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My son will be 12 this year, and 13 for next.  I was thinking about next year when they go to bbcor.  He is a somewhat bigger kid right now, swinging a 32" 21 oz bat.  But I am thinking to go to a 32" bbcor would be a shock.  Do most kids drop some length? So would it benefit him to go to a 30" bbcor when the time comes?  I know I am probably getting ahead of myself, but I am curious as to what the best thing to do is.  And who knows, he may grow to the point that size (32") and weight (29 oz) might not be too big of a deal, but I am thinking it would be.

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I have never heard of dropping length when moving to a BBCOR.  The length of the bat is based on the size of the kid.  You should take him to a real baseball store and have the employee see what size bat he is using. Or look it up online, how to measure a kid for the bat they should be using. It has something to do with where the bat hits while the kid is standing straight up.

Many kids transition using a drop 10, 8, 5, and then 3 which is BBCOR.  It really depends on the size of your kid and the size of your wallet.  My kid went straight from a drop 10 to BBCOR.  Yeah, it was weird for about a month but it worked out in the end and I wasn't stuck with a bat that was useless except for that one year.

And a word of advice...you will be heading into "wooden bat only" tourneys.  I wouldn't spend more than $50 on a bat until your kid is proficient at hitting with wood.  14u tends to hit the ball wrong with the wooden bat and this results in the bat cracking.  There are $200+ bats that are bamboo that are less likely to break, but wooden bats are designed to break, it just is what it is.  Save yourself the frustration and find cheap wooden bats.  They sell $35 wooden bats on Amazon.

Dadof3 posted:

My son will be 12 this year, and 13 for next.  I was thinking about next year when they go to bbcor.  He is a somewhat bigger kid right now, swinging a 32" 21 oz bat.  But I am thinking to go to a 32" bbcor would be a shock.  Do most kids drop some length? So would it benefit him to go to a 30" bbcor when the time comes?  I know I am probably getting ahead of myself, but I am curious as to what the best thing to do is.  And who knows, he may grow to the point that size (32") and weight (29 oz) might not be too big of a deal, but I am thinking it would be.

I think you already have a magic bat that was given to your son, lots of home runs off that bat! LOL.

 

Dadof3 posted:

My son will be 12 this year, and 13 for next.  I was thinking about next year when they go to bbcor.  He is a somewhat bigger kid right now, swinging a 32" 21 oz bat.  But I am thinking to go to a 32" bbcor would be a shock.  Do most kids drop some length? So would it benefit him to go to a 30" bbcor when the time comes?  I know I am probably getting ahead of myself, but I am curious as to what the best thing to do is.  And who knows, he may grow to the point that size (32") and weight (29 oz) might not be too big of a deal, but I am thinking it would be.

We did a gradual transition with my son because he was on the smaller side and really needed to create bat speed to get the ball deeper into the outfield. As he adjusted we moved from -8 at at 11, -5 at 12 and BBCOR at 13. He has both a 32 and 33 inch BBCOR because there are times he likes the shorter/lighter bat depending on who he is facing. We just used his old LL bat for LL, which he stopped after age 12 anyway.

With regards to wood bats, can't say enough good things about the Baum Bat. He definitely won't break it (not without trying) and it's legal all the way through MiLB AAA level.

Last edited by SanDiegoRealist
Dadof3 posted:

Here's the problem with going to a -5.  They have to use (most tourneys require) a LL bat, so they can only be 2.25 " barrel.  I had a hard enough time finding a -10 in a youth bat let alone anything heavier then that.

Unconventional, but there are lots of inexpensive -5 to -7.5 solid wood bats available. I'm not aware of any organization that doesn't allow the use of solid (single piece of) wood bats. I'm guessing that those bats don't have the same pop as non-wood, but the extra mass should help if he can get the bat moving.

CaCO3Girl posted:

 

And a word of advice...you will be heading into "wooden bat only" tourneys.  I wouldn't spend more than $50 on a bat until your kid is proficient at hitting with wood.  14u tends to hit the ball wrong with the wooden bat and this results in the bat cracking.  There are $200+ bats that are bamboo that are less likely to break, but wooden bats are designed to break, it just is what it is.  Save yourself the frustration and find cheap wooden bats.  They sell $35 wooden bats on Amazon.

True that...I can't tell you how many bats my kid went through when he started hitting with wood.  I remember one game where his first two ABs resulted in cracked bats, I found myself running up to the big chain sporting good store on the corner, during the game,  to buy a couple of new bats.

joes87 posted:
CaCO3Girl posted:

 

And a word of advice...you will be heading into "wooden bat only" tourneys.  I wouldn't spend more than $50 on a bat until your kid is proficient at hitting with wood.  14u tends to hit the ball wrong with the wooden bat and this results in the bat cracking.  There are $200+ bats that are bamboo that are less likely to break, but wooden bats are designed to break, it just is what it is.  Save yourself the frustration and find cheap wooden bats.  They sell $35 wooden bats on Amazon.

True that...I can't tell you how many bats my kid went through when he started hitting with wood.  I remember one game where his first two ABs resulted in cracked bats, I found myself running up to the big chain sporting good store on the corner, during the game,  to buy a couple of new bats.

That could be both bad bats or not knowing how to hold the wood bat. Going through two quickly would indicate he was not holding it properly. My son has played in many wood bat tournaments and against pitching in the 90-93 MPH range and he has only broke one bat. Hundreds of ABs...so buyer beware, you also get what you pay for.

Last edited by SanDiegoRealist

As others said, don't drop length, unless your swinging the wrong size bat already.  When the kids are younger they all want to be cool and us the longest baddest bat they can.  In many cases this is not the best choice for the kids.  Using the right size bat is. Google around and you will find lots of information on bat sizing.  There are other things to consider besides weight and length when purchasing a bat is how the weight is distributed across the bat.  End loaded or balanced, one piece vs two piece, etc.  In the end it will come down to what your son is comfortable swinging.

Here is a decent webpage to figure out sizing.  I would use it as a guide and then adjust to what is comfortable for your son...http://www.baseballmonkey.com/baseball-bat-buying-guide

In my case my kid was always bigger and stronger then the other kids (and yep they did catch up when we got into HS).  We played LL and part time travel through age 12 and then transitioned over to all travel at age 13.  I remember going through a lot of bats from age 12 - 15 as the bat rules change as you age up.  In addition he played in the period where everyone was moving from BESR to BEF (USSSA) and BBCOR certification.  If you are going to continue to play LL keep in mind that after age 12 the bat rules change and the kids can use youth big barrel bats.  Its my suggestion that if you can get through this year (12) with your current bats you wait until next year to purchase a new bat.  In our case my son carried around a few different bats at this age.  If I remember right he carried a -9 and a -5 at 13U.  He would use the -9 most of the time, but would use the -5 in the cage and against slower pitchers.  The next year he added a -3 into the rotation and relied more on the -5 then the -9 in game situations, but would switch up bats based on how he was feeling that day.

With my older 2020 I had read all of the advice on transition etc so we started using -8 in the cage at 12u, -5/wood in the cage at 13u.  Got to 14u and we still only saw tournaments (mostly USSSA) where he didn't have to use BBCOR.  Freshman year, in HS / 15u COMING UP is going to be the first time he actually required to use it, but for a few odd tournaments, and at 6'1 180 he's actually asking me for heavier more end loaded BBCOR than the first balanced one I got him.  At 12u I would not have predicated this because his size was pretty average. 

I coached through these age groups and saw MANY young undersized and large kids alike struggling with -5 Easton Xl1s (more like a -3!) BBCOR, wood when they didn't need to use it.  Hurt their confidence and hurt the team big time because averages and power went way down.  Also these folks wasted a LOT of money on expensive maple bats and having their -5s for games.  

I will not tell others what to do with bats (very sensitive area!) but with my 2023  he will use heavier bats in BP starting at 12u and whatever bat he needs to get around on pitchers throwing gas until he is actually required to use a BBCOR or wood.  If he doesn't grow as much as quickly as  brother then he'll need to do more pushups when he's 14.  But I doubt it will be a problem for all but the really undersized kid. 

Last edited by 2020.2023dad
SanDiegoRealist posted:
joes87 posted:
CaCO3Girl posted:

 

And a word of advice...you will be heading into "wooden bat only" tourneys.  I wouldn't spend more than $50 on a bat until your kid is proficient at hitting with wood.  14u tends to hit the ball wrong with the wooden bat and this results in the bat cracking.  There are $200+ bats that are bamboo that are less likely to break, but wooden bats are designed to break, it just is what it is.  Save yourself the frustration and find cheap wooden bats.  They sell $35 wooden bats on Amazon.

True that...I can't tell you how many bats my kid went through when he started hitting with wood.  I remember one game where his first two ABs resulted in cracked bats, I found myself running up to the big chain sporting good store on the corner, during the game,  to buy a couple of new bats.

That could be both bad bats or not knowing how to hold the wood bat. Going through two quickly would indicate he was not holding it properly. My son has played in many wood bat tournaments and against pitching in the 90-93 MPH range and he has only broke one bat. Hundreds of ABs...so buyer beware, you also get what you pay for.

It was him.  Since then he has learned how to hit with a wood bat and we break a lot less, maybe 1 a year and then he usually says it was him.  

For those that want to know how to hit with a wood bat, google hit with label up.  You will find lots of pages explaining the reasoning for this.

In my opinion, you have to be very careful when you take your son straight to a BBCOR from a -10 youth bat.  He will be swinging about 25% more mass in the bat, and BBCORs are more often end loaded, which will magnify that difference.

If you don't watch your son carefully while he's acclimating to his new bat, he may develop some bad habits.  He will notice the difference in the bat and try to compensate.  He may start dragging the bat, lunging, or dropping his hands (among other things) to get to the ball on time.

I agree with Dominik; using a -5 bat first, even for half a season, will make the transition easier and will be less likely to cause bad mechanics.  Also, it's been years since I've  seen any 12U/13U tournaments that don't allow big barrel bats.  If you can use a BBCOR, you can use a -5.

When my son made the transition he used a -5 for most of a year.   Even with that start, his first BBCOR was one inch shorter than the -5 he used.  Most of his teammates bought bigger bats, and many wanted to use his bat in games.  When a player is struggling to get that bat into the zone, one inch and one ounce can be significant.

Every player is different though, and there is almost always more than one way to get to the same destination.

 

jdb

Go44dad posted:

BTW, sucked to play the Banditos, etc when they were using drop 5 Mako's and son's team was using bbcor.

Especially if your kid is a pitcher! LOL

Same here -- at 13U -5 and at 14U BBCOR. Scariest for pitchers was 13U, 54' mound, late in the 13U year (when some kids had turned 14), facing teams using -8 or -10, non-BBCOR. For the parent of a pitcher, BBCOR couldn't come soon enough.

Question for the original poster: next year (2018) little league is going to a BBCOR-like standard -- will that solve the problem (since your tourneys seem to require a 2.25" barrel).

P.S. -- agree 100% with the post by SanDiegoRealist on the Baum bat. Kid loves it. Seems really, really hard to break. Worth the money, IMHO.

My son turned 13 start of this last fall and moved from a 31"22oz  2 5/8 to a 30" 27oz BBCOR bat. My thinking was adding less weight was more important than losing an inch in length. He's long-armed and lanky so reach wasn't an issue. Hasn't had the magic juice from puberty yet so no the strongest kid at his age. He didn't have much problem with the transition other than being a little behind of faster pitching which I would expect. Considering he's also adjusting to 60' distance vs the 50' that would have something to do with it as well. While hitting off tee at home he uses a 28OZ wood bat and also uses some 29oz skils bats for hitting small wiffle balls.

I didn't invest a lot in this in between bat this fall, $65 new in wrapper from local shop b/c I knew I would get him another bat after this fall which now he is using a 31" 28oz during travel team hitting.

Whether right or wrong I have no idea. I think the main thing is training with a heavier bat to get stronger but then also training with the bat you expect to use in games. I don't think the reduced length had a negative effect but considering the change in distance mound-plate, I wouldn't know how to quantify and distinguish those changes.

 

 

In our 1st year of Legion baseball in Northern California, we used one bat for all players. Our players had no extra money for bats. At the end of the year the bat was dented and it was replaced by Easton. The League was the strongest in California [1982-88}. 40 future ML players.

We used broken and taped wood bats in BP. The position in the batters box is as important as the weight and length of bat {you can always choke up].  Teach you son to make self adjustments.

Bob

At 11u my son started using -8 30/22 combat maxxum.   He hit well with this bat.  He's 12u this year and I'd planned on him using -5.  30/25.  There is a noticeable drop in bat speed however.  I'm not sure if he'll be able to get it around vs good pitching.  He's 5" 2' 100 lbs. 

If I were in your situation with LL, I'd probably make sure that he practiced with wood or with a -5.  Hopefully that would prepare him for the change to -3.  I don't like the idea of going from -10 to -3. 

 

$tinky posted:

At 11u my son started using -8 30/22 combat maxxum.   He hit well with this bat.  He's 12u this year and I'd planned on him using -5.  30/25.  There is a noticeable drop in bat speed however.  I'm not sure if he'll be able to get it around vs good pitching.  He's 5" 2' 100 lbs. 

If I were in your situation with LL, I'd probably make sure that he practiced with wood or with a -5.  Hopefully that would prepare him for the change to -3.  I don't like the idea of going from -10 to -3. 

 

I should probably clarify my earlier statement.  At 12u my son was 5'7 and 145 pounds.  Asking him to swing a drop three the following year had more to do with his size. By the following spring he was 5'10 and 150.

If your kid isn't a giant it's best the build up gradually. 

 

I found that 32/29 BBCOR was manageable, as long as it was a "balanced" bat, versus a more "end loaded" bat (and my son was not a early maturing monster for his age).  Justbats.com is a great place to look at bats.  They will state whether it is balanced or end loaded. Videos and all.  Love that site.   You absolutely need to avoid the end loaded bats, as they are WAY to heavy and hard to control.  A 32/29 end loaded, feels nothing like a 32/29 balanced bat.  I found Combat bats have nice thin handles, are about the most balanced out there, feel relatively light in general for a BBCOR, and have the largest bat head/sweet spot of BBCOR bats.  Not a salesman for Combat or Just Bats.  Combat has just has always been the favorite for my boy (and we have tried them all).  Balanced, balanced, balanced.     

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