HOW TO CHOOSE A BAT

New technology has drastically changed the way baseball bats and softball bats have been produced over the last 20 years. Bats are no longer made of just aluminum, but can also be made of composite, which is known for being a material that the ball jumps off of. There are also strict regulations on what bats can be used depending on the age level of the player. Buying a new baseball or softball bat can be overwhelming for some, but with the following information, we’ll help make the entire process simpler. With this guide, you’ll learn about:

• How to Measure Your Child for a Youth Bat
• Bat Sizing Charts by Age and League
• Bat Size Rules and Regulations
• Types and Materials of Bats
• Composite Bats vs. Alloy Bats vs. Hybrid Bats

HOW TO MEASURE YOUR CHILD FOR A YOUTH BAT

If you’re shopping for a bat for your kid, the process of measuring will be a little different. If your young player is between 3’ and 3’4”, start with a 26-inch bat and increase the bat size 1 inch for every 4-to-5 inches that they grow. The following steps are the ideal process for determining the correct youth bat size for children:

CHOOSING THE CORRECT LENGTH YOUTH BAT:  MEASURE HIS/HER HEIGHT

Be sure you measure with his/her baseball cleats on. Stand a bat next to your child and compare him/her to the bat. The bat should reach, but not exceed, your child’s hip. If it reaches past his/her hip area, it’s going to be too long to swing.

CHOOSING THE CORRECT WEIGHT YOUTH BAT: WEIGH HIM/HER

Weight is a contributing factor to which bat he/she should swing because the little league bat size chart uses a combination of weight and height to determine the best bat choice. In general:

• Children under 60 pounds should swing a bat between 26 and 29 inches long
• Children weighing more than 70 pounds should swing a bat ranging from 28 to 32 inches long

WHAT IS BAT DROP?

Bat weight is measured by the minus or drop weight. Drop weight is the difference between the length and weight of the bat, so a bat that is 30 inches long and has a drop weight of -10 will weigh 20 ounces. The bigger the drop weight is, the lighter the bat will weigh.

If you are a strong player, you may assume you want a heavier bat. This is not necessarily the case. You’ll want to swing a bat that still allows you to generate the ideal amount of bat speed through the zone. Finding this balance could be difficult at first, but once you do, you’ll be hitting the ball farther and harder than you could have imagined.

It’s important to choose the right balance between length and weight because it makes a difference in the physics of the swing. For instance, consider the following:

• If you have a long, light bat, you can swing it very fast, but it will not have much inertia behind it.
• If you swing a short, heavy bat, you will not have the fastest bat speed, but will have plenty of inertia.

Deciding on the length and weight of the bat you swing is a personal choice - you should try combining what is comfortable with what style of player you want to be. You can refer to the chart below to give you a ballpark idea of what bat drop you should be using. Keep in mind that the chart below can be used to find bat drop for both baseball and softball bats and it can be used by both adult and youth players:

BAT SIZING CHARTS BY AGE AND LEAGUE

While the allowable drop weight varies between leagues, bat length is something that can be generalized by age group.

YOUTH BASEBALL BAT SIZING BY AGE

Below is a chart that breaks down youth baseball bat sizes by league and age. These are meant to be general guidelines to follow when sizing youth baseball bats. Your child’s actual measurements will dictate the specific size youth bat your kid needs.

Little League 2 1/4" Baseball Bats

Pony League 2 5/8" Baseball Bats

FASTPITCH SOFTBALL BAT SIZING BY AGE

Lastly, we have a fastpitch softball bat sizing chart by age. As players get older, the bats get longer and heavier, with a lower bat drop (difference between length and weight).

Fastpitch 2 1/4" Softball Bats

BAT SIZE RULES AND REGULATIONS

Recent rule changes in most leagues have been adopted in an attempt to make the game safer and more competitive. For this reason, new safety standards have been issued to new bats and they are expected to be used by every player.

USA BASEBALL BATS

Beginning January 1, 2018, several youth baseball organizations have adopted a new USA Baseball Bat Standard. The objective of this rule change is to make the game more uniform and ensure the long-term integrity of the game. This new bat standard is now in place in organizations such as Little League, Babe Ruth, PONY, American Amateur Baseball Congress, Cal Ripken, and Dixie Youth. T-Ball bats are also affected under this new rule change. The new USA baseball bats can range in barrel size from 2 1/4” to 2 5/8”. The weight drops can vary from -13.5 all the way to -5.