Help For Selecting The Right Baseball Bat
Every year on every team, there will always be a few players on your team that you find has the wrong size bat. It's either too heavy, too short, or too long. Sometimes it's the teenage player thinking they're stronger than they actually are. Sometimes it's the parent that really has no clue on what size bat to buy.
The most important factor when choosing a bat is comfort. I've seen players hit better with a $40 bat they borrowed from a teammate than they did with the $200 bat their parents bought them. Just like baseball gloves or basketball shoes, if the player isn't comfortable with what they are using, the results won't be very good.
Hopefully the following guidelines can help you choose the proper size bat for your players.
Size of the Bat (Length and Weight)
Another important factor in choosing the right sized baseball bat is the height of the batter. In general, tall batters should use longer bats. Below are two tables with general guidelines for choosing baseball bat length.
Bat Length Guidelines:
| Age | Bat Length | or | Player Height | Bat Length |
| 5-7 | 24" - 26" | 5' - 5' 6" | 32" | |
| 8-9 | 2"-28" | 5'6" - 6' | 33" | |
| 10-11 | 28"-30" | 6' + | 34" | |
| 11-12 | 30"-32" | |||
| 13-14 | 31"-32" | |||
| 15-16 | 32"-33" | |||
| 17+ | 34" |
Worth Sports conducted a study with the University of Arizona, in which they determined the best bat weights for hitters, based on their height. The table below summarizes their findings. Note: Add one ounce for fastpitch softball bats.
Bat Weight Guidelines:
| A. High School & College Baseball | B. Youth League Baseball (11-12 yrs) |
C. Youth League Baseball (8-10 yr. olds) | |||
| Player Height (in.) | Best Bat Wt (oz.) | Player Weight (lbs.) | Best Bat Wt (oz.) | Player Height (in.) | Best Bat Wt (oz.) |
| >66 | >27 | >70 | >18 | >48 | >16 |
| >68 | >27.5 | >80 | >19 | >50 | >16.5 |
| >70 | >28 | >90 | >19.5 | >52 | >17 |
| >72 | >29 | >100 | >20 | >54 | >17.5 |
| >74 | >30 | >110 | >20.5 | >56 | >18 |
| >76 | >30.5 | >120 | >21 | >58 | >18.5 |
| >Formula: Height/3 + 5 | >130 | >21.5 | >60 | >19 | |
| >140 | >22 | >Formula:Height/4 + 4 | |||
| >150 | >23 | ||||
| Formula: Weight/18 + 14 | |||||
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Level of Play & Regulations
Baseball bats are measured using their length to weight ratio, a negative number that represents how many ounces a bat weighs compared to it's length in inches. For example, a 32 inch bat that weighs 28 ounces is a - 4. The largest ratio is in the range of -12 (for little league bats), while college and high school bats are restricted to a - 3. These restrictions are for safety reasons - a college or high school player swinging a very light bat (- 4 +) would simply have too much power and could pose a danger to other players on the field. Make sure to check the regulations of your league before buying a baseball bat!
Categories: Baseball Bats,Baseball Equipment,Baseball,Coaching
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