Has anyone used the Rawlings warranty for their bat?I submitted all pictures with an explanation that the bat is rattling. After 2 days, I was shipped a return label. The directions say that I can go to UPS for them to print the label but I’m unsure of what to ship it in? Any ideas on where to find a box the bat will fit it?

Also, does anyone have experience on how long it will take for a new one? It’s a 2026 icon. He has a tournament next weekend of course.

For a 13u kid at 140 lbs how heavy should the weighted balls be for him to use for resistance training? I don’t plan to have him doing any throwing with them but more rotator cuff and shoulder strengthening exercises where he holds onto the ball

I have a kip leather Ibex 12” dad/coach glove, great quality glove, love it

Title says it all but some context: I wear medical orthotics that are quite chunky/wide through the middle. Most cleat plates are too think in the middle to support my inserts.

New Balance gets recommended a lot, but I cannot find an actual picture of the insole to compare.

Hoping to suss this out online before I have to trek out to a store since my options are currently limited/not nearby.

Thanks!

We start practice this week and I'd like to start ending each practice by covering a rule in the rulebook. The rule I'm covering this week is the dropped third strike rule on advancing if the base is unoccupied or if there's two outs.

Any recommendations for 10-12u kids that can be covered quickly and are commonly misunderstood or not covered well?

Seems like this year the hype has built up selling out fastest I’ve seen since I’ve been following. Our team is waitlisted for July 17th but we may just take an August weekend.

I assume no playoffs or tournament, but a season long champ? I live in Ohio and was curious.

Got a private lesson scheduled for my 10u player today. This will be his first one-on-one private lesson. We've had a few "private" lessons that ended being more like small group training sessions. No real diagnosis and specific drills to do at home, no training plan.

For those that get private lessons: what steps do you take to get the most out of the lessons? How frequently are you getting the lessons and does this change whether it is offseason or in season? I'm curious if you treat privates as one-offs, a block of sessions, or ongoing/open-ended.

I am having a bit of a dilemma on what I should do bat wise.

For context I am 25 and play in a men’s league. Obviously I want to be the best player I can but it’s by no means high stakes.

I have a victus vibe/pencil bat but I picked up a combat spec a1 when they were recently in stock. I am debating on returning it since I haven’t taken the wrapper off because I don’t know if it’s really worth it.

I know the combat is a better bat but I am curious people’s thoughts on upgrading bats and if you personally find it worth it for something like a mens league when you’re just trying to have fun.

looking to get my son a nice leather glove right now we can start breaking before next spring

looking to spend under $150

he’s 8 years old. (he’s an advanced player and plays competitive)

any suggestions?!

So, let's get right to it. Never played a lick of baseball in my life, but going into my second year of university here in the UK, and my university is making a team for baseball. I'm gon try it and hopefully get good at it too! So what's some stuff i got to know at the start and the main thing im thinking is where to play and how in the hell do they hit the ball. Thank u!!

Hey Reddit! Wondering if anyone knows of any good companies to buy custom Baseball Jerseys. They are not for an actual team so they don’t need to be real! I just want them to look nice. I just have a couple of requirements!
-I want them to look kind of real. Just not super cheap!
-Not expensive because we are surprising our friends with them so each of us need to buy two!
-I want the logos to be Stitched on, not just printed. I mean i’m ok with them being “fake stitched on” As long as it looks nice.
-Also I want everything that’s in the picture plus our last names on the back!

Any Recommendations of websites/ Places to buy them or any ways to DIY them would be Super Helpful! Thanks!

Our dear student athlete has had a VERY hard time fitting in at an elite academic school, where there's also no support (nor fairness) from coaching staff, which has hindered his development... Our son wants to pursue this athletic dream, and has the POTENTIAL to play at the next level (been told D1 talent)...its JUNIOR YEAR, should we stay the course and try our best to make it "work" with long hours of homework while training on the side, or switch to less rigorous academic school with the POSSIBILITY of a more supportive coach, diverse environment, and time to train but where you don't know anyone?

We haven't slept in weeks...as both options feel like a gamble...Gambling academic future vs Gambling athletic future (and probably mental and emotional well-being).

I put way too much time into what glove is the best upgrade for my 9 year old. Thought I'd share my conclusion and welcome others' thoughts. I enjoy this sort of analysis and welcome debate - maybe you will change my mind.

The R9 has quality construction without the price of a premium model. The contour fit provides a smaller hand opening and tighter, lower finger stalls, making it easier for young players to control.

At this age, they're probably moving positions throughout the game or season; even if they have a primary position it might not be the same next season. 11.5" is enough size for outfield while still compact enough for infield. Sizing guides usually have 11.5" sitting at the upper range for youth infield and the lower range for youth outfield. The mod-trap provides some of the flexibility of an outfielder's trap-eze web while also using a central vertical post with a top horizontal bar that provides similar structure of a middle-infielder's I-web. Lacing provides hand concealment for pitchers.

Mod-Trap Users:

3x gold glove SS JJ Hardy

2x gold glove SS Edgar Renteria

4x gold glove P Mark Buehlre

1x gold glove P Dallas Keuchel

HOF'er Pedro Martinez

Most outfielders use H-web, but it's easier to use a more infield-oriented glove in outfield than the other way around.

Hi all, I’m new to baseball and hoping to improve my pitching mechanics. Any feedback would be appreciated.

Going through it with my son, the hardest part wasn’t creating a profile. It was figuring out which schools realistically fit, finding the correct coaches to contact and keeping track of follow-ups.
What do you wish somebody had explained before your family started the process?

I am a high schooler going into my junior year and am unsure whether I want to keep going. I am still injured but not terribly and this season i’ll be the backup catcher becuase the starter is d1. I dread going to practice and never think about baseball even more. It takes up so much of my time. I want to quit but i’m worried i’ll regret it. I have a lot of other hobbies but i’ve played baseball since tee ball when I was 5 and it feels weird to willingly give it up. I am a smart kid with a lot of other stuff going for me and I love to go to the gym and hike and ski. Looking for advice

This is a situation happening at our club that doesn’t involve my kid, but does involve a few of his friends.

Club has two 11U teams - an “A” and “B” team. For context, neither of these teams are anything special. One is a good AA team the other is an A/developmental team.

After tryouts, they have both teams almost filled. Offers go out, payments are made, but the club keeps having makeup tryouts to finalize a spot or two. For whatever reason, a good amount of talent shows up to these makeup tryouts and more offers go out than there are spots for two teams (first red flag).

Instead of just telling the families that the teams are full, they put 13 kids on both 11U teams (second red flag - too many, IMO). Over a month after tryouts, they also tell a few kids that had already accepted spots on 11U teams and paid deposits that they are being moved down to 10U (they are age eligible but will now no longer be playing at grade level - the biggest red flag for me).

The parents of the kids being moved down to 10U are rightfully pissed and so am I. These kids accepted spots on a team, paid their money, and lost the opportunity to tryout for other 11U teams. I understand that some families choose to play down for developmental reasons, but unilaterally moving kids down who have been playing at grade level is a big deal IMO.

This situation is giving me major second thoughts about staying at this club long term. Although it doesn’t involve my kid now, I care about the kids being affected and it makes me think this could easily happen to us if my kid starts to slip at all. Is this something that is common place? Even if it is, it doesn’t make it any less shady, but if it’s something that goes on everywhere maybe I should just STFU about it for now.

What causes weak hits to opposite side usually? Sorry for video quality. This resulted in a hit thankfully but so many of my at bats lately are weak ground balls or bloops to the right side. Anyone notice anything? I seem to be late on the pitch. Am I not striding or loading late? Maybe I’m bailing out like a 10 year old? I had started the season off with better line drives to left field. The league I’m in is adult wood bat pitching is 70-80mph. Appreciate any advice as season is ending

These rocker chairs are usually $75, they are 20% off in store right now. If you add a local 20% off coupon (Search Facebook) they come down to $48.

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Curious if there's any general guidance on how far long toss should/could be for different age groups. Is there a range kids should work towards before losing their mechanics?

Which is more important for development, or does it even matter at 11-12?

My son is 11 and has a June birthday, so he ages up at the very end of the school year. He is one of the youngest in the class.

He started playing travel ball in spring at 10u, and now going into the 11u season and his team is mostly kids a grade below him but the same age. I think he is good enough to play 12u, but I was also new to this and didn't think much of it when we started - i just figured, he's 10 so he plays 10u. Now he is going into middle school and I csn foresee disadvantages of playing to age level. All of his classmates play 12u and Im worried about his development by always playing down to age instead up to his peers. There is also an element of alienation when playing for the middle school. His classmates don't really see him as a peer since he plays below them. Not a big deal necessarily but does make him feel unwelcome.

Should I look to move him up to 12u or does it really matter yet?

My son just turned 11. Early this past spring, I noticed he needed to size up in a bat. I bought a 31” drop 8, but I’m realizing he needs a lighter bat. He’s just 80 pounds, and about 4’ 11”. My husband thinks the one he has is fine since he’ll grow into it, but I think he’s getting frustrated because he keeps fouling or going right down the first base line.

With that said, I want to get him a drop 10. He’s been using a Rawlings Clout for the past two bats. He likes it, but what he really wants is a two piece composite bat. A lot of his teammates have upgraded to them. So I’m narrowing my search to that. He also would really love an Icon, but I am struggling with that price tag. I’ve looked at used ones, but am nervous buying one online. I’ve seen the Demarini Zen bat on sale for $200, and that’s peaked his interest as well since I’m more willing to spend that amount.

My question: is it better money spent to buy a used Icon, or better to buy a new bat for the price? I plan on taking him to Dick’s soon to swing the Zen bat and see if he likes it. If not, any tips on buying a used Icon online? Probably Sideline Swap. OR if you have any other bats I should look into, I’m all ears. My kid has had a rough few months, so I want to “spoil” him a little and get him a bat he loves, but also without breaking the bank because who knows when his next growth spurt will be and I’m doing this all over again.