We see many parents juggling with the thoughts of how to get their children to play outdoors more than they find them glued to the devices’ screens. Nothing beats the issue better than the good old National Sport of Baseball. And with the rising membership trends of Little Leagues and School Amateur League Teams, the game is slated to charter its old course when there used to real Baseball Players like Ted Williams and Mickey Mantle.
It goes without saying that nurturing young talent in this game needs the right equipment. Not only the right basic gear but the appropriate protective equipment as well. But today we’re here to talk about the most basic piece of requirement, the Baseball Bat. Getting that right swing, gaining fluency with the right standardized equipment for smooth transition to higher leagues is something that people should go for.
Top 10 Best Youth Baseball Bats
Our Value proposition: insights for Youth Baseball Hitting Bats
For the new (and old alike) consumers who have a lesser grasp on what Youth Baseball Bat Features should they emphasize on; we have this complete dossier to help them out in buying the best youth baseball bats.
The emphasize here is on technical features that your player might be interested in for a variety of applications and compliance for the leagues requirements. It’s not show biz and serious players will find these really resourceful.
Specializations of Youth Baseball Bats you should look out for
Now most information blogs would like to point out how Composite, Wooden and Metallic bats are different and how one piece or two piece bats are different and fit to your ease. But when it comes to aspirational players the real difference lies in some other parameters altogether.
Slow Pitch And Fast Pitch Youth Baseball Bats
You always have to be careful with the rule changes of the respective league that you’re playing with in case of Soft Pitch and Fastpitch bats.
Unlike earlier where you could use your USABat in USSSA leagues and use the soft/fastpitch bats interchangeably between Softball and Baseball, now you need to have a BPF1.15 holomark on your Youth Baseball Bat, which bars many softball bats (not all) from usage in legitimate Baseball leagues.
Myths of Pitch based differentiation in Baseball Bats
Let’s debunk and expel the myth, that Slow Pitch Bats are meant for recreational purposes because they’re not. Another one, that Slow/Fastpitch bats are only meant for Softball play, while it all depends on what league you play. Most Baseball Leagues allow softball bats for youth/amateur levels; USSSA only needs a BFP1.15 mark on your bat, no matter if its a tee-ball or softball bat or baseball bat.
The basics of Baseball batting go down to one simple fact that how many times are you able to make the maximum area of contact. Exactly in that order as stated, first the number of times you hit and then the area of contact that you’re able to maintain.
Slow pitch bats are meant to ease you progress from Little Leagues to Professional Versions. Slow pitch bats are heavier than normal league bats so that you can acquaint yourself with hard hitting and intensive muscle work. They cannot weigh anymore than 38 ounces while Fastpitch bats can be no heavier than 22 ounces.
Fastpitch Youth Baseball Bats on the other hand also range between -8 to -14 drop which means that they’re very light and have a very high contact area for the baseball.
Bat Size Impact: Swing Mechanics and Hitting Speed
The sizing charts offered by various Baseball Bat Manufacturers is a good start to land the right choice. Most of them offer a separate listing based on the unique value proposition their make offers. But you can pin down on some of the trusted ones to find the best results.
Bat Sizing charts draw a comparison between your height and weight to provide your with the specifics of the right drop that you must look for and the right Youth Baseball Bat height that you must go for. You cannot do anything with the barrel width as that’s set by norm of the league you’re playing.
The hyperbole of your Youth Baseball Bat weight with respect to the Swing Mechanics and Hitting Speed goes like this. The heavier you bat starts to go and the more professional your game becomes with a stable swing power to, hitting speed and impact force. The best results occur between the ranges of 18 to 26 ounces Youth Baseball bats with respective drops between -8 to -10 for Little League players. There are other similar narratives which can be drawn after careful analysis of research around this subject.
But know this, that getting a bat conforming to these Sizing Charts and Drop Measures is the best thing that you can do to buy a Youth Baseball Bat.
Relevance of other Parameters
Now we don’t suggest that looking out for the difference between Two Piece and One piece Bats or End Loaded and Balanced bats is not good, but those are things that are regulated by the leagues you play and there hardly any leverage there. The factors listed above are the deciders. No based on these factors there are more than a few trusted producers of these Youth Baseball Bats and you might want to know a bit more about them before you make your decision.
Top 5 Youth Baseball Bat Manufacturers in USA
Louisville Slugger®
Hillerich & Bradsby have been at the helm of the Baseball Equipment industry for last 134 years. Players across the nation choose the brand for its traditional make, and emphasis on compliance to changing norms of the game.
They have been innovating for years and now with their new variation of the TRU3 tech more and more players are choosing to trust in their expertise. The Kentucky Company commands the respect that it owns among Little, Youth, Adult and Pro League Baseball Players.
Franklin Sporting Goods
MLB Players know this name by heart, and they’ve been using this brand for life. Franklin Sporting Goods have been leading manufacturers of Baseball Bats and other sporting equipment alike. Their fame comes from the Franklin Gloves which became a sensation back in the 80s; but that does not means that its restricted to the gloves. Their real strength comes from the customization and quality of produce.
Rawlings Sporting Goods Company
Protection and Performance are two characteristics that define this brand. The first one to have been listed on all charts of approved manufacturers for NCCA®, USSSA, Major League Baseball And National High School Federation®.
Rawlings Sporting Goods Company is supported by the elite class of Baseball Legends like Mickey Mantle and current heartthrobs Kris Bryant and Bryce Harper. Identified as the most suitable equipment manufacturer of Youth and Entry Level Players’ Baseball Bats Rawlings is certainly a company to look out for.
Easton by BRG Sports
If Youth Baseball Leagues started reviewing Baseball Bat approval rules every year, perhaps Easton would be the only company to keep standing in the market adhering to every change thus rolled. With a robust R&D emphasis and lasting record of revolutioning technical enhancement to the baseball bats, Easton has always done justice to the needs of all players irrespective of their age. Little League World Series accounts for the most fans of this company’s equipment especially the Youth Baseball Bats.
Marucci Sports
Handcrafted Baseball bats at their best is what Marucci stands for. If there’s anyone who does pure justice to the Wooden Bat regime, its Marucci Sports. In the words of Larry King, the story of Marucci is as American as the sport of Baseball itself. These are the people who’ve won over the market with literally no Modern Business tactics up their sleeves, just based on the simple strengths of consistency and craftsmanship. Marucci Sporting goods and especially their Baseball bats are now being recommended by players like Andrew McCutchen and stalwarts like David Ortiz.
But everytime you want to buy a Youth Baseball bat, it wouldn’t be feasible to go find those charts compare and sit down with a notepad to check out which one should you buy. And with the seasons changing so fast and players lining up after other one rarely has the time to adjust by iterations to their Perfect Baseball Hitter.
List of 10 Best Youth Baseball Bats
For this sole purpose, we give you our pick of the most trusted youth baseball bats with which you can start you school, little league and youth league training to pursue your MLB dreams.
Rawlings 2018 5150 USA Baseball Bat
Perhaps the best Youth Baseball Bat available around the block, this one comes with a barrel of 2 ¾ inches and is made of Aircraft Grade 5150 Aluminum Alloy. Rawlings 5150 single piece bat provides the most professional make of youth bats to the young players because of its pOp version 2.0 tech that accounts for an expanded sweet spot providing maximum contact area per hit. It’s also a -10 drop Youth Bat which given its 21 ounce weight is most suitable for children under 12. The perfect blend of specs and quality for your little all star.
DeMarini 2015 Voodoo Overlord Youth Baseball Bat
It’s a Composite Baseball Bat with various technical features suited for more than serious young players. The barrel sports a special tech called D-Fusion FT handle which uses energy conservation principle to channelise the impact force on each hit to assist the hitter. VIbration dampening is ensured by flame treatment of the fusion between handle and barrel portion.
The special grade of Paradox Composite brand renders the bat extremely light for the likes of its size and drop. This bat is perfect for those learning youngsters who want to practice hard and learn fast. The barrel’s 2 ¼” and the drop’s rated at -13 which makes it the best bat for faster learning. Your child would need expert supervision though so that he/she might not get too addicted to this bat or else they may learn fast but won’t upgrade any soon.
Louisville Slugger Youth 125 Ash Genuine Unfinished Baseball Bat
The budget pick with pure grade ashwood make, meant specially for hardcore practice regimes. Slugger Ash 125 comes with a drop of -7.5 which is just the right value for the transitional phase of your young baseball savant. Players who’ve practiced enough with their fungos or probably with the lower versions of the Youth Bats should immediately chose to switch over to this bat.
Ranges in size from 27” to 31” has a youth turning modelled barrel which supports a lighter swing and more precision. We’d say that getting this one would surely lead your player to the upgrade gameplay for sure.
Easton S500 Youth Baseball Bat YB16S500 2 ¼” Diameter
The -8 drop that this bat provides along with the 2 ¼” diameter are the kind of thing specs that one keeps only for real games. With the custom XL50 and 7050 military grade aluminum the bat complies with all changes in the recent association rules. Tested for highest durability among the options that we’ve listed over here, Easton S500 sure does know how to give you the real value of your money. The makers claim that with incomplete End loaded make this bat is able to blend in the features of an end loaded and balanced bat together which renders both speed and control to the player. Pick this one for your kit and equipment only; this is the winner’s hitter.
Rawlings 2018 Raptor Alloy USA Baseball Bat
This one’s again the Game Bat that you’d like to keep. If you’re looking for an absolutely wood like experience and if your coach (say mentor) has let you in on the secret of knowing a good bat from a bad one by the way it sounds then believe us; you’re not going to be disappointed with this one.
The wrap style grip is what we found most intriguing during our trials. We found that it works best for those players who do not want to choke their bat to death and want to have a swing motion that accommodates more direction than force. The Spring Handle grip works for the niche players pretty well with less force and more recoil.
After the Top 5 Yo̧uth Baseball Bats let’s take a look at remaining list for the Best 10 Baseball Hitters for Little and Youth Leagues.
Easton 2015 SL15S310B S3 ALUM 2 3/4-Inch -10 Senior League/Youth Big Barrel Baseball Bat
Louisville Slugger Youth Armor Baseball Bat YBAR152
Easton S50 Youth Baseball Bat
Marucci Cat7 Junior Big Barrel Baseball Bat
Easton YB17MK11 Mako Beast 2 1/4" 11 Composite Youth Baseball Bat
Some dos and don'ts for Youth Baseball Bat picking
The most common mistake that players fall for is following the footsteps of their seniors or teammates in getting the right baseball bat for themselves. The size and weight that they might have chosen might not even remotely resemble your requirements.
The bitter most truth to be understood is ‘You can never get the right bat with your first purchase’. If you’re serious you have to try atleast 3-5 of those before for a good amount of time before you land with the right one that matches your strength and body fit.
It can’t be emphasized enough, and one can’t recheck enough to confirm that you need to be very careful about the league you’re playing. USSSA, USABat, ISA, ASA, NSA, ISF and all of them have their unique specifications. The options that we’ve listed conform to all standards irrespective of the league based on the simple fact that they are Youth Baseball bats and are meant for players less than 13 years of age.
Now, we all know that Hybrid bats do exist but buying one for a Youth League Player is not feasible as it compromises on their training. Its preferable to pick a one piece bat but other versions are also workable lest you’re willing to upgrade the right versions of the bats at just the right time.
Always consider the fact that the purpose of the Baseball bat is to train your kid not to pressurize them in pumping up their game. The results would come in time, the approach needs to be the perfectly balanced. If there’s one thing about Youth Baseball Bats, it can help a player as much as it can deteriorate their game; so immediately change your bat if you don’t find it good enough for your liking.