Bats

[InTheGates]

league play right now...I am not trying to go nuts or anything....I coached HS Basketball for 10 years and been away from the baseball ranks for a while....Didnt know what bats where the "good" bats these days and just trying to catch up...

I am from the Black Magic and 33 inch Green Easton days....

Any brands from Academy for his age any good?...I got the TPX and picked up a Demarini yesterday....The TPX was a 12.5 (light) and the Demarini was a 15 oz....Seemed to crank it off a little better with the heaveir bat....Thanks for the helps everyone....Just not up to speed on the new bat names...

[spoonbill]

When our team of 13 yr old went to the drop 3 there were some concerns. We had big and small players. They all adjusted very well. This gave them a whole year of swinging the -3, befor they reached HS.  If you have him swing a -7 then -5 then -3 you will be selling even more bats on this forum. Remember we are talking oz. not lb.

This guy has absolutely no idea what he is talking about.  Unless, your son is a strong 13 yr old, he does should not swing a -3.  Notice I did not say could not, I said should not.  The weight of the bat has a lot to do with bat speed.  A 13 yrs old can swing a -3 but he will not be able to generate the bat speed he can with a lighter bat.  This changes several things, first he will have to committ to the pitch much sooner or he will be late on everything and the slower bat speed will not allow the same jump off the bat head.  My son is 13 and he swings a -3 in the cage and a -5 in games.  The -5 is a transitional bat and is made to transition from league play to high school play.  Yes there is a big difference in a -3 and a -5.

I agree. A couple ozs make a big difference. I would recommend not going to a -3 at 13. Just the adjustment of moving to the big barrel bat is hard enough for kids. The big barrel bats aren't balanced like the 2 1/4 bats at the 12 yr old level. I would go somewhere in the middle between what the kid used at 12 and the -3. At fourteen you can try the -3 or something real close to get ready for highschool. Also, most coaches/dads give their kids a heavier bat for the cages, hit-a-way, etc. to build strength. You don't have to spend a lot of money....i generally use something a little heavier and it's usually an old cheap bat that i'm not worried about abusing.

[fullswing]

When our team of 13 yr old went to the drop 3 there were some concerns. We had big and small players. They all adjusted very well. This gave them a whole year of swinging the -3, befor they reached HS.  If you have him swing a -7 then -5 then -3 you will be selling even more bats on this forum. Remember we are talking oz. not lb.

This guy has absolutely no idea what he is talking about.  Unless, your son is a strong 13 yr old, he does should not swing a -3.  Notice I did not say could not, I said should not.  The weight of the bat has a lot to do with bat speed.  A 13 yrs old can swing a -3 but he will not be able to generate the bat speed he can with a lighter bat.  This changes several things, first he will have to committ to the pitch much sooner or he will be late on everything and the slower bat speed will not allow the same jump off the bat head.  My son is 13 and he swings a -3 in the cage and a -5 in games.  The -5 is a transitional bat and is made to transition from league play to high school play.  Yes there is a big difference in a -3 and a -5.

I agree. A couple ozs make a big difference. I would recommend not going to a -3 at 13. Just the adjustment of moving to the big barrel bat is hard enough for kids. The big barrel bats aren't balanced like the 2 1/4 bats at the 12 yr old level. I would go somewhere in the middle between what the kid used at 12 and the -3. At fourteen you can try the -3 or something real close to get ready for highschool. Also, most coaches/dads give their kids a heavier bat for the cages, hit-a-way, etc. to build strength. You don't have to spend a lot of money....i generally use something a little heavier and it's usually an old cheap bat that i'm not worried about abusing.

spoonbill and silsbee88 you two guys are absolutely correct with the advice of your post. Bat speed and conditioning is very important for these young kids. If you do not condition the kids they may not hit the ball as well and he may lose confidence, you do not want this to happen!!!!!! Our 13 yr old team were all 8th graders playing AAA ball. So we felt that we should work our kids to the -3. Now they are all 14 yrs old playing HS baseball and guess what they are hitting with -3 bats. So at what time do either one of you guys think it is the right time to swing -3 at live pitching? Maybe the 13 and14 yr olds that you guys are talking about maybe 6th and 7th graders, and if so no do not go to the -3 at this time. If it is the season before you go to HS I would strongly recommend to you prepare your youngsters for the -3, and let them swing it at live pitching!!!!!!

[spoonbill]

When our team of 13 yr old went to the drop 3 there were some concerns. We had big and small players. They all adjusted very well. This gave them a whole year of swinging the -3, befor they reached HS.  If you have him swing a -7 then -5 then -3 you will be selling even more bats on this forum. Remember we are talking oz. not lb.

This guy has absolutely no idea what he is talking about.  Unless, your son is a strong 13 yr old, he does should not swing a -3.  Notice I did not say could not, I said should not.  The weight of the bat has a lot to do with bat speed.  A 13 yrs old can swing a -3 but he will not be able to generate the bat speed he can with a lighter bat.  This changes several things, first he will have to committ to the pitch much sooner or he will be late on everything and the slower bat speed will not allow the same jump off the bat head.  My son is 13 and he swings a -3 in the cage and a -5 in games.  The -5 is a transitional bat and is made to transition from league play to high school play.  Yes there is a big difference in a -3 and a -5.

I agree. A couple ozs make a big difference. I would recommend not going to a -3 at 13. Just the adjustment of moving to the big barrel bat is hard enough for kids. The big barrel bats aren't balanced like the 2 1/4 bats at the 12 yr old level. I would go somewhere in the middle between what the kid used at 12 and the -3. At fourteen you can try the -3 or something real close to get ready for highschool. Also, most coaches/dads give their kids a heavier bat for the cages, hit-a-way, etc. to build strength. You don't have to spend a lot of money....i generally use something a little heavier and it's usually an old cheap bat that i'm not worried about abusing.

spoonbill and silsbee88 you two guys are absolutely correct with the advice of your post. Bat speed and conditioning is very important for these young kids. If you do not condition the kids they may not hit the ball as well and he may lose confidence, you do not want this to happen!!!!!! Our 13 yr old team were all 8th graders playing AAA ball. So we felt that we should work our kids to the -3. Now they are all 14 yrs old playing HS baseball and guess what they are hitting with -3 bats. So at what time do either one of you guys think it is the right time to swing -3 at live pitching? Maybe the 13 and14 yr olds that you guys are talking about maybe 6th and 7th graders, and if so no do not go to the -3 at this time. If it is the season before you go to HS I would strongly recommend to you prepare your youngsters for the -3, and let them swing it at live pitching!!!!!!

All of our 13 yr olds are in the 7th grade. You are correct that by the end of their 8th grade yr of baseball they should be up to the -3 or at least close. One year of growth at this age is huge. They grow in spurts and get stronger in spurts. You would think 2 or 3 ozs wouldn't matter but it makes a big diffrence as you probably know. You hit it on the head with your comment on confidence. At this age, what's going on between the ears is the most important thing. They can easily get down on themselves with all the changes from little league ball. Keep 'em

having fun. When that stops they can easily give up the sport. It is a hard enough game as it is.

[Guest Silsbee88]

When our team of 13 yr old went to the drop 3 there were some concerns. We had big and small players. They all adjusted very well. This gave them a whole year of swinging the -3, befor they reached HS.  If you have him swing a -7 then -5 then -3 you will be selling even more bats on this forum. Remember we are talking oz. not lb.

This guy has absolutely no idea what he is talking about.  Unless, your son is a strong 13 yr old, he does should not swing a -3.  Notice I did not say could not, I said should not.  The weight of the bat has a lot to do with bat speed.  A 13 yrs old can swing a -3 but he will not be able to generate the bat speed he can with a lighter bat.  This changes several things, first he will have to committ to the pitch much sooner or he will be late on everything and the slower bat speed will not allow the same jump off the bat head.  My son is 13 and he swings a -3 in the cage and a -5 in games.  The -5 is a transitional bat and is made to transition from league play to high school play.  Yes there is a big difference in a -3 and a -5.

I agree. A couple ozs make a big difference. I would recommend not going to a -3 at 13. Just the adjustment of moving to the big barrel bat is hard enough for kids. The big barrel bats aren't balanced like the 2 1/4 bats at the 12 yr old level. I would go somewhere in the middle between what the kid used at 12 and the -3. At fourteen you can try the -3 or something real close to get ready for highschool. Also, most coaches/dads give their kids a heavier bat for the cages, hit-a-way, etc. to build strength. You don't have to spend a lot of money....i generally use something a little heavier and it's usually an old cheap bat that i'm not worried about abusing.

spoonbill and silsbee88 you two guys are absolutely correct with the advice of your post. Bat speed and conditioning is very important for these young kids. If you do not condition the kids they may not hit the ball as well and he may lose confidence, you do not want this to happen!!!!!! Our 13 yr old team were all 8th graders playing AAA ball. So we felt that we should work our kids to the -3. Now they are all 14 yrs old playing HS baseball and guess what they are hitting with -3 bats. So at what time do either one of you guys think it is the right time to swing -3 at live pitching? Maybe the 13 and14 yr olds that you guys are talking about maybe 6th and 7th graders, and if so no do not go to the -3 at this time. If it is the season before you go to HS I would strongly recommend to you prepare your youngsters for the -3, and let them swing it at live pitching!!!!!!

Well since you asked with all the !!!!!!!  If you will read my previous post, I said that toward the end of their 14 yr old year they should swing a -3 to prepare for HS.  Now for your team to have been all 13 yr olds in the 8th grade would mean that they all were born between May 1 and Sept. 1 of the same year.  I am not saying that you do not have all 8th grade 13 yr olds but it is hard to believe.  And prior to a couple of years ago, before all the sanctionings changes the birth date cut off they would have all had to be born after Aug 1 and before Sept 1.  So, you may have had or do have a few 13 yr old players in the 8th grade but probably not a whole team.  But to answer your question, they should use a -3 the summer entering their freshman year of high school.  I would recommend using a regulation wood bat in the cage if you want to know the truth because it is not as forgiving to miss hit balls and will let a kid know when they have hit the ball correctly.  Buy whatever you can afford and have fun.......