When Should You Invest in a Better Baseball Bat
It’s an exciting time when your child picks up the bat and steps to the plate for the first time. It’s tempting to splurge and get the best bat available, but that’s exceptionally unnecessary when they are just starting. Thus, it begs the question, when should you invest in a better baseball bat?
Youth
You may have a vision of your child becoming the next baseball prodigy. If that’s the case, you want to ensure they have the best equipment in their arsenal, with an elite baseball bat being of those pieces. However, if your child is under 12, there isn’t a reason to spend big money on a bat.
First off, there is no guarantee your child will love the game and continue to play, leaving you with an expensive youth baseball bat with no youth baseball players. Secondly, in the early stages of their so-called career, a bat isn’t going to make much of a difference. The first years of a youth league are simply learning the basics, with a coach or machine pitching to them. A standard aluminum bat around 27 inches long is all that’s necessary when they are starting.
Teen
As your child ages, they will start to grow, and the competition will be stiffer. You don’t want them to bring a knife to a gunfight, figuring that their $30 youth bat won’t keep up with the Joneses. Furthermore, they have likely outgrown the bat, and they need something longer for better plate coverages.
A young teen will need a bat approximately 30-32 inches long. That length should suffice unless they hit their growth spurt a tad early, giving them confidence when they step to the dish. Entering this stage will be the first time you’ll need to pay the extra dough and look into a composite bat that will last to the end of their Little League career.
High School and College
With your child becoming a fully grown young adult, let’s look at things from their perspective and allow them to finally equip the ultimate weapon. Being a dominating force on the Little League diamond is fun, but it doesn’t have any bearing on your future. When playing competitive high school baseball, you might notice a scout or two at your games, giving you a purpose to show out. Having one of the best bats on the market allows you to turn some heads. Additionally, if you have a showcase for various universities, you want something that packs a powerful punch.
Supplying this timeframe of when should you invest in a better baseball bat should save you a few bucks, especially when your 8-year-old is pleading you for a $200 bat. So, keep that wallet closed until they start their teen years, then you can give them what they need to take a step closer to becoming the next Shohei Ohtani.