A simple guide to buying baseball bats for kids

Buying the right baseball bats for kids is as important as buying the right glove, the cleats, and every other piece of equipment for the sport. The right bat can directly affected how your kids perform at the plate, and conversely, the wrong bat can leave your kids struggling on the peewee team.

Little league baseball bats

However, ask somebody how to buy the best bat for your kids, and you’ll get the rigamarole. Some folks will say buy heavy and let your kid adjust for greater power. Others will say buy long and let your kids choke up on the grip so they can handle the extra few inches. Others will say pray to Jobu and hope he delivers the proper bat to you.

Just like he didn’t cut it for Charlie Sheen and the boys in the hit movie Major League, Jobu won’t help if you’re looking to purchase bats for kids. The key is taking in all of the advice from experts, and looking for consistency. In this case, the chorus of voices says one thing: both length and weight are important.

With weight, think light. A light bat makes it easier for your kids to control their swings. Don’t let those old-fashioned coaching types tell you that you need a heavy bat to deliver the hits. Kids can actually hit the ball harder and farther with a light bat because they can swing a light bat faster. If you need proof, consider that the NCAA and high school rules officials have passed prohibitions on baseball bats so they cannot be 3 ounces or more lighter than the bat’s length in inches.

When it comes to length and bats for kids, the rules state that Little League baseball bats must be less than or equal to 32 inches in length. Their barrels cannot be more than 2.25 inches in diameter. Of course, for kids in the “Farm” league (age 7 to 8) you don’t want to push these limits. A length of 26 to 27 inches will do.

For the Junior Minors (age 8 to 9), try 27 to 29 inches. For Senior Minors (age 9 to 12), try 28 to 31 inches. And for the Majors (age 10 to 12), you can buy a bat anywhere from 29 to 32 inches.