| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| gajake15 |
Posted - 09/29/2008 : 11:15:02
Hey guys. I just moved up to Cartersville a couple of years ago from Gwinnett. I lived in Gwinnett for the first 29 years of my life where I played and umpired Dixie Youth and High School ball, so I'm adjusting to Little League up here with my son.
Anyway, I'm coaching my son's coach-pitch Fall Ball team and I have noticed a particular bat the travel teams we are playing are using. All of these teams are coach-pitch travel teams and are using, I think, a coach-pitch only bat. It's a big barrel that's super light and has major pop. I don't think it's legal in LL, but we're playing Dizzy Dean rules, so it's all good.
It's a Worth bat. Prodigy or something like that?
The reason I ask is kids I know that don't usually hit the ball out of the infield are hitting BBs with it. It's really impressive.
I also wonder why a bat like this would be allowed at all considering that it is a false sence of ability. Then again, it is also a confidence booster for kids that aren't quite there yet. Our problem is that it seems like we bring a knife to a gun fight.
Just wondering if anyone has seen these bats. |
| 11 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| BREAMKING |
Posted - 10/19/2008 : 22:10:00
you can add combat 29 inch to the list of broken bats. I only buy metal now. |
| BBall123 |
Posted - 10/14/2008 : 15:42:37
They do dent very easily,3 kids on our 10 u team use these and have torn them up repeatedly,I guess the good news is if you send thm back to worth they will send you a new one.all 3 kids on our team have done it and recieved a new bat and one kid has recieved 3 new bats from worth |
| gajake15 |
Posted - 10/01/2008 : 12:04:45
Thanks for the info. Yeah, I noticed that these -10 big barrel bats are a real help for kids with weaker swings. These are the kids that I was impressed with. Kids I've seen hit in spring league with regulated, small barrel bats couldn't hit the ball out of the infield are hitting frozen ropes to the outfield in fall league.
When I played Dixie Youth back in the 80's, we couldn't use big barrell bats until Pony League 14U.
I know high school is a -3 drop as we always had to keep an eye on that. Never had an issue with it.
I did some internet research on the bats and many reviews mentioned the denting over time. I would suspect that it was due to kids with faster swing speed and/or faster pitching. No wonder the bat says "coach pitch only" on the barrell.
My brother-in-law, who coaches with me, just picked up this one used from Play-it-again sports (no dents).
http://www.slugger.com/baseball/aluminum/omahacomp/omahacomp-coach.html
Which maximum "drop" does the denting go away? -8? |
| dblinkh1 |
Posted - 09/30/2008 : 16:59:56
My son used a Worth Prodigy end the of last year. Lasted one tournament before he cracked it. Company replaced it with the 2009 version and it is holding up. However, I don't think it has much pop as last years. We nicknamed his bat "dinner bell" because it sounds like those old ranch house bells they rang to call in the farm hands to dinner. |
| greglomax |
Posted - 09/30/2008 : 12:42:28
GA Jake,
Welcome to the world of travel ball. 
Very few times in travel ball will you ever see a batter use a small barrel bat (2-1/4 diameter), past coach pitch. Most will swing big barrel bats (2-5/8 or 2-3/4). These are the same size you have seen, while umpiring, in high school ball. Typically only league rules still enforce the small barrel bats.
The only difference between the HS version and the ones these kids use is the weight to length drop. For instance, in high school (and now in Dizzy Dean for 13 and up), the requirement is that no bat shall have less than a -3 weight to length drop. Meaning that a bat cannot weigh less than 3 oz below the length of the bat. For example, a 32" bat must weight at least 29 oz (32-3). For age groups below high school, and Dizzy Dean, you can use any drop weight. The most popular weight for 9U through 12U seems to be -8 to -8.5. Some players drop down to the -10 in the composite bats, but less of a percentage.
As for the Worth bat, as many told you above, the performance seems good but the durability is probably the worst on the market. The Rawlings Plasma has similar results, just not as bad as the Worth Prodigy. |
| Mike Corbin |
Posted - 09/29/2008 : 18:22:07
Those bats do have a TON of pop. However once the kids start getting a little stronger the Worth bats will dent up like crazy. I have not seen one above 10u that has not been dented unless it hasn't been used. |
| bball2008 |
Posted - 09/29/2008 : 16:49:28
They are legal in kid pitch as well but they dent like a piece of aluminum foil. |
| tae281 |
Posted - 09/29/2008 : 15:07:02
The Worth bats have been around for a couple of years, the balls do fly off the bat but they don't hold up very well. I went thru 2 in less than 6 months due to denting. |
| 743 |
Posted - 09/29/2008 : 14:23:07
I have seen them. They make the loud ping sound I think. I heard they dent pretty easily atleast in years past. People say something about a thin wall that trampolines the ball. |
| homerunking |
Posted - 09/29/2008 : 13:22:23
http://www.justbats.com/product.view.aspx?p=7986
It is made by Miken...
http://www.slugger.com/baseball/aluminum/omahacomp/omahacomp-coach.html
Louisville also make one bot come with the 3/4 inch BIG BARREL!!
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| you are out |
Posted - 09/29/2008 : 13:21:59
At 8U Dizzy dean will let them use basically any big barrel bats. You can see a copy of the Dizzy Dean rules on the Dizzy Dean Web site. http://www.dizzydeanbbinc.org/
As to the false sense of ability I would get used to it as you will see these use of these types of bats at every age in Travel Ball. However, as you will also see pitching is the control factor. If they can't hit a good pitcher it doesn't matter what type of bat they have anyway.
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