the PS50 weighs 50 lbs.110V AC power. Jugs names no generator and no battery pack for the Small-Ball Machine. The Toss Machine above is the one machine in this group with its own internal battery.Jugs states the polyurethane-foam 5-in./0.5-oz. Small-Balls are soft and lightweight, making them perfect to use anywhere. The machine needs a 110V outlet and 20 feet between the machine and the hitter to deliver the published speeds. Jugs publishes no ceiling height or clearance requirement.Jugs lists one ball for this machine: the 5-inch foam JUGS Small-Ball. No regulation ball appears on the published ball list.No chute size, no tire or wheel, no overall dimensions, no feed interval in seconds, no numbered pitch count and no changeup. Those figures are absent from the manufacturer’s page and are left blank here.
