Baseball bat
Buying a baseball bat may not be that simple as it seems. For it, you need a few basic guidelines. The baseball bat you choose to get depends on the game level you’ll be playing, your height, strength and weight. For professional playing, only wooden bats are allowed. But if you require a light weight bat that has a stronger hit then go for an aluminum baseball bat.
Do you know which baseball bat is best for you?
A baseball bat doesn’t have a standard length for every batter. It is directly related to how tall of short the batter is.
Tee ball bat
This baseball bat is for younger ages of around 7 years and is used in tee balls. The barrel of the bat has a diameter of 2 1/4 inch. It is approximately 27 inches long and its weight drop is between -7 and -13.
Little league bat
A little league baseball bat is meant for children 7-12 years. This bat is used in Babe Ruth, Pony, Little League and AABC leagues. It is up to 32 inches long.
Senior league baseball bat
This bat is for 10-13 years of aged children. It has a barrel between 2 5/8 inches to 2 ¾ inches. Its length varies between 28 to 32 inches. A heavier senior league bat would have a weight drop of -5 and a lighter one would have a -11 weight drop.
College baseball bat
This baseball bat is meant for 13 years and above. It has a barrel around 2 5/8 inches and a length of 30 inches to 34 inches. Longer the barrel more the sweet spot you get. A College baseball bat has a weight drop of -3.
Baseball bat weight
A lighter bat is much easier to control and to swing than a heavier one. Normally, there is a rule on a minimum weight allowed for a baseball bat. Little league bats shouldn’t be more than 32 inches and the barrel diameter shouldn’t be more than 2 ¼ inches.
Materials used in its making
A baseball bat may be made of any of 3 main materials namely aluminum, wood or graphite.
Aluminum bat
An aluminum baseball bat is much lighter and offers better control to the batsman. It costs a bit higher than the rest of the options at hand and lasts longer. Aluminum bats are further broken down into various alloy categories that have their own characteristics. Lighter the alloy, thinner the bat tends to be and would offer more durability than its counterparts. A standard alloy used in most of the aluminum bats is 7046. A lighter baseball bat also gives more sweet spot.
Graphite/ titanium bats:
The other name of graphite bats is composite. Titanium or graphite is used to manufacture lighter bats and add to the thinness of bat walls which in turn increases the swinging speed for the batsman. When buying a graphite baseball bat, you will realize that the bat has a better sweet spot than aluminum bats.
Wooden bats
These classic bats are much heavier than the above mentioned materials. The taper and shape of a wooden baseball bat gives margin of customization to adjust the bat to the player’s particular swing. However these bats are less durable and crack over time, have lesser sweet spots and the hitting power is much lower than an aluminum or graphite one.
What ever bat you choose, it must be chosen in conformance to the game rules you will be playing and should match your age. If you are a senior player then go for a heavier bat and if you are small and weigh less then go for a lighter baseball bat for better swing and control.
