Baseball Bats?????

[b.latiolais]

Okay, my little boy is only 6 but he is a fanatic for baseball and truthfully he is really good. Seeing how much he loves the sport I don't mind splurging on some of these items for him. I've read alot of the posts on here about bats but I still wanted to ask the question.

Santa is probably going to get him a new bat for the upcoming Spring season and I kind of want to get him something that will last a couple of seasons. (size wise) Anyhow, I had bought him an Easton from Academy and it is all dented up now because we hit so much and so I figured this time I would get him a good one. Like I said, he is 6 and will be playing Little League Coach Pitch. Any of you guys have an opinion on some of the better made bats out there?
Thanks for the info.

[bowhuntntxn]

Heath is the man to answer your questions in this department.

[b.latiolais]

I know Heath is very knowledgable but i think he is limited to how much he can really share. He can give the pros and cons on Louisville but he has the class not to bash the other brands and that's kind of what I want to here. I want to know the good and the bad on all the brands.

[Rprock]

I'm the head baseball coach at a high school in north texas...IMO its not the brand of bat that matters easton, rawlings, nike, marucci, tpx...they are all basically the same. What matters the most is bat speed!!!!! You need to get him a bat that is the right size (length to weight ratio). You want him to be able to control the bat. He should swing the bat, not the bat swing him. Have him take some dry swings with different size bats, you want to get him the biggest one you can find that he swings the easiest/quickest. Hope this helps! PM me if you have any other questions.

[b.latiolais]

I'm the head baseball coach at a high school in north texas...IMO its not the brand of bat that matters easton, rawlings, nike, marucci, tpx...they are all basically the same. What matters the most is bat speed!!!!! You need to get him a bat that is the right size (length to weight ratio). You want him to be able to control the bat. He should swing the bat, not the bat swing him. Have him take some dry swings with different size bats, you want to get him the biggest one you can find that he swings the easiest/quickest. Hope this helps! PM me if you have any other questions.

Thanks

[krausejmk]

I'm the head baseball coach at a high school in north texas...IMO its not the brand of bat that matters easton, rawlings, nike, marucci, tpx...they are all basically the same. What matters the most is bat speed!!!!! You need to get him a bat that is the right size (length to weight ratio). You want him to be able to control the bat. He should swing the bat, not the bat swing him. Have him take some dry swings with different size bats, you want to get him the biggest one you can find that he swings the easiest/quickest. Hope this helps! PM me if you have any other questions.

This!

[cehorn]

I agree with Pprock. From my experience that bat doesn't matter and if the kid can hit he can hit. You can send some kids up there with a 2x4 and they are going to hit with it and some kids won't hit no matter how much you spend on a bat. It needs to be something he can swing though. If anything I would error on the side of too small rather than too big. Will this be his first time playing? I just moved up leagues to 7-8 yr old but at our local Little League they still used the "soft" baseballs for 6 year old coach pitch. If that is the case, it probably isn't going to matter too much what bat you get him. Just something else to consider when you start determining how much you want to spend on a bat for him.

[jsk]

Rprock is right! Look at several and make sure he can control it. These youngsters need control and as much speed as they can get for power. Make sure you go by the rules and specifications in your league/association. Get a light bat that he can control with the proper hitting mechanics. Good luck guys!

[TexasRed]

I'm no expert but I have coached select ball for years on several age levels. My son is playing college ball now. If your kid is 6 the quality of his bat isn't important. He needs a bat that he likes. Whether it's the graphics that he thinks is cool or just the feel of the bat, get him what HE likes. Performance of his equipment won't become an issue for a few more years. DO NOT get him a little bit larger bat so you can get more time out of it as he grows. Coach Rprock is correct in that he needs one he can handle now.

If you're interested in my opinion on performance of different manufacturers, I like Easton products. In general, Easton probably outperforms Louisville while Louisville will be more durable. That's oversimplifying it but then your son is 6. Just make sure it is always fun for him and he'll hit with a broom handle if that's all he can get. Enjoy it Dad. I would LOVE to do it all over again!

[super_dave]

We used the COMBAT. It is super light and hot! Easy to control also.

[TxTechsan]

Good advice on here already. Does his league allow big barrel bats?

[billfromtx]

I doubt a bat will fit him for 2 or 3 years. RProck is spot on. If the bat is too heavy for him he wont be able to hit good with it... A lot of parents of kids Ive coached made the mistake of buying a bat their kid could grow in too...They usually didn't used it during the season.

[Triple 7]

I wasted a lot of money buying expensive bats when my oldest son was that age. At 6-8 they are not strong enough to see the benefit of a composite bat, so I my suggestion is to purchase an alloy bat. I have a bucket full of bats at the house that none of my boys will use. They are high dollar, but for some reason in their head they don't have confidence in them. My suggestion is to let him help pick it out. He will have to like the color and feel. You can find alot of the 2012 models on sale right now. There are a few sites that you can go on to see reviews and make a purchase (www.justbats.com www.baseballsavings.com www.baseballexpress.com) The reviews are helpful to some extent but I dont know how truthfull they really are.

My six year old swings a Worth Prodegy. Not because its the best bat but because he picked it out. I really like the Louisville Slugger and Easton Bats. My 10 yr old swings the new Louisville Slugger Attack and I can say that is the best bat he has ever used. Find one that is a (-12) and is light enough that he wont drop the head of the bat when he swings it.

I hope this helps.

[big_smith]

Buy a last years model bat for half price and when he wears it out in a year, get him another one. Bat companies do not normally come out with new bats every year. They simply change the color scheme on the same bat. As mentioned above justbats has a bunch of last years models on sale real cheap. They even have bat packs where you can buy multiple bats in different sizes. The packs are often cheaper than the new single bats. My son swung whatever I could find on sale when he was that age. Now that he is older, I lean on Heath to give me advice. My son swung Easton, Louisville, and Combat back when he was 6-10 years old. I can honestly say that I did not see any difference in performance, until he started into puberty.

[Mailman]

My oldest son plays 7U Select and my younger son plays 6U League ball and they both swing the bat in the link below.

Logan is a pretty good size 7 year old and he swings the 27 inch 15 oz model. Caden is stocky, but shorter that most kids, but he is only 4 and swings the 25 inch 13 oz model.

We have 12 kids on Logan's select team and I think 8 of them swing this bat, or the white Easton. They are very good bats and very popular at the Tournaments we have played this Fall. These suckers are hot, the ball jumps off the barrel.

I would jump all over this deal for $119...

http://www.justbats.com/product/easton-s1--jbb11s1-junior-big-barrel/15316/#overview