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C. MORTON
1051 Posts |
 Posted - 08/04/2016 : 13:01:07
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| What are some of the better wood bats out there.. Moving up to 14u this fall.. |
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sebaseball
101 Posts |
Posted - 08/04/2016 : 14:53:16
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| Have had good success with the Mizzuno Bamboo bats. They should come with a 90 day warranty. |
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CaCO3Girl
1989 Posts |
Posted - 08/04/2016 : 14:59:08
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At 14u, in MY opinion, the best wooden bat is the cheapest wooden bat. 14u's tend to break wooden bats very quickly. Ebay, Amazon, some places sell off spec bats...as long as it is 100% wooden and in one piece it will be okay in any tourney. It's when you get into composite and bamboo wooden bats that some tourneys allow them, some they have to be BBCOR, some just don't allow specific bamboo bats even if they are BBCOR...it can get dicey.
The thing that you have to understand is ALL wooden bats can break. There are rumors of indestructible bats...but I'm telling you, one poor hit location, one moving pitch that didn't land on the bat where the batter thought it would and that thing is going to crack. So, you can buy a $200 wooden bat with a 90 day warranty that likely won't be allowed into PG events, you can be mad when your 13/14 year old breaks the brand new $90 wooden bat, or you can get the cheapest bat you can and save yourself the frustration.
P.S. My kid likes Ash the most, then Maple. |
Edited by - CaCO3Girl on 08/04/2016 15:43:58 |
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DecaturDad
619 Posts |
Posted - 08/04/2016 : 16:18:28
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quote:
Originally posted by CaCO3Girl
At 14u, in MY opinion, the best wooden bat is the cheapest wooden bat. 14u's tend to break wooden bats very quickly. Ebay, Amazon, some places sell off spec bats...as long as it is 100% wooden and in one piece it will be okay in any tourney. It's when you get into composite and bamboo wooden bats that some tourneys allow them, some they have to be BBCOR, some just don't allow specific bamboo bats even if they are BBCOR...it can get dicey.
The thing that you have to understand is ALL wooden bats can break. There are rumors of indestructible bats...but I'm telling you, one poor hit location, one moving pitch that didn't land on the bat where the batter thought it would and that thing is going to crack. So, you can buy a $200 wooden bat with a 90 day warranty that likely won't be allowed into PG events, you can be mad when your 13/14 year old breaks the brand new $90 wooden bat, or you can get the cheapest bat you can and save yourself the frustration.
P.S. My kid likes Ash the most, then Maple.
So true. I buy my son $40 ash bats off Amazon. He is going into his senior year of high school and still prefers the simple ash bat. (And if you are assuming ash is just for weaker hitters, my son lead the county in home runs last varsity season.). |
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hshuler
1074 Posts |
Posted - 08/04/2016 : 16:21:12
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| Better baseball has a large selection and a bat scale that will help with finding a good fit for his swing. Some wood bat are -3, some are -1.5 so the scale will help to identify the proper weight. |
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in_the_know
985 Posts |
Posted - 08/04/2016 : 21:01:26
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The most important thing to establish is what turn your son prefers. Not all wood bats are equally shaped and this will have more impact on success with his bat than price, wood type, logo, etc. The turn will determine end loaded or not, handle size, taper, barrel size, knob type. So before you worry about what to buy, figure out what turn your son prefers. Get to a store with a large selection of wood bats (Better Baseball, one of the vendor trailers at a tournament, etc.), and let your son feel and swing several turns to find the one he likes. Then buy whatever brand, wood type, price range you want in that turn.
For example, 110, 271, I13 and 243 are four of the more popular turns.
Here are a few links to read about various turns and start your understanding of what's what. The last link for Anchor Bats allows you to click on each turn model and see the a great description with measurements of all diameters and description of each knob type (flare, medium flare, traditional, etc). Good luck
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdLDJ2U7PPw
http://www.whatproswear.com/what-pros-swing-the-top-5-most-popular-wood-bats-in-mlb/
http://anchorbatco.com/pages/custom-wood-bats-1 |
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bfriendly
376 Posts |
Posted - 08/04/2016 : 21:03:18
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Ditto the cheap Ebay bats....A lizard skin wont be a bad nor painful addition.........................Chartreuse on black looks mighty fine
Gonna get an ash bat next time though. Both of his wood bats are maple.....would like to try Ash |
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whits23
596 Posts |
Posted - 08/07/2016 : 08:46:51
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wooden bats break fast often due to not breaking them in. Unlike metal they get harder over time. I would hit off tee or soft toss for about 300 balls min before using in a game.
Love Baum bats..ask 18u ECB who win everything what they use |
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DecaturDad
619 Posts |
Posted - 08/07/2016 : 12:47:19
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quote:
Originally posted by whits23
wooden bats break fast often due to not breaking them in. Unlike metal they get harder over time. I would hit off tee or soft toss for about 300 balls min before using in a game.
Love Baum bats..ask 18u ECB who win everything what they use
I have never heard of breaking in a wood bat. I can understand wood getting harder with age. But how does hitting off a tee harden a bat? |
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sebaseball
101 Posts |
Posted - 08/07/2016 : 13:02:48
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quote:
Love Baum bats..ask 18u ECB who win everything what they use
In the famous words of Ted Williams "It ain't the arrow, it's the indian". Players at that calibur will win swinging any type of wood bat.
In the mid-90's, I do know for a fact that the Gulf Coast, NY-Penn and Appy Leagues all mandated that players swing Baum bats. I'm sure it was at the request of the ML teams to keep their bat costs down. The players weren't real fond of them because they were a little more dead than regular wood, but no broken bats. |
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catmando
107 Posts |
Posted - 08/07/2016 : 15:28:27
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Yea hitting wood hardens it that is why at ECB they get pissed at the booths when you buy them and want a refund an hour later
Baum was outlawed for a couple years but is back. I found this excerpt on a bat website
They’re very strong and get better over time. They definitely get harder and the ball comes off even faster the more the bat gets used. |
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catmando
107 Posts |
Posted - 08/07/2016 : 15:47:21
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Baum bats cost much more than standard wood i am surprised they have less pop? I can not believe that but i do know they do not break very often due to composite make up so your right on with that.
But i usually buy what my kid picks out and says he wants. I figure he will hit with what he likes and blame me if i make him use one he makes outs with. |
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hshuler
1074 Posts |
Posted - 08/07/2016 : 17:14:09
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quote:
Originally posted by DecaturDad
quote:
Originally posted by whits23
wooden bats break fast often due to not breaking them in. Unlike metal they get harder over time. I would hit off tee or soft toss for about 300 balls min before using in a game.
Love Baum bats..ask 18u ECB who win everything what they use
I have never heard of breaking in a wood bat. I can understand wood getting harder with age. But how does hitting off a tee harden a bat?
The only thing that I have heard is "boning" the bat to condense the wood. Some bats come with this process already completed. |
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whits23
596 Posts |
Posted - 08/07/2016 : 20:05:08
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easy shuler you can get jail time for that
email me when you can i have question whits23@aol.com |
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hshuler
1074 Posts |
Posted - 08/07/2016 : 21:21:43
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quote:
Originally posted by whits23
easy shuler you can get jail time for that
email me when you can i have question whits23@aol.com
LoL - I was honestly trying to figure out a way to say that without, well, it sounding sketchy. |
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CaCO3Girl
1989 Posts |
Posted - 08/08/2016 : 07:51:23
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quote:
Originally posted by hshuler
quote:
Originally posted by whits23
easy shuler you can get jail time for that
email me when you can i have question whits23@aol.com
LoL - I was honestly trying to figure out a way to say that without, well, it sounding sketchy.
Epic fail! |
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KeithB
282 Posts |
Posted - 08/15/2016 : 13:52:48
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| Anything > $50 for wood is crazy IMO. My son uses a Marucci I picked up at Boomerang for $30. Check the Rawlings site for blem bat sales. He used a Big Stick last year that held up well. |
Edited by - KeithB on 08/15/2016 14:21:35 |
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CoachCross
107 Posts |
Posted - 08/16/2016 : 23:47:42
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quote:
Originally posted by C. MORTON
What are some of the better wood bats out there.. Moving up to 14u this fall..
Try Victus - http://www.victussports.com/. |
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KeithB
282 Posts |
Posted - 08/20/2016 : 21:18:12
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| Brett Bros bamboo on sale at baseball express to $15. These things have great feel and pop. |
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Topic |
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Wood Bat suggestions??
