JUGS Protector Series Short-Toss Screen with Wheel Kit
The JUGS Protector Series Short-Toss Screen with Wheel Kit is a compact 7 ft x 4 ft baseball screen for close-range toss drills. The coach or partner tossing to the hitter works from behind it, so short toss can be run at game-like bat speed without the tosser absorbing line drives from a few steps away. Heavy-duty netting, a padded steel frame and a wheel kit that comes standard make it a screen built for hitting facilities and team practices where short toss runs every day.
Why Short Toss Needs Its Own Screen
Short toss, often called front toss, puts the tosser much closer to the hitter than a machine or live batting practice. That short distance is the point of the drill: the tosser can place the ball exactly where the hitter needs it, inside, away, up or down, and the hitter gets dozens of quality swings in a few minutes. It also means a ball hit back up the middle reaches the tosser almost instantly.
A full 7 ft x 7 ft screen is more than a tosser needs at that range and takes up most of a hitting tunnel. The Short-Toss Screen is sized specifically for the drill at 7 ft x 4 ft. The tosser sits or kneels behind it and tosses from beside it, and the netting covers the line straight back from the hitter. The narrower footprint leaves room in the tunnel for the hitter, the tosser and a ball bucket.
Heavy Steel Frame and Double-Thick Netting
The frame is built from 1.5 inch cold-rolled steel tubing. A screen this close to the plate takes hit after hit, and the steel keeps it standing and holding its shape through long sessions.
The netting is double-thick 691-90 ply polyester, made to take repeated high-impact hits. In short toss, almost every ball hit back up the middle hits the same part of the screen, so heavy netting matters. The frame is padded to protect it and the people around it.
Moving the JUGS Protector Series Short-Toss Screen
The Protector Series Wheel Kit is included. Lift the screen directly above the wheel kit and kick the wheels under it, and one person can reposition the screen between hitters, slide it out of a tunnel when the next group needs a machine, or roll it from one practice station to the next.
Who This Front Toss Screen Is For
- High school baseball programs that run short toss as a daily hitting station.
- College programs that use short toss for pregame work and in-season adjustments.
- Hitting facilities where instructors toss to hitter after hitter in a tunnel and need to reposition the screen alone.
Running a Short Toss Station
- Roll the screen into the tunnel and set it in front of the tosser's spot, square to the hitter.
- Keep the ball bucket on the tosser's side behind the netting. A Bucket of JUGS Low Impact Multi-Use Practice Baseballs or a Bucket of JUGS Sting-Free Realistic-Seam Baseballs holds enough balls for several hitters, and a dozen JUGS Sting-Free Realistic-Seam Baseballs works for smaller groups.
- Toss from beside the screen and bring the tossing hand back behind the netting before the swing.
- Collect balls between hitters with a Back-Saver Portable Ball Basket and roll the screen aside when the station rotates.
How It Compares With Other JUGS Screens
The Short-Toss Screen protects a tosser in front of the hitter. When the toss comes from the side or off a tee and the goal is to catch the ball, the Square Screen with Sock-Net collects balls in its sock. For machine work, the L-Shaped Screen covers a baseball feeder and the C-Shaped Softball Screen covers a fastpitch feeder, and the Square Baseman Screen protects fielders during live hitting.
A lighter-duty Protector Blue Series Short-Toss Screen is also available, and it is the screen included in the JUGS Short-Toss Package. When the netting on this screen wears, Protector Series Replacement Netting comes in a Short-Toss size.
What Is Included
- JUGS Protector Series Short-Toss Screen (steel frame, netting and padding)
- Protector Series Wheel Kit
JUGS Protector Series Short-Toss Screen with Wheel Kit Specifications
- Sport: baseball
- Screen size: 7 ft x 4 ft
- Frame: 1.5 inch cold-rolled steel tubing, padded
- Netting: double-thick 691-90 ply polyester
- Mobility: Protector Series Wheel Kit included
- Use: short toss and other close-range hitting drills
- Levels: high schools, colleges and hitting facilities
- Warranty: 5 years on the frame, 2 years on the netting
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is the Short-Toss Screen narrower than other screens?
It is sized at 7 ft x 4 ft specifically for short toss, giving close-range protection for the tosser without the bulk of a 7 ft x 7 ft screen in a hitting tunnel.
Is the wheel kit included?
Yes. The Protector Series Wheel Kit is included, so one person can move and reposition the screen.
Is this the same screen that comes in the JUGS Short-Toss Package?
No. The JUGS Short-Toss Package includes the Protector Blue Series Short-Toss Screen. This page is the black Protector Series version.
Where does the tosser stand?
Behind the screen. The tosser sits or kneels behind the netting, tosses from beside it, and brings the tossing hand back behind the screen before the swing.
Can I replace the netting?
Yes. Protector Series Replacement Netting is available in a Short-Toss size.
What warranty does the screen carry?
The JUGS Protector Series Short-Toss Screen carries a 5-year warranty on the frame and a 2-year warranty on the netting.
