Everything you should consider before buying a baseball bat.
As we know all too well, baseball bats are really expensive. You should expect to spend around $350 for most of the top youth bats. And when your kid gets older, the BBCOR bats cost even more.
Before making this investment, be sure to do your research about the options available to your kid and steer clear of the following common mistakes.
1. Don’t Buy a Baseball Bat That’s Too Heavy or Too Long for Your Kid
Kids like to swing big heavy bats, as a point of pride and also because they think it’ll add to their power and lead to more home runs. On any given baseball diamond, I’d guess about 30 percent of the kids are swinging a bat that’s too heavy. My 10-year old recently hit his first one out with a DeMarini CF USA 30 drop 10, and instead of embracing that bat, he immediately insisted that he now move up to a BBCOR because he thought he’d be even more potent.
The truth is a bat that’s too heavy is poison to your kid’s mechanics and bat speed. A bat is not like the next-size pair of baseball pants that your kid is going to eventually grow into, because it has the potential to do real harm to your kid’s play and consequently his self esteem playing the game. There’s a reason Ted Williams in his influential hitters’ bible The Science of Hitting detailed how he chose to swing with smaller lighter bats, choosing bat speed over bat mass. Check out this scholarly article if you really want to get into the weeds of bat speed vs bat mass.
Now if your kid is strong enough to swing a bigger bat, by all means go get him one. But if there is doubt, err on the side of the lighter model when buying a baseball bat. While the heavier bat may be fine when hitting off a tee or against slower pitching, it may lead to your kid struggling to pull the ball or catch up to faster pitching. We should always look to put our kids in the best position to succeed, especially in baseball where they’ll be failing regularly even with all the right equipment.
Go to Store to Try Out Bats to See if Model is Too Heavy
Buying a baseball bat online is definitely convenient, but there really is no substitute for holding a bat in your hands and trying it out. While the bat selection at general sporting good stores like Dick’s is not great, there’s nothing stopping you from going to try out a bat for size, and then later buying the specific model you want online.
Ideally, the store will have a designated area with a cage for your kid to hit some balls. However, you likely will only be able to hit off a tee or do some soft toss. Soft toss is obviously better because you can gauge how well your kid can react with the bat. If you only can do tee work, place balls high and inside and see how well your kid can barrel up the ball. Have a lighter bat handy and compare how he does with each bat. Ultimately you’re going to have to rely on the eye test to see if your kid is strong enough to use the bat, and again err on the side of the lighter bat. While it’s exciting to buy a new bat, often the bat that your kid is currently using is still the best option.
How to Transition to BBCOR Bats
When the kids get older, you no longer are able to keep them using the lightest bats as the league rules require you to go with the heavier models. My older son is about to turn 13. For our fall league, they allow kids to use wood, USA drop 5, or BBCOR drop 3. Since he’s been using a 31 drop 10 until now, this is a huge increase in weight (adding almost half a pound).
The bat store by us recommended that instead of going with a 31 drop 5, we use the smallest BBCOR option they had, which happened to be a 29 drop 3. Their reasoning was that since he’s going to have to start using a BBCOR in the spring, as the league rules for the upcoming spring season don’t permit the drop 5. So this was the “bite the the bullet” “pull the Band-Aid off” approach.
We took their advice and took home the 29 drop 3. After a couple weeks of watching him really struggle with it, we went back and exchanged it for a 30 drop 5, which he’s doing much better with. I plan on having him workout with a BBCOR over the winter and use a 30-inch BBCOR this coming spring.
2. Don’t Stress Over Which High-End USA Composite Bat to Buy
We’ve found that there is not much difference among the top USA composite bats. You can’t go wrong with a Rawlings Quatro, or a DeMarini CF, or an Easton ADV. We’ve had them all, and they’ve all performed really well.
It’s true that some of the bats distribute weight differently, like the Rawlings Quatro is barrel-heavy and the CF is distributed the weight of the bat more evenly, but these differences are not that significant and a good hitter will excel with any of them.
My point here is don’t stress out about which top USA composite bat to buy. They might each have subtle differences, and you’ll run into blabber-mouth baseball dads who will try to convince you that one model is far superior to the others, but in truth they all perform about the same.
3. Do Not Wait for a Black Friday Sale to Buy a High End Baseball Bat
If you’re looking for a cheap bat, sure, wait for a good sale. But if you’re buying a baseball bat on the high end, you’re not going to find any meaningful sales on days like Black Friday. Unfortunately, big sporting goods stores like Dick’s specifically exempt expensive bats from their big general sales. You also won’t see a significant sale on Amazon or at any of the online bat outlets.
I found this out the hard way. A couple years ago, I waited for months for Black Friday to buy my sons some new bats. I fired up my computer at the start of the sales and placed the bats in my basket. But when I went to check out, they were still showing up as full price. I then read the fine print of the sales and saw that bats I was dying to buy were excluded from the promotions.
That’s not to say that you’ll never find a deal for a good bat. Sellers like Closeout Bats will occasionally offer a substantial discount if they’re looking to unload merchandise, but it’s not usually tied to a holiday sale.
4. Don’t Go to a Bat Store Without a Plan
When buying a baseball bat, take the time to know what’s out there. If you’re going to a specialized bat store, know what specific bats you want to try out before you go. While most salespeople at these stores are great and are a wealth of knowledge, they’re also subject to the store’s marching orders and might push certain models on you because the store is looking to unload them.
It’s always good to start a conversation with a salesperson by naming the specific bats you want to demo. This way, they’ll see that you’ve done your homework and will generally then look to assist you as opposed to pushing something on you.
5. Don’t Assume This Year’s Version of a Bat Is Better Last Year’s Model
l recently went to a bat store and questioned the main sales guy on if the new version of a popular bat was better than last year’s model.
“No difference,” he said.
Incredulous, I ticked off the things the manufacturer had listed as improvements in the marketing for the new version.
“No difference,” the guy repeated.
The guy didn’t have any of last year’s version of the bat in stock, so it wasn’t like he had an ulterior motive for that opinion. Also, it explained why you’ll see older versions of high-end bats selling at virtually the same price point as the new models.
So unless a manufacturer has done a major upgrade of the bat (think when a carmaker totally revamps a line), it’s safe to buy the older version. For parents, this means you should have your younger kid using hand-me-down bats from your older child. And if you have a chance to pick up an older bat at a discount, grab it (if the bat’s in good shape).
6. Don’t Assume You’ll Be Able to Return the Bat
Before buying a baseball bat, think about the return policies that you’ll have to deal with if the bat turns out to be the wrong size or if the bat cracks or if you simply have second thoughts. Remember bats show wear, and even just a couple hitting sessions will scuff up the bat. If you bought the bat from a big operation like Amazon or Dick’s, they’ll likely take everything back. I once accidently bought a tee-ball bat for my kid from a Dick’s and it bent like the St. Louis Arch after we hit with it, yet they still took it back no question’s asked.
Smaller specialized stores, however, will likely not be so forgiving, and may ask you to eat some money or even refuse the return if you try to take back a bat that shows wear. Note that it’s best to clean the bat with nail polish remover to remove any scuffs before you go to the store to make a return.
A friend of mine likes the Bat Assurance Program at JustBats, where you pay a little bit for the ability to return a bat for any reason. If you don’t wind up returning the bat, the money you paid turns into store credit.
How to Return a Cracked Composite Bat
If you’re in the middle of a season, you’re going to want to replace a cracked composite bat right away, and not wait the time it takes to go through the manufacturer for a replacement under the warranty. This is where the specialized bat store is the best option, as they’ll often take back cracked bats and give you a new one that same day. We brought a bat back to one of these stores last spring (the store had a one-year return policy for cracks), and the guy eyed the crack in the bat like a jeweler examining a diamond. He then agreed the bat was legitimately cracked and sent one of his guys to fetch us a new one. We were maybe in the store 10 minutes.
DO YOU HAVE ANY ADVICE ON BUYING BATS? LET US KNOW IN THE COMMENTS.
For information about the emotional side of baseball, see:
- How to Manage Your Kid’s Baseball Tantrums and Meltdowns
- 4 Ways to Respond to a Coach Playing Favorites
- How to Stop Being a Crazy Baseball Dad
- How to Be a Good Baseball Dad in the Backyard
- Is It Now Fashionable to Hate On Baseball Dads?
- Are Local Little Leagues Bad for Baseball?
For information on hitting, see:
- How to Get Out of a Hitting Slump
- 4 Best Baseball Batting Aids (No. 3 is Free)
- 4 Hitting Drills You Need to Do Before Every Game
- 4 Old School Baseball Drills You Need to Be Using
- 6 Mistakes to Avoid When Buying a Baseball Bat
For information on pitching, see:
- What You Need to Know About Little League Elbow
- 4 Ways To Increase Your Kid’s Pitching Velocity
- Is the Circle Change Dangerous for Youth Pitchers?
- Why I Don’t Let My Son Pitch in Little League
- Pitching and Head Injuries: What You Need to Know
- How to Make Sure Your Kid Isn’t Overpitched in Baseball
For baseball speed drills, see:
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