How long do these bats last?

[Bryton]

Hey everyone. I'm a newbie to the forum here. Well, I was wondering how long these bats last now a days. I bought my son an 06 Easton Stealth at the beginning of last year. So it had a full season, plus tournaments, plus a small part of winter in the cages. I would say all in all, probably close to 50 games on this bat. It does appear to have lost some of its pop, but I'm not sure. How long are these bats usually good for. Should I be looking for a new bat for him. By the way he is 12 and plays travel ball. We are just beginning our season, and will play roughly 50 games this year. I appreciate everyone's advice on this. Thanks.

[gameth]

Is the bat cracked or dented? If not it has gained pop not lost it.

The bats actually gain pop up to around 1000 solid hits. At 1500 they have began to lose pop and are back down to near new level as far as pop goes. Unless you have 10 kids using the same bat every game I would say it will bent and crack before it actually loses pop.

I will try to actually find the study and link it. It is certainly something most people have no idea about and bat companies would rather you keep believing the bats lose their pop in a season.

If they lost their pop after one season of youth ball why would so many adults do crazy stuff to get them broken in before they use them in a game.

Like rolling or vicing etc.....?

[BenHertz]

I would think 2 seasons with the same bat is a good timeline for a kid. It would probably crack around the time he's outgrown it. I'm a fan of the "wait and see what happens" approach.

Note: I am not an expert.

[Bryton]

Thanks guys for the reply. Gameth, that is pretty much what I was looking for in an answer. I still think the bat is good. I always check it for dents and so forth, and other then the typical scratching from it being used that bat is still in really good shape. I will keep going with it and see how it goes to start the season. Thanks for everyone's reply.