Need an extra fielder? Get an Xtrafielder!

Xtra Fielder LLC recently sent us their XtraFielder strike zone net to review. We have to say that we liked it overall, and would definitely find a place for one in Major League Wiffleball, although probably not exactly as the company intended.

The Xtrafielder is a great idea if you’d like some extra help for the two fielders used under Major League Wiffleball rules (pitcher and fielder).

You can set up one of these next to each base, and use them like they’re an extra fielder, just as the name indicates. If the ball beats the player to the base, the player is out. See the (amusing) Xtrafielder video on Youtube [4:38]. If you’d like, buy a few extras and position them in the outfield, so they can catch pop-ups and line drives.

The Xtrafielder will work best if you play on a grass or dirt surface. We play on asphalt, so we couldn’t use the Xtrafielder as intended, since the end spikes need to be placed in the ground to keep them upright. The company also sells plastic add-ons that help the Xtrafielder stand-up on a hard surface, but we probably wouldn’t have used them anyway. We like to think we’re a pretty creative bunch, so I could see us setting these up on our home run line, coincidentally where the grass begins, and position them there to rob home runs. Besides, we prefer our ‘mound outs’ rule, where the pitcher’s mound acts as the lead base for getting runners out.

Xtrafielder is exactly what it says it is — it’s an extra fielder, not an umpire. So we wouldn’t recommend using one as a strike zone or backstop. If it’s all you’ve got, or a temporary solution, then it’ll work. However, there are bigger and better strike zones available — ones that handle balls and strikes. As an extra fielder though, it does a great job.

The Xtrafielder is fairly easy to set up, although I did spend a lot of time tweaking it to make it just right. They’re a little flimsy too; the plastic rim was beginning to rip where the rod gets inserted, but they hold up well during a game of wiffleball. The Xtrafielder has a yellow frame, and the nets come in two colors (neon pink for the strike zone and neon yellow for the fielders). They also disassemble easily for convenient storage. Xtrafielder packages are available from one to nine.

These aren’t a necessary piece of equipment, but they are a nice add-on that can add a new dimension to your wiffleball league. If you’re looking to add a unique touch to your version of wiffleball, consider the XtraFielder from Xtra Fielder LLC.