Attention all sluggers, from weekend warriors to future MVPs: if you want to hit home runs, it all starts at home! The best way to improve your batting average is to get out to the batting cages and put in the extra practice to sharpen your eye, prop your elbow, and swing for the stars. However, finding the best spots to start training can be difficult, especially when looking for high-quality options without too many other people crowding the plate. So, we went searching for the best cities to boost your batting average.
We analyzed 100 cities based on factors like the number of batting cages and baseball trainers per capita to ensure you can find the perfect support for batting training. Whether you’re looking for top-notch batting cages, expert trainers, or diamond-studded neighborhoods, we’ve scouted the best spots to help you swing for the fences!
The 15 Best U.S. Cities to Boost Your Batting Average
The Cities Knocking it Out of the Park
If you’re looking to boost your batting average, Newark, NJ, is the perfect city to learn how to hit homers! Scoring an MVP-worthy 82.4 out of a possible 100, Newark is hitting leadoff with plenty of batting cages and baseball trainers to go around. Most impressively, the city has nearly 200 sporting goods stores per 100k residents (198.91), the highest in the study.
Right on its tail is Glendale, AZ, sliding into second with a score of 75.5, thanks to its all-star lineup of above-average batting cages and lots of batter trainers. Glendale (11.32) is only second to Irving, TX (11.57), in batting trainers per 100k.
Not far behind, Jersey City, NJ (72.4) and Irvine, CA (72.1) bring the heat, proving you don’t need to play in the big leagues to find big-time baseball batter support. California has four spots in the top 10—Irvine, Santa Clarita, Fremont, and Anaheim—explaining why Californians deserve to have a whopping five MLB teams!
Striking Out: The Cities that Missed the Mark
On the flip side, some cities swing and miss. New York, NY, lands at the bottom of the lineup with a disappointing 15.0, proving that even the Big Apple can strike out sometimes. Joining NYC in the dugout are Los Angeles (16.2) and San Diego (16.4)—big cities where batting cages and baseball trainers seem harder to find than a curveball in the dirt. Seattle (18.6) and Phoenix (18.7) also fall short, joining the list of cities with MLB teams lacking baseball batter training opportunities.
Suburban Superstars
When it comes to the type of cities whose baseball batters are thriving the most, it seems the suburbs are generally better suited. In Arizona, Glendale, Gilbert, and Chandler are all hitting dingers, but Phoenix is lagging behind. California has a strong roster of high-ranking cities, but the biggest cities in the state didn’t make the cut. New York City might be watching from the bleachers, but Newark and Jersey City are at the top of the batting order. This serves as a helpful reminder that just because a city doesn’t have an MLB team doesn’t mean fans can’t get involved with the sport!
A City-By-City Look at the Best Cities for Batting Training
Whether you’re curious to see how your city stacks up or looking to scope out some of your neighbors, check out this interactive table of the entire study’s data.
Closing Thoughts
If you’re serious about slugging, try checking out the suburbs where batting cages, trainers, and diamonds are abundant, and the odds of hitting a home run with your training are sky-high. If you’re stuck somewhere else, don’t fret; all it really takes to become a great baseball batter is the equipment to prepare you to swing for the moon.
At Baseball Savings, we’re proud to call ourselves batting average boosters with a premium lineup of bats to choose from. Once you’ve made the selection right for you, grab your bat, lace up those cleats, and get ready to watch your batting average skyrocket! After all, practice makes perfect!
Methodology
In order to identify the best cities in the U.S. to boost your batting average, we started with a list of the 100 most populous cities. We then identified five factors relevant to batting training, including the number of batting cages per 100k residents, average rating of batting cages*, number of baseball trainers per 100k residents, number of baseball diamonds per 100k residents, and number of sporting goods stores per 100k residents.
Ranking factor sources:
- No. of Batting Cages
- Weight: 5.00
- Source: Yelp.com
- Avg. Rating of Batting Cages
- Weight: 2.50
- Source: Yelp.com
- No. of Batting Trainers
- Weight: 5.00
- Source: Lessons.com
- No. of Baseball Diamonds
- Weight: 5.00
- Source: Trust for Public Land (2024 City Park Facts)
- No. of Sports Equipment Stores
- Weight: 2.50
- Source: Yellow Pages
This is great! I live in one of these cities and had no idea I had so many options.