Quicker Start

This is totally facetious, but I just can't resist!

Why worry about his speed? If he can hit, he'll make the team!

Like I said, that was just me poking fun, but your question goes a long way to prove there are other things besides the bat that are important.

As for the question, there is a real tendency around here for all athletes to head to gyms and private coaches who do nothing but concentrate on quickness, and explosive strength conditioning. For a long time it was mainly football players who were doing it, but now there are a lot of baseball players heading to those places.

From the few of those folks I've watched or talked to, the rope ladder on the ground appears to be a "stock" tool. The ladder is laid on the ground and the athlete does drills using various foot movements up and down the ladder against the clock.

I don't know if its appropriate for a little guy, but the clean and jerk with light weights also seems to be a "stock" item. Supposedly builds strength while improving the muscle groups needed for quick movements.

The old "move the blocks" drill is also still very much in vogue. That's the one where you have blocks, in our case baseballs, on a line 10 yards from another line. then you start on the empty line, runt to the balls, pick one up and move it to the other line, and on and on, against the clock. Supposedly that that's builds up the muscles needed for quick direction changes and fast starts and stops.

But beware! I know little or nothing about this stuff and have only observed it and maybe briefly discussed it. Before you do something like that, take the time to consult with someone who would know what's going on and what the benefits and dangers are.