Real off-season weight.
Skinny players do not get bigger by eating more chicken. They get bigger by drinking calories they do not have to chew. These are the exact two shakes we use, measured to the gram, plus the four cheap tools that make them repeatable.
Every ingredient and every tool sits in one Amazon list, so you fill the cart in one trip. Prefer to pick and choose? Every row below adds a single item.
Why a shake beats another meal
Two homemade weight gain shakes, measured to the gram
Same method both times: pitcher on the scale, tare to zero, add the next item, tare again. The only thing that changes is the mix.
Cutting or holding weight? These are gain shakes, about 700 calories each. On a cut, make it a half shake after the lift or skip it for a Sunday meal container. Holding weight, one full shake replaces one meal, never sits on top of it. The shake is one of your meals on the meal prep calculator, size it to the per-meal number there.
Chocolate protein shake
The calorie dense chocolate base for off-season bulking and serious recovery.
| 250 g | Water | tap |
| 100 g | Heavy cream | + Amazon Cart |
| 13 g | MCT oil (1 tbsp) | + Amazon Cart |
| 10 g | Powdered coconut oil | + Amazon Cart |
| 10 g | Sugar (more or less to taste) | + Amazon Cart |
| 5 g | Creatine (once per day; 13 and up, food first, ask your doctor, parent guide below) | + Amazon Cart |
| 50 g | Chocolate shake mix (Orgain plant protein, or Optimum Nutrition whey) | + Amazon Cart |
- Put the blender pitcher on the digital scale and tare to zero.
- Add 250 g water.
- Tare, add 100 g heavy cream.
- Tare, add 13 g MCT oil.
- Tare, add 10 g powdered coconut oil.
- Tare, add 10 g sugar.
- Tare, add 5 g creatine (once per day only; 13 and up, ask your doctor first, and the parent guide below covers the research).
- Tare, add 50 g chocolate shake mix.
- Blend about 45 seconds, or until smooth.
Adds all 5 items to your Amazon cart in one click. Heavy cream comes from the grocery store.
Want whey instead of plant protein? Add the Optimum Nutrition version. Price shows in your cart.
Vanilla protein shake
Same fuel, cleaner base. Takes fruit and peanut butter better than the chocolate does.
| 250 g | Water | tap |
| 100 g | Heavy cream | + Amazon Cart |
| 13 g | MCT oil (1 tbsp) | + Amazon Cart |
| 10 g | Powdered coconut oil | + Amazon Cart |
| 10 g | Sugar (more or less to taste) | + Amazon Cart |
| 5 g | Creatine (once per day; 13 and up, food first, ask your doctor, parent guide below) | + Amazon Cart |
| 50 g | Vanilla shake mix (Orgain plant protein, or Optimum Nutrition whey) | + Amazon Cart |
- Put the blender pitcher on the digital scale and tare to zero.
- Add 250 g water.
- Tare, add 100 g heavy cream.
- Tare, add 13 g MCT oil.
- Tare, add 10 g powdered coconut oil.
- Tare, add 10 g sugar.
- Tare, add 5 g creatine (once per day only; 13 and up, ask your doctor first, and the parent guide below covers the research).
- Tare, add 50 g vanilla shake mix.
- Blend about 45 seconds, or until smooth.
Adds all 5 items to your Amazon cart in one click. Heavy cream comes from the grocery store.
Want whey instead of plant protein? Add the Optimum Nutrition version. Price shows in your cart.
The no-powder shake, from the grocery store
No protein powder, no creatine, no MCT oil. Same scale, same method, about 850 calories and 35 g of protein from four things your kitchen probably has.
Blend 45 seconds. On a cut, halve the peanut butter and the oats and it lands near 500. The powder shakes above win on protein per calorie, this one wins on price and on being available tonight.
MCT oil in a protein shake, and the coconut oil beside it
The two fats that pack real calories into a small cup without adding volume you have to drink.
13 g per shake
MCT Oil
100% coconut | 32 fl ozOne tablespoon is 13 g and about 130 calories, with none of the thickness of regular oil.
Price shows in your cart.
10 g per shake
Powdered Coconut Oil
1 lb | 45 servingsSame fat, dry form, so it blends in without the oily film liquid oil leaves in the cup.
Price shows in your cart.
Best protein powder for baseball players: pick one mix
The 50 g protein base for either recipe. Plant or whey, chocolate or vanilla, same method either way.
Chocolate | plant
Orgain Chocolate
21 g protein | vegan | 2.02 lbThe plant base for the chocolate shake. Same recipe, same measurements, works straight in.
Price shows in your cart.
Chocolate | whey
Optimum Nutrition Chocolate
24 g protein | whey | 1.05 lbSwap in for the plant version if whey is the one that is already in the cabinet.
Price shows in your cart.
Vanilla | plant
Orgain Vanilla Bean
21 g protein | vegan | 2.02 lbThe plant base for the vanilla shake. Takes fruit and peanut butter better than chocolate does.
Price shows in your cart.
Vanilla | whey
Optimum Nutrition Vanilla
24 g protein | whey | 1.02 lbSwap in for the plant version if whey is the one that is already in the cabinet.
Price shows in your cart.
Creatine for baseball players
Creatine is 5 g per day total, not 5 g per shake, so two shakes in a day means it goes in one of them. It is the most studied supplement in sports, it is already in the steak and fish on your plate, and these two guides cover the rest.
Sticks, premeasured
No scale, no scoop, no guessing. Tear one open into the shake and it is dosed.
Most affordable
NAKED Creatine Sticks
5 g per stick | unflavored | 30 servings | NSF CertifiedNo fillers, nothing to taste, dissolves into either shake without changing the flavor.
Price shows in your cart.
Name-brand pick
Thorne Creatine Sticks
30 stick packs | 5.15 g each | NSF Certified for SportUsed by 100-plus pro teams and the brand clinics recommend most. Mix one stick with 8 oz water, juice, or the shake itself.
Price shows in your cart.
Flavored pick
Nutricost Variety Sticks
20 servings | flavored variety packFor the player who will not choke down plain powder. Premeasured and flavored both.
Price shows in your cart.
Powder, scoop and measure
Cheapest per gram by a wide margin. Needs a scale or the scoop that comes in the tub.
Most affordable
NAKED Pure Creatine
100 servings | unflavored | NSF CertifiedThe one already in both shake recipes above. 100 servings for under 22 dollars, nothing added.
Price shows in your cart.
Name-brand pick
Thorne Creatine, 90ct
90 servings | NSF Certified for SportSame trusted brand as the stick pick above, in the bigger tub for a full season.
Price shows in your cart.
Flavored pick
Nutricost Fruit Punch
500 g | fruit punch flavorSame scoop and measure routine, minus the chalky taste plain powder leaves behind.
Price shows in your cart.
Gummies
No water, no mixing, chewed like candy. The easiest thing on this page to actually remember to take.
Most affordable
Natures Aid Creatine Gummies
135 count | NSF Certified | blueberryCheapest gummy on this page that is still third-party tested. 135 count lasts a while.
Price shows in your cart.
Best all-around
Force Factor Creatine Gummies
NSF Certified | recognizable brandA name players already recognize from the supplement aisle, NSF tested, reasonable price.
Price shows in your cart.
Anti-melt pick
Create Creatine Gummies
1.5 g creatine per gummy | anti-melting formulaBuilt to survive a hot bat bag without turning into a puddle of gummy. Highest dose per gummy on this page.
Price shows in your cart.
Capsules
Swallow and done. No taste at all, the option for a player who cannot stand the texture of a mix.
Most affordable
Nutricost Creatine Capsules
180 count | 750 mg per capsuleFour capsules gets you to 3 g. Cheapest way into capsule form.
Price shows in your cart.
Best all-around
BulkSupplements Creatine Caps
420 count | 5,000 mg per serving (7 caps)420 capsules covers most of a year. The one we would actually buy for a full season.
Price shows in your cart.
Name-brand pick
Sports Research Creatine Caps
120 count | 5 g per servingA recognizable supplement brand for the parent who wants a familiar name on the bottle.
Price shows in your cart.
For parents
What the research actually says, in plain language, with the myths checked against current science and the safety steps spelled out.PDF | opens in a new tabFor players
Creatine 101, no fluff, plus the 15 day ramp up and ramp down schedule and the 5 g per day maintenance dose that follows it.PDF | opens in a new tabTalk to your doctor or athletic trainer before starting any supplement, and check your league and school rules first.
Optional add ins
Find 3 or 4 combos you actually like and rotate them. Burnout is what kills the habit, not the macros.
Price shows in your cart.
Heavy cream, the fruit, the Oreos, the coffee and both nut butters live in this one, fresh and frozen both.
Nailing the texture and the taste
These tweaks do not touch the benefit of the shake. The shake has to taste good enough that you keep drinking it in February.
Shake and make tools
Four jobs, real picks for each. This recipe makes about 28 oz, so every blender below holds at least 48 oz.
Adds the recommended pick from each category to your Amazon cart in one click. Buy them once, the protocol runs itself. Price shows in your cart.
Personal blender
This recipe runs about 28 oz. A cup blender under 48 oz means blending in two batches, so every pick here clears that line.
Most affordable
Magic Bullet Combo
600 W | 48 oz pitcher + 16 oz cupOur actual pick, the cheapest one that still clears 48 oz. The pitcher handles a full batch in one go.
Price shows in your cart.
Full-size pick
NutriBullet Full-Size Combo
1,200 W | 64 oz pitcher + 32 oz cupA 64 oz pitcher for the double batch and a 32 oz cup that fits this recipe exactly, no leftover to store.
Price shows in your cart.
Professional
Ninja Professional Plus
1,400 W | 72 oz pitcher | Auto-iQThe biggest pitcher and the most power on this page. Built for a whole team’s worth of shakes, not just one.
Price shows in your cart.
Kitchen scale
0.1 g precision with a tare button. This is the tool that turns the recipe into a recipe.
Most affordable
Amazon Basics Digital Scale
11 lb capacity | tare functionDoes exactly one job, weighing, and does it for under ten dollars. No app, no bells.
Price shows in your cart.
Best all-around
BOMATA Large
0.1 g precision | USB rechargeableOur actual pick. Big enough platform for the whole pitcher, precise enough that a gram actually means a gram.
Price shows in your cart.
Bowl pick
Etekcity with Bowl
0.1 g precision | stainless bowl includedComes with its own bowl, so powders and sugar do not scatter across the counter while you tare.
Price shows in your cart.
Smoothie cup
Three jobs, three cups: one for the kitchen, one for the car, one that keeps it cold.
Home
KOXIN-KARLU 32 oz
Set of 8 | unbreakable plasticOur actual pick. Eight cups for the price of one name brand, so there is always a clean one in the cabinet.
Price shows in your cart.
On the go
VELOMIX 28 oz, 4-Pack
28 oz | wire whisk | leak proofThrow one in the bag pre-mixed. Leak proof lid and a wire whisk ball mean it survives the ride to the field.
Price shows in your cart.
Insulated
BlenderBottle Sport Flip
24 oz | double-wall vacuum insulated | stainlessKeeps the shake cold through a long practice instead of warming up in a bat bag.
Price shows in your cart.
Jumbo straws
Wide bore. A thick shake through a coffee straw is a shake that gets left on the counter.
Most affordable
Tifanso Reusable, 14ct
10 in | silicone | wide boreCheapest upfront and never needs rebuying. Rinse it, use it again tomorrow.
Price shows in your cart.
Best all-around
MYJIE Jumbo, 100ct
9.45 in | individually wrapped | disposableOur actual pick. Wrapped one at a time, so a shared bat bag or a team bin stays sanitary.
Price shows in your cart.
Easy-clean pick
Wide Reusable + Squeegee
9 in | silicone | cleaning squeegee includedThe squeegee pushes straight through, so the inside actually gets clean instead of just rinsed.
Price shows in your cart.
Shakes and creatine for baseball players, the questions everybody asks
The same questions come up every off-season. Short answers, and where the long one lives on this page.
Every answer points to a section on this page or the next one. Not medical advice; the parent and player guides above carry the sources.
The whole system, in order
This page is one step of Complete Player Development. The steps run Target, Eat, Drink, Train, Recover, and every one of them is live. Pick up wherever you are.
Step 1 | Target: The Weight Target Tool
What rostered college players weigh at your height, level and position, and the honest timeline to get there.uncommittedu.com/weight-targetsStep 2 | Eat: The Sunday Cook Up
Five meals out of a rice cooker, an air fryer and a pressure cooker, with the calculators that size the week to your body.uncommittedu.com/meal-prepStep 3 | Drink: The Hydration Protocol
Measure your sweat rate once, get your game day clock, and pick the electrolytes that actually replace what you lose.uncommittedu.com/hydrationStep 4 | Train: The Training Schedule
The week around your games, free programs that are written down, arm care and the pitch count that protects the season.uncommittedu.com/trainingStep 5 | Recover: The Recovery Protocol
Sleep counted backward from the alarm, and the bag that gets a player through a doubleheader.uncommittedu.com/recoveryThe whole system: Complete Player Development
One system, two settings, four inputs. Every page in order, from your target to the calendar on the fridge.uncommittedu.com/player-developmentEverything above, in one list
One Amazon list carries the exact brands and sizes for both shakes and all four tools. Add what you need to the cart without leaving it.
Prices and availability change on Amazon. The storefront is always current. This page is not a price list.
Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Links on this page go to our Amazon storefront and we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Not medical advice. Every page in Player Development is education, built from the public guidance named on the page. It is not a diagnosis and it is not a prescription. Talk to your doctor, your athletic trainer or a registered dietitian before you change how you eat, train or sleep, or add any supplement, and check your league and school rules on supplements first. Pain that does not leave, sleep that will not come, or a game that ends in dizziness or cramping is a doctor or athletic trainer conversation, not a calculator.