First wood bat recommendations

My 2022 swings a Marucci Cutch 22 (33/30)  He's used it extensively in batting practice and in a few games over the past year and it is still going strong.  Prior to that he had the same bat in 32/29 and it never broke despite a lot of use.   I think I paid about $150 for each bat.

Tug;

please consider the SSK maple used by Javier Baez and Robinson Cano.

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Bob <goodwillseries24@gmail.com>

You may be able to find a wood bat similar to the metal bat your son uses. My son used an ExoGrid. For wood he used a LS243. It had similar balance to the Exo. It felt the same to swing.

Picking a bat is such an individual thing... 

If you haven't already, do a little research about turn models.  I found that helped some.  And don't overlook birch among your options--some say it's a good compromise between the hardness of maple and the (relative) durability of ash.  My son's favorite wood bat was a birch Rawlings Velo -- https://www.rawlings.com/product/R110BV.html // currently on sale.  Although to be honest, I think a lot of his fondness for his birch bat was b/c he said it "looks really dope."  (He is a PO now, so we have a bunch of bats gathering dust in the garage.)

When my son first needed a wood bat, my process was un-scientific:  I looked for decent-but-not-expensive wood bats on sale and bought several for him to try--different woods, but turn model and weight distribution consistent (I hoped) with the metal bat he had been using.  Son used those at practices for a bit, chose his favorite pretty quickly.  

And maybe this is too obvious to mention, but once your kid picks the bat he likes, I'd try to grab at least one more while they are still on sale.  Everyone has their own budgets and predilections, but for a 2022 I'd have a hard time spending more than $100 on a wood bat.  Technology doesn't come into play to the extent it does with metal or composite bats, and any wood bat is always one swing away from being kindling...

Before you spend any money on a wood bat I would try to find out what tournaments you're playing and if they allow for a wood composite like a Baum bat. 

JDUBSDAD posted:

My 2022 swings a Marucci Cutch 22 (33/30)  He's used it extensively in batting practice and in a few games over the past year and it is still going strong.  Prior to that he had the same bat in 32/29 and it never broke despite a lot of use.   I think I paid about $150 for each bat.

My son has used that same bat and loves it.  It's a bit pricey, but he's had better luck with them holding up than others. 

I think it's more about the model (meaning how the bat is cut) than it is about the wood choice or brand.

Baum bats are nearly indestructible and have never been eliminated for use from any showcase tourneys I've been to.  Pretty good investment so far after 1.5 years.

Eddy Johnson posted:

Baum bats are nearly indestructible and have never been eliminated for use from any showcase tourneys I've been to.  Pretty good investment so far after 1.5 years.

Second that. Son was in the same situation -- travel team swings only wood -- and it took me a year before making the investment in a Baum. Should have done it sooner.

As long as you buy a good piece of wood the rest is in the batter feel.

The weighting, balance points, thickness of handle and so forth  will vary. Some feel better then others to your son. There are literally unlimited amount of bat guys anymore. National, regional, small locals...tremendous amount of options.

I remember when Victus was a small regional, still have a soft spot for them. We used to walk in the New Jersey location and they would customize on the spot. Going rate was 70 or 75 bucks...then they started creeping up - they got even bigger signed some MLB guys and prices almost doubled overnight when they relocated to new facility in KOP. Did the bat improve? Hmmm....

Don't go buy a 39.99 bat at Dicks off the rack and expect it be a good one.

Baum Bat- I figured it out early, bought ours 3 years ago.  Everyone else has since said Why didn't we buy one earlier, that would have saved us a lot of money....  Before you or your son buy or use a wood bat(if not a Baum Bat), learn about wood grain in bats.  What to look for, maple end grain or face grain.  Talk to someone who knows this stuff for a tutorial.  Not all wood bats are the same.  I have noticed a decrease in wood quality in Marucci bats over the years.

Great replies so far folks, thanks. An earlier post mentioned “turn models”. Can you elaborate a little on that please? As to the use of composites, I’m fairly certain those are allowed, though I will find out for sure before buying. 

Wanted to add, on the journey from the first coach pitch big barrel bat all the way to his current BBCORs, I always bought online from justbats.com. I know there are plenty of other retailers out there. Do you have a go to company that has good pricing and customer service?

Bat turn models. Whats listed there isn't even close to all the different turns as some companies have their own variations.

Son used a Baum last year before leaving for college. This year at college summer ball he used a Demarini composite I13 turn. Really liked it as did a few of the kids on the team.

Justbats.com is good.  They also have some info on turn models here:  https://www.justbats.com/buyin.../baseball-bats/wood/    A Google search will turn up lots more info.

I also have used baseballsavings.com, baseballmonkey.com and amazon.com for bats, all with good results.  My advice is just to shop around once you find a bat model you want to buy--all the major web sites tend to put them on sale around the same times of year, but prices do vary.  

I really like Phoenix Bats.  Smaller bat co out of OH.  They provide a lot of wood to the minor leagues.  The quality of the wood we've gotten from them has been top notch.  They also do a great job at explaining the different turn options on their site.  If you call them they will talk your ear off about different wood, models etc.  Cant say enough good things about them.  Just for a sample size my son likes the R141 & P2 models.  But go on the site and read about all the models.  They will also customize a model for you...if you like a certain profile but want a flared knob...just give them a call and they'll tell you how to order it.

As others have mentioned Baum Bat is a solid choice if you can use them.  Virtually indestructible.  

https://www.phoenixbats.com

Here's another link to some bat turns.  I've never bought a Viper, but they do a lot of different models.  For what it's worth, my oldest favored the Model 73, younger one liked the 243.

https://www.viperbats.com/products/Elite-Series

Have had great luck with Trinity wood bats. Son has swung the T-271 in birch and it has held up better than any other wood he has swung. Steve has always been willing to help with any questions and turnaround time on custom bats has been remarkably fast. http://www.trinitybatco.com/

My son loves his Victus. The retail models are balanced & a bit pricey, but come with a 45-day warranty and responsive customer service.