Jugs mini3 Baseball Pitching Machine
Jugs | mini3 Baseball Jugs mini3 Baseball Pitching Machine Three wheels is what it takes to throw a curveball, and three-wheel machines are usually the heavy ones. The other two th ree-wheel machines in this group weigh 140 lbs. The mini3 weighs just 95 lbs. and Jugs states it fits in most car trunks, which is the difference between a machine that lives in a cage and a machine that travels to a tournament. Jugs calls it the most portable, versatile and easy-to-use 3-wheel machine they make. It throws 8 pre-set pitches from 30-80 mph: fastballs, split-finger fastballs, right- or left-handed curveballs, cutters and sliders, each one a position on the Select-A-Pitch dial. Three 1/4 HP motors drive three Grip-Tite 9 in. non-marking pneumatic tires with a 20-year tire life expectancy. The black hitter's eye ball chute is part of the Always-See-The-Ball delivery system and gives hitters an unobstructed view from machine to hitting zone. Jugs recommends the mini3 for offensive, defensive and catcher's drills, including pop-ups, grounders and deep fly balls. Jugs publishes no power source, no changeup, no feed rate, no dimensions and no full ball-type list for the mini3, and this page adds none. Speed Range 30-80 mph Select-A-Pitch dial Pre-Set Pitches 8 Fastball through slider Machine Weight 95 lbs. Fits in most car trunks Tires 9 in. Grip-Tite, three 1/4 HP motors 8 pre-set pitches on one dial 95 lbs., trunk portable Three 1/4 HP motors 20-year tire life expectancy Inside the mini3 Why a Three-Wheel Machine Throws Pitches a One-Wheel Machine Cannot This is the page where the mechanism gets explained, because the mini3 is the cheapest three-wheel machine Jugs builds and the first rung where break becomes an option. ⚙ How Three Wheels Make a Curveball A wheel-and-tire pitching machine works by pinching the ball between spinning tires and letting go. How fast the tires turn sets how fast the ball leaves. Spin is the second variable, and spin is what makes a ball break. With a single powered wheel, as on the BP1 and the Changeup Baseball, you set speed and that is the adjustment you have. With three wheels, each on its own motor, the wheels can turn at different rates, and the difference between them puts the ball on a spin axis. Change which wheels are turning faster and you change which way the pitch breaks. That is why the mini3 lists right- and left-handed curveballs, cutters and sliders where the single-wheel machines list none. Three 1/4 HP motors 🎯 The Select-A-Pitch Dial, 8 Positions The eight pre-set pitches on the mini3 are fastballs, split-finger fastballs, right- or left-handed curveballs, cutters and sliders. They are pre-sets, which means the wheel-speed combination for each pitch is already set and the coach turns a dial to reach it. Nobody has to work out the settings for a left-handed slider in the middle of a session, and the same pitch comes back the same way the next time the dial lands there. 8 pre-set pitches 👀 Always-See-The-Ball and the Hitter's Eye Chute Jugs fits the mini3 with a black hitter's eye ball chute that gives hitters an unobstructed view from machine to hitting zone, as part of the Always-See-The-Ball delivery system. Timing starts the instant a hitter picks the ball up. A chute that hides the ball until it is already out of the machine costs the hitter the first fraction of the flight, which is the fraction a real pitcher gives away with his hand. Black chute 🚙 Ninety-Five Pounds and a Car Trunk Jugs states the mini3 weighs just 95 lbs. and fits in most car trunks, and calls it the most portable 3-wheel machine made. Read that against the rest of the group: the SP3 and the BP3 both weigh 140 lbs., and the BP2 sits on a 125 lb base. The mini3 is the only machine in this six that combines three-wheel breaking pitches with a weight a travel coach can load alone. No transport cart is listed with the baseball mini3. 95 lbs. The published figures Eight Facts From Jugs on the mini3 Every line below appears on the manufacturer's own mini3 baseball page. 🕑 30-80 mph speed range Select-A-Pitch dial 🎯 8 pre-set pitches Curves, cutters, sliders 📦 Weighs just 95 lbs. Fits in most car trunks ⚙ Three 1/4 HP motors One per wheel ⚫ 9 in. Grip-Tite tires Non-marking pneumatic 📅 20-year tire life expectancy Published by Jugs 👀 Always-See-The-Ball chute Unobstructed view ⚾ Offense, defense and catchers Pop-ups, grounders, fly balls Closer look The Two Numbers That Define the mini3 Portability Ninety-Five Pounds of Three-Wheel Machine Jugs states coaches love that the mini3 weighs just 95 lbs. and fits in most car trunks. That figure is the machine's reason for being. Three-wheel machines earn their keep on breaking pitches, and until you can move one, the breaking pitches only happen where the machine already is. At 95 lbs. the mini3 goes to a rented cage, to a road tournament, to a field with no shed. Jugs does not publish overall dimensions for the mini3, so measure your own trunk before you count on it. 95 lbs. total machine weight Fits in most car trunks per Jugs Three-wheel design with three 1/4 HP motors Grip-Tite 9 in. non-marking pneumatic tires No transport cart is listed with the baseball mini3 95 lbs. Car trunk 3 wheels Pitch selection Eight Pitches at Thirty to Eighty The dial holds fastballs, split-finger fastballs, right- or left-handed curveballs, cutters and sliders, across a 30-80 mph range. A 30 mph floor is slow enough for young hitters and for catcher pop-up work; an 80 mph ceiling is 10 mph above where the single-wheel BP1 and Changeup Baseball stop, and 10 mph below where the SP3 and BP3 top out. Jugs recommends the mini3 for offensive, defensive and catcher's drills, and names catcher pop-up drills, grounders and deep fly balls directly. 8 pre-set pitches on the Select-A-Pitch dial Fastballs, split-finger fastballs, right- or left-handed curveballs, cutters and sliders 30-80 mph published speed range Rated by Jugs for offensive, defensive and catcher's drills Catcher pop-ups, grounders and deep fly balls named by the manufacturer 8 pitches 30-80 mph Defensive drills Compare Six Jugs Baseball Pitching Machines Six machines from one wheel to three. The mini3 is the lightest three-wheel machine here, and the cheapest route to breaking pitches off a dial. Jugs BP1 Baseball This single-wheel machine covers 15-70 mph at 75 lb and runs on 110V AC, the JUGS Complete Practice Battery Pack or the Yamaha EF2000iSv2 generator. 15-70 mph 75 lb Accepts tennis balls 2-year warranty Shop the Jugs BP1 Baseball Jugs Changeup Baseball A remote control drops this 75 lb single-wheel machine from 70 mph fastballs to 44 mph changeups mid-session, thrown from a 64 in. release height. 70 mph fastballs 44 mph changeups 64 in. release Remote control Shop the Jugs Changeup Baseball You're Here Jugs mini3 Baseball The lightest three-wheel machine in this group at 95 lbs, it dials 8 pre-set pitches from 30-80 mph and fits in most car trunks. 30-80 mph 8 pre-set pitches 95 lbs 3 wheels Currently viewing Jugs BP2 Baseball Six preset arm slot positions set the pitch angle on a 125 lb base, with speeds from 45-90 mph off a 64 in. release point. 45-90 mph 6 arm slot positions 125 lb base 64 in. release Shop the Jugs BP2 Baseball Jugs SP3 Baseball Widest speed span in this set at 25-90 mph, with 8 pitch types on the Select-A-Pitch dial and the Long Feed Chute standard. 25-90 mph 8 pitch types 12 in. tires 140 lbs Shop the Jugs SP3 Baseball Jugs BP3 Baseball Nine preset pitches on the Select-A-Pitch dial from 40-90 mph, with handheld remote changeups that switch speed without giving the hitter a cue. 40-90 mph 9 preset pitches Remote changeups 2-year warranty Shop the Jugs BP3 Baseball Questions Frequently Asked Questions What pitches does the mini3 throw? + 8 pre-set pitches: fastballs, split-finger fastballs, right- or left-handed curveballs, cutters and sliders. They sit on the Select-A-Pitch dial, so each one is a marked position on the dial, already set. What is the speed range? + 30-80 mph. The floor is 15 mph above the single-wheel BP1 and Changeup Baseball, and the ceiling is 10 mph above them. The SP3 (25-90 mph) and BP3 (40-90 mph) go higher at the top. How much does it weigh, and will it fit in a car? + 95 lbs. Jugs states it fits in most car trunks and calls it the most portable 3-wheel machine made. Jugs does not publish overall dimensions for the mini3, so measure your trunk opening before you commit. No transport cart is listed with the baseball mini3. What does the mini3 run on? + Jugs publishes no power source on the current mini3 page, so we do not print one. Do not assume the Bluetti AC70P named for the SP3 and BP3 applies, and do not assume the JUGS Complete Practice Battery Pack or Yamaha generator named for the BP1 applies. Ask us to confirm the power requirement with Jugs before ordering. Does the mini3 throw a changeup? + Jugs publishes no changeup for the mini3. Two machines here do: the Changeup Baseball, which drops from 70 to 44 mph by remote, and the BP3, which carries changeups as one of nine preset pitches. What balls does it throw? + Jugs references JUGS Pearl and JUGS Youth League Pearl baseballs in connection with the mini3, and does not publish a full ball-type list for this machine. We are not repeating the longer lists published for the SP3 and BP3 here, because the manufacturer does not state them for the mini3. Ask us to confirm with Jugs before you buy training balls for it. What are the tires and how long do they last? + Grip-Tite 9 in. non-marking pneumatic tires, one per wheel, with a 20-year tire life expectancy published by Jugs. Non-marking means they do not stripe an indoor cage floor. How many motors does it have? + Three 1/4 HP motors, one for each wheel. Independent wheel speeds are what let the machine put spin on the ball and throw named breaking pitches. Is it suitable for defensive practice? + Yes. Jugs states it is ideal for offensive, defensive and catcher's drills and names catcher pop-up drills, grounders and deep fly balls directly. How does the mini3 compare to the SP3? + Both are three-wheel machines with three 1/4 HP motors and 8 pitch selections. The differences are weight, tires and range: the mini3 is 95 lbs. on 9 in. Grip-Tite tires at 30-80 mph; the SP3 is 140 lbs on 12 in. Grip-Tite tires at 25-90 mph, comes standard with the Long Feed Chute, and adds Pinpoint micro-adjustment for pitch location. Take the mini3 if the machine has to move; take the SP3 if it stays put and you want the wider range and the location control. Is there a hopper or automatic feeder? + Jugs publishes no feed rate and no hopper capacity for the mini3. Automatic feeders are sold separately across the Jugs range; ask us to confirm which feeder is matched to this machine before ordering.
