So next year we go to drop 5’s a bigger field but this year drop 10s are still allowed. 10 to 5 seems like a big difference but I heard 5 to 3 is even harder. Was curious about this so took to stats via Hit track and Zepp.
Boys are swinging drop 8s aluminum this season. Swing speed low 70s on Avg with max 78 resulting in an exit velo that’s 2-3mph higher.
Switch to drop -5 and loss of 3-4 mph bat speed. Going to a drop 3 costs another 2-3mph in swing speed. Exit velo always seems 2-3mph faster than the swing until you get to drop 3 which swing speed matched exit velo.
On the field, it seemed that maybe they lost 3-5 ft carry distance between drop 8 and 5, but the ball really shot off the drop 5 even on off center hits. We didn’t swing a 3 on the field yet but was encouraged by drop 5 performance and had to talk them out of taking it to Cooperstown.
Questions: 1) Do these metrics jive with what you guys know about performance with heavier bats? I was surprised by the relationship between swing speed and exit velo how close they are. Maybe for drop 10s its different?
2) If they only use drop 5s one year why not bite the bullet and go straight to a 3? Any advantage to this? Seems in line with what the coaches are telling them this year and boys have caught some grief for swinging 8s. 3 boys in the team swing 5s, 3 swing 8s and the rest are still using 10s.
There is no scenario a 12u or 13u should switch to BBCOR for games unless the tournament requires it. You will put your son at a marked disadvantage from a bat performance standpoint. It's great if he can handle a -3 but the other team will be swinging a -5 every chance they get as will the kids he is competing for playing time with.
My son has been playing with a drop 5 since 10u. He is 11u now. Drop 5s are the hottest bats. It's a good thing most kids use them at 13 on a bigger field and more distance between home and mound
Do not swing BBCOR until you are mandated to do it.
Drop -5 bats are the hottest bats your kid will ever swing and will become the bats that they hit the farthest balls they will likely hit in their life at least until later in High School. Once the kids get enough strength and swing speed to compress the composite walls the XL1 and Zen bats become legendary for the distance they can hit a baseball. Let the kids have fun while they can. BBCOR and dead bats are just around the corner.
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Posted - 05/29/2019 : 12:29:55
