Hey, what bat measurements do you use. Weight and Length, and also what is permitted (-5,-3), please give me all the info. Thanks.

Are you talking school ball or Senior league ball.
13/14 yrs. old play senior league, which is a -8 bat.
Some school ball have went to -3 for protection of player's??
Other's have comprimized with the -5.
Not sure about your area.
-5 are hard to find but are available. EH

I just want to know what most schools, and leagues require 8th graders (13 yr. olds) to use. Thanks. In all the areas, I would like to know.

We don't have Jr High baseball here but in the county to the north the Jr High teams must use
-3.

in my pony league years we could use anywhere from a -8 to a -3. Very few -5 were used/seen.

My son was not restricted on his bat weight when he played middle school ball. He swung a -8 in 7th grade then at 14 (8th grade) he moved to a -5 to get ready for the -3 he would have to swing in HS. All of the major bat companies make a -5 bat these days. Good luck.

We have to swing -3 in middle school.

I would recommend going straight to the -3. He may struggle a bit but it will help him next year in HS.

My travel team of 13 year olds are mostly 7th graders with a couple of "Date change" 8th graders. We are playing 14U USSSA which allows for lighter bats but the majority of boys are swinging -3's. The High Schools that my boys are zoned for have "C" teams that require -3 bats.

Some of my boys are struggling with the heavier bats so I let them use the lighter bats during the tournaments and the -3s during BP and cage work.

The HS coaches have been out to our tournaments so it's going to be interesting to watch tryouts in January. I believe the 24 games that they'll have under their belts will help them in the spring. A couple of my boys should make JV this year so the experience of using -3s and playing on the big fields should be very beneficial.

My son's 13U team played in one league that required no greater than a -5 bat. There is a good Comp Stealth at -5. So they all played it season long, knowing that next summer they would need to move to -3 in prep of HS. We were pretty bummed at SuperSeries Nationals to see opponents using -10 bats. How does that help them long term? Yes I know the answer.

In Washington state either -5/-3 is OK. We chose -5 for a transition bat. It is a huge diff. from a -8/9 to -5. so our son is gradually working to a -3.

My 13 yr old son had been using a -10 Catalyst which he loved. Last tourney (in Dec) he used his new bat, a -5 Vexxum which he had used only in practice before. He was apprehensive at first but after his first hit he gained confidence. In the second and third games he hit a couple of line shots that one hopped to the fence (fences are over 300'). -5 bats have very good pop. Some other kids on the team swing the -5 green/silver Stealths. One swings the -5 Dynasty. The kids aren't quite strong enough to get good bat speed with the -3 bats yet. Or if they can get good speed up to contact with the ball, they don't have the wrist/forearm strenght to get the bat to extension properly (ground balls versus line drives).

I would have to disagree based on past experience and observations. I have seen many 13YO's capable of generating full batspeed with -3's. Even small 13's. You are only talking a 2 oz. difference, that isn't much.

Texan...and others...have talked me into getting a -3 for my 14u. I think he can handle it for a variety of reasons but it's just the perception that makes it difficult I think.

Your son will now have the benefit of being fully adjusted to the -3 before he hits HS, where he HAS to use a -3. Wise choice, IMHO.

quote:

Originally posted by Texan:
Wise choice, IMHO.

Your opinions are respected.

My 13 will be swinging a -3 this weekend for the first time in a game. He is going straight from the -8.5, which he swung well. Will let you know if he noticed any difference. He will be playing up against 14's so hopefully he will see good pitching.

For what it's worth, son didn't seem to have any trouble adjusting to the -3 bat. Hit well though the ball seemed to come off the bat harder. The pitching was at least as fast as he's seen and still had no trouble with the difference in weight.

Your son swung it quite well I might add.

Nice meeting you...best of luck down the road. He's got quite an arm too.

I have always been an advocate of “enjoying the moment” in youth baseball but when it comes to bat weight I always felt the ultra light bats were limiting development for the move into high school and in a way, sending a message that whomever could afford the best bat would be the best hitter and that isn't the way it works. When the high schools started the transition to -3 (son was pre-high school at the time) I immediately switched to the -3. I did shorten the length an inch to make the adjustment less dramatic. If your son is having trouble adjusting to the -3, I suggest you get him some private hitting instructions and help him focus on strengthening his arms/wrists/shoulder with light weights, thera bands, and a rice bucket.
Fungo