The road to being a hitter is never easy. It might be the flashiest spot on the diamond, but anybody who thinks becoming a pro-level hitter is easy is in for a rude awakening. You need to burn endless hours standing inside a batting cage, hitting baseballs one after another.
Unless you build a strong foundation from an early age, you will have a hard time keeping up with the competition. If you have a batting tee at home, you will be able to train at your own pace even when you are not playing under a coach. As a coach myself, I think this is one of the best training tools a hitter can own.
But batting tees, like any other baseball gear, can cost quite a lot. For any decent batting tee, you need to be prepared to spend at least over fifty dollars. So it’s worth taking a closer look at two of Franklin’s budget-friendly options: the Flexpro and the Flex Top. Franklin is a very popular name in the sports industry with strong partnerships with organizations such as the MLB, NHL, and NFL. This isn’t some riff-raff brand that comes up with weird products.
Here’s the thing I need to flag up front, though. I went back through Franklin’s current lineup to double check pricing and specs before updating this post, and the original Flexpro Batting Tee has been discontinued. It’s no longer listed on franklinsports.com, and I couldn’t find it in stock anywhere reputable. I’m keeping the original review below for anyone comparing notes on an older or secondhand unit, but if you’re shopping today, I’ll point you to the current Franklin tee that fills the same role.
The Flex Top, on the other hand, is still very much alive and well. Franklin has since rebranded it as the MLB Flex Top Pro Tee, but it’s the same flexible-post, bounce-back-topper design I originally reviewed here. Below, I’ll walk you through both tees so you know exactly what you’re getting, and what to buy instead if you were hoping to track down the Flexpro.
1. Franklin MLB Flex Top Pro Batting Tee
The Flex Top comes at a slightly higher price than the Flexpro used to. Franklin now sells it as the MLB Flex Top Pro Tee for around $34.99, and like its predecessor, it’s still aimed mostly at beginners. You can use it with more skilled players, but you’ll find it quite lacking in the hands of a decent hitter. As a beginner’s tee, though, it’s still one of the better values around.
The post is made using high-impact PVC that can handle the impact from missed bat swings without too many complaints. Sure, if you keep hitting it, it will break off eventually. But when used with care, it should last you a pretty long time. What makes this unit special is the top design. It comes with a flexible topper that bounces back after you hit the ball, giving you that “extreme bounce back” feel Franklin advertises. Since the ball sits high atop the topper, you’ll be able to see it clearly and get consistent ball presentation on contact.
As for height adjustment, the range is pretty decent, going from 22 inches to as high as 31 inches. That’s a solid range if you’re wondering how high a batting tee should actually sit, and it lets you work with taller and older players than a basic tee-ball model. Still, for teenagers and adults, the top of that range might not be enough. Most of the quality of a batting tee comes down to the base, and the Flex Top Pro Tee’s base is honestly its best feature. It has a respectable weight to it to prevent tee walk, so you won’t be chasing it across the yard mid-session.
It’s also quite portable. The topper twists apart easily for travel or storage, so you can toss it in a bag and take it to the field or a friend’s backyard. Overall, the Flex Top Pro Tee is the more durable, better-built option of the two tees in this comparison, and it’s the one Franklin still actively sells.
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2. Franklin Flexpro Batting Tee (Discontinued)
Heads up: as of this update, the Franklin Flexpro is discontinued. Franklin no longer lists it on their site, and I couldn’t find an active, in-stock listing anywhere I’d trust with an affiliate link. If you see it floating around at a closeout retailer, that’s likely old stock, not a current production run. I’m leaving the original review intact below for reference, but if you want a current Franklin tee at a similar entry-level price point, jump down to my recommendation.
The Franklin Flexpro used to be one of the most affordable batting tees you could find on the market, often under 15 dollars, which was a steal considering the level of performance it offered. As an entry-level batting tee, it came with everything I could hope for. This unit featured a professional-grade Fibertech post that felt pretty sturdy and could hold its own against a couple of missed hits. It had a good amount of flex to it so that it could bend easily as the bat hit the ball.
The height adjustment on this batting tee ranged from 20 to 28 inches, which frankly was a bit of a letdown. If you were working with youth players who were simply looking to get the basics down, though, it served just fine. You wouldn’t get full strike zone coverage, but it was good enough for teaching a basic stance.
The top of the batting tee attached as an extension to the post. Once installed, you’d get high visibility of the ball when it was placed on top, which meant better bat-to-ball contact.
As for the base, it was a very basic one. It wasn’t that heavy, but to securely anchor it, you got two ground stakes included with your purchase. As long as you used the stakes, tee walk wasn’t much of an issue.
This was never the choice for a skilled hitter who had a good grip on the basics. It was better suited for beginners working on improving their hand-to-eye coordination and learning the fundamentals of a swing. Since it came at such an affordable price, it also made a fantastic starter tee for kids under eight years old.
What to buy instead: the closest current match from Franklin is the MLB Flex Top Teeball Tee, which runs about $19.99. It uses the same durable PVC construction and bounce-back rubber topper as the Flex Top Pro Tee above, adjusts from 22 to 31 inches, and sits on a foldable tri-leg base built for portability. It’s a genuine budget option for young hitters just starting out with the fundamentals, and it’s actually in stock, which the Flexpro no longer is.
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Flex Top vs Flexpro: Which One Should You Buy?
Frankly speaking, neither of these tees made the cut in my list of top batting tees because there are better options out there once you’re willing to spend a bit more. What made these two tees appealing was always the price tag. Compared to most of the other tees on the market, the price of both was almost laughable.
Since the Flexpro is no longer sold, the practical choice today comes down to the Flex Top Pro Tee (around $34.99, built for a bit more longevity) or its budget sibling, the Flex Top Teeball Tee (around $19.99, the true entry-level replacement for the old Flexpro). If your hitter is outgrowing tee work altogether, it’s also worth checking out how a Franklin pitching machine can round out the next stage of their training.
If budget is the only factor and you just need something to get a young hitter started, go with the Flex Top Teeball Tee. If you’d rather buy once and get a bit more durability out of it, spend the extra money on the Flex Top Pro Tee. Good luck, and happy hitting.
With 4 years of Division II experience, a .272 career batting average, .410 on-base percentage, and 7 home runs, I’m now in my fifth season. I’ve played baseball since age 3, alongside future MLB Draft picks, and I aim to pursue a career in baseball professionally, be it playing, coaching, or scouting.