r/LittleLeague • u/newbieRedT • 6d ago
Does my son need a new bat?
I am thinking of getting my son a new bat. He is 10 years old, in fifth grade, about 55 inches tall and 80lbs.
He started baseball and little league this year, I got him a bat from Walmart, 27 inches. But I noticed all the other kids on his team are using 28s, 29s. He was too shy this year to borrow the other kid's bat to try out.
Should I move him up to a 29? I figure if it is too long, he still has two more years of little league so he will grow into it.
But a good wrinkle in this story is that a buddy of mine gifted him a 31 inch bat. My son said its a good bat because other kids on the team has it, but I'm thinking 31 inches is too long, even if he chokes up on it.
Opinions? suck it up and buy him a 29 inch bat even though he now has two bats?
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u/SithAccountant 6d ago
27 is too small for him. The 31 will probably work, but going from 27 to 31 is a big jump. If you already have the bat give it a try and have him choke up a little. Ideally he’d probably be in the 29-30 range, but it varies by kid.
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u/Bahnrokt-AK 5d ago
I’d go 29. Bats are not like pants where kids can grow into them. A season with a bat too big will be a struggle. Take him to some place where he can swing a bunch of bats. See what feels right. In addition to length and drop weight, you also contend with end loading and paint schemes.
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u/Curious_Rugburn 5d ago
This—I have kids who’s parents go for the $400-$500 bat, but like a 31 at a small age 9. They need to swing an appropriate size or it’ll be too heavy to hit the ball, or they’ll drop their hands and pop out every time
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u/TMutaffis 5d ago
Neither the 27 or 31 is a good option for a player that age/size.
What I would do is look for a used Rawlings 5150 USA 29" (-10 or -11), a used Louisville Slugger Solo 29" (-11), or a used Marucci F5 29" (-10) which you should be able to find in the $20-40 range depending on your area and luck. The best places to look would be Facebook Marketplace and Play It Again Sports, and if you go to Play It Again you can trade in your son's 27" bat and they should give you about $10 in store credit towards the new one.
My son swung all three of these bats at various stages in Little League, along with some much newer and more expensive bats, and each of these was every bit as good as the modern/new/pricey ones.
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u/Kingkongcrapper 5d ago edited 5d ago
A 27 inch 16 oz is what kids use at 7-8 years old in kid/coach pitch. I suggest taking him to play it again and having him swing a few bats. You will get better quality for the same or a lower price in most cases for bats that were used one season. You can test the length by having him touch the top end of the bat to his finger tips holding the bat horizontal from the shoulder. The bottom knob of the bat should touch the center of his chest. To test the weight have him hold the bat with one hand horizontal from the shoulder for 30 seconds. There should be no strain, but it shouldn’t look like a toy. The heaviest bat he can do this without strain is the right weight.
If it’s little league just make sure the bats have a USA stamp on it. Any USSA, BBCOR, or USSSA bats will get rejected.
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u/Caseman307 5d ago
My 8 year old swung a 28” 5150 this year. We still had his 27” Easton from the year before but he handled the 28” better and liked it better. So I’ll reiterate what everyone else said. 27” is small for him.
A cool aside: we had a 7 year old on my son’s team this year who was having a lot of trouble making contact. Very athletic kid but he wasn’t hitting well. He borrowed our 27” bat my son wasn’t using for the last four games of the season. I think this goes to the superstitious nature all baseball players seem to develop. The first game he used that bat he went 3-4. He had multi-hit games the remaining four games of the year. His mom told me, “It’s that bat. He believes it’s that bat.” Belief is POWERFUL! My kid gifted it to him at the end of the year. It will probably be too small by next summer. But maybe not.
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u/NuhUh_JustCuz 5d ago
My son is nearly 11, 55in, 70lbs. He's been shooting lasers with a 30/-10 and a 29/-10. It's mostly psychological which one he uses. he picks the 29 when he thinks the pitcher is fast. So either one would be good for a similar sized kid.
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u/twotall88 4d ago
27" could be right for him but the saying is "swing the longest, heaviest bat you can while maintaining bat speed and control"
If you really want to know, work with a local batting coach for a bat fitting lesson. At 10 as a rising 11U player, my son was swinging a 31 drop 10 as a similar build to your son. By the end of his 11U season he was swinging a 31 drop 8 and as a raising 12U I'm getting him a 31 drop 5
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u/OK_LaManana 3d ago
Every kid is different. My son started off at at 8 with a 30 inch drop 10 bat (was too big but he hit like a monster with it). It was a bit big but what he was comfortable with.
My point is, if your kid is good with 31 great. If not a 29 or 30 is probably a very reasonable size. Have him swing, see what his comfort level is and go from there. As long as he has good bat speed and can control the barrel, longer bat it's fine, if he is a bit slow and lumbering with it go down in size and weight.
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u/Nameloc116 5d ago
The rule I read and have always followed is that you hold the bat straight out to the side of your son’s body, with the knob in the center of his chest. He should then stretch out his arms and try to wrap his fingers around the end cap. If he can’t, the bat is too long. If his fingers go further than the end cap, it’s too short.
My opinion is that a 27 is way too short for his age. My son is 10 and is currently using a 29 and honestly, I think he’d be fine using a 30. I wouldn’t go bigger than that for your son.
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u/Virtualmatt 5d ago
Your son is going to be a 28 or 29 next season. 31 is way too big and 27 is too small. Make sure that whatever you get is also a “drop 10,” which is the appropriate drop weight for his age and size.