The Little League World Series is taking place this month, and that means it’s time to turn your attention from the big kids who play for money to the little kids who play for fun. Calm down, MLB enthusiasts, this will only take a week or so of your time.
We recommend you update your app collection with these youth baseball gems – from scorecards to stat trackers to instructional videos. No matter what your role in Little League, this list has you covered.
My Future Star Baseball
The 99-cent My Future Star Baseball is an app for parents and young ballplayers alike. For parents, the app offers detailed alerts that send you push notifications when the time is right. For kids, it keeps track of a multitude of batting, fielding and pitching stats – 50 categories in all. My Future Star even offers advanced stats such as OPS and WHIP. The app has other features, such as customizable field locations and season stats, and is set up to work for multiple kids (each has his or her own page).
BaseballCardMaker
Not everyone is in it strictly for love of the game. There’s always a chance your kid is in it for the glory. And for those Little Leaguers who simply yearn to see their face on cardboard, the free BaseballCardMaker is the ideal app. Typical of most iPhone photo apps, you can either take a picture on the spot or use one from your gallery. You can edit the border color, and there are limited logo options, while the back of the card can include things like favorite player and stats. BaseballCardMaker also allows you to email created cards or to have them printed, though the later will cost you.
ESPN iScore Baseball Scorekeeper
The scorecard app has been tried many, many times, but more often than not developers have swung and missed in their attempts to make a perfect one. The good news is that ESPN iScore Baseball Scorekeeper is about as close to perfection as we’ve seen in a digital scorecard, but the bad news is that it costs a hefty $9.99. It’s hard to argue that there’s not enough to justify the price, though, as with iScore you can get features such as batter spray charts, pitch tracker and something called iScoreCast that allows anyone not at the game to follow it via your scorecard. If you’re using the app for MLB purposes you can even purchase up-to-date rosters for $20, with the option to create teams yourself, at no charge.
Baseball Gameplan with Jason Giambi
Shotzoom Software’s Baseball Gameplan with Jason Giambi is the rare free instructional video app – well, at least it’s mostly free. Youth players are offered tips and drills in all elements of the game, with sections being divided into General, Fundamentals, Hitting, Fielding, Pitching and Catching. The last three of those will cost you 99 cents each, but even then the cost is well below the standard instructional video price. It also covers stretching and warm-ups, and while some of the more advanced parts might be too much for Little Leaguers, there is something for ballplayers of all ages.
Baseball Bullpen
As the name suggests, Baseball Bullpen ($1.99) focuses strictly on the pitching side of things. This app is a pitch-count tracker as well as a radar gun – like similar apps, the speed is calculated by you tapping the screen when the ball is released and again when it’s caught. You can also track pitch type and location, as well as a handy feature that allows you to record audio notes. Baseball Bullpen allows you to email results. Not only is this one of the most in-depth apps of its kind, it’s well-executed and easy to use.
Strikeout
No, umpires, I didn’t forget about you. Strikeout ($1.99) is not simply a ball-and-strike counter, but also a score keeper for umpires or even fans who don’t want to go through the trouble of keeping a full scorecard. The app is about as basic and intuitive as they come, with you simply tapping ball, strike, run or out. It’s got an easily read display, and while this one might be light on features, it does what it says for a reasonable price – sometimes, that’s all you could want.
