7th Grade and BBCOR

[Santoball]

My son will be going into 7th grade and trying out for the school team, coach wants them using BBCOR to get used to them. Any tips on making the switch to the heavier bat? he is 5'2" and 120lbs, currently uses a 29" -10 senior bat. I was looking at the Rip It in 30.5", he hits well in wood bat games. Any help on bat choices and hitting drills?

[The Uncoach]

The Rip It is very end-loaded and swings heavy (even to BBCOR standards). I would not be moving a kid from a -10 to the Rip It. There are more "balanced" bats available. Easton S3, Rawlings 5150 amongst others at the 30" length. At 31" there are plenty of good choices, including Easton S1, LS Z1000 & Exogrid, etc. Now with the increase in pitching mound distance, etc., at 7th grade, going up to -3 isn't as big of a deal as it seems.

[tg643]

Now with the increase in pitching mound distance, etc., at 7th grade, going up to -3 isn't as big of a deal as it seems.

I agree as long as the kid is strong enough to swing it. Don't wait until tryouts to start swinging a heavy bat. Start now.

[Santoball]

Now with the increase in pitching mound distance, etc., at 7th grade, going up to -3 isn't as big of a deal as it seems.

I agree as long as the kid is strong enough to swing it. Don't wait until tryouts to start swinging a heavy bat. Start now.

Thanks guys, I plan on making the switch for fall ball. I had heard the Rip It was end loaded but did'nt know how much. I really want to put him in a 30" but am having a hard time finding him one, most start at 31. Any thoughts on the S3?

[tg643]

Thanks guys, I plan on making the switch for fall ball. I had heard the Rip It was end loaded but did'nt know how much. I really want to put him in a 30" but am having a hard time finding him one, most start at 31. Any thoughts on the S3?

A few years ago I could only find 30's online. My son was 5' 95 pounds when he was twelve playing 13U fall ball. He used a 31/28 ExoGrid. He had been using a -3 wood bat in BP for two years.

[benz99]

we picked up an S4 from easton, the first 2 1/2 barrel bbcor & supposed to be the lightest feeling. My son is only 80 lbs & it feels super light to him

[Santoball]

we picked up an S4 from easton, the first 2 1/2 barrel bbcor & supposed to be the lightest feeling. My son is only 80 lbs & it feels super light to him

Thank you, I did'nt even know there was a S4, had to do a search on justbats, its not on thier main Easton page. That sounds like what I'm looking for. You guys have really helped me narrow it down.

[benz99]

As a comparison we also have a 30/27 Easton typhoon I purchased for him to swing in the cage to get ready for middle school & even though it's one ounce heavier than the S4(29/26) it feels way more end loaded when swung at least in my sons opinion.

[benz99]

Not sure if this will post it's a chart on swing weights based on MOI that I found interesting

bat moi.jpg

[The Uncoach]

Thanks guys, I plan on making the switch for fall ball. I had heard the Rip It was end loaded but did'nt know how much. I really want to put him in a 30" but am having a hard time finding him one, most start at 31. Any thoughts on the S3?

The S3 in 30" is preferred by most of the 13U on my travel team. Good bat. Better than the S4 in the 30. If you are the spare no expense type, the Demarini cf5 is the balance/pop winner in that length. Is it $200 better than the S3? I can't make that call for anyone but myself/own son.

[azmatsfan]

Not sure if this will post it's a chart on swing weights based on MOI that I found interesting

[ATTACH]109430[/ATTACH]

My oldest will be a freshman in the fall. He just got a 33" composite wood bat that is BBCOR certified. He has hit really well with it and likes the feel. I know the BBCOR metal bats are supposed to act like wood, but do they? Would he be at a disadvantage using a wood bat over a BBCOR metal bat?

[scorekeeper]

My oldest will be a freshman in the fall. He just got a 33" composite wood bat that is BBCOR certified. He has hit really well with it and likes the feel. I know the BBCOR metal bats are supposed to act like wood, but do they? Would he be at a disadvantage using a wood bat over a BBCOR metal bat?

I honestly don’t know the answer, but do this. To the best of your ability, find out how many players in either HS or college use wood all the time. Here’s what I can tell you for a fact. We had as many as 24 players on our roster at different times during the 28 game season. Never once did any of them use wood in a game. Our pitchers threw to 822 batters this past season, I wouldn’t bet my life that none of them used wood in a game, but if they did, I never noticed it, and I’m pretty darn sure somebody in our bleachers would have if I didn’t.

Last year here in Ca, there were more than a couple coaches who wouldn’t allow wood to be used, but while I haven’t heard that much this year, I still haven’t seen any woodies. Our V players can use whatever they want, but the JV is metal only.

So if there’s really a disadvantage in games to using wood, I don’t know. I SUSPECT that if there’s a disadvantage, it’s a very small one. But ya know, when there’s approximately 750,000 HS players, even a very tiny advantage means a lot.

I truly believe the common belief that using wood produces “better” hitters than non-wood will become less common in the next few years, IF more proof comes out that the performance differences are getting smaller and smaller.

[Bolts-Baseball]

Rawlings Plasma...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVefrYX2P9w

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3z5DDUjwNfg

My son has tried everything - Marucci Black, Easton Power Brigade, Louisville TPX TPX Z-1000, etc... He thinks the Rawlings Plasma is the best one out there, and even better than the Rawlings 5150 at twice the price!

He chose the Rawlings Plasma because it was balanced, felt the best, looked cool and he liked it...

My wallet thanked him...

Recently, Before a game recently I took a few good hitters aside, and hit with them in the cage, and brought with us a BBCOR DeMarini Voodoo, Marucci Cat-5, Rawlings 5150, Easton Surge, and a Rawlings Plasma... Each player got about 10 swings with each... They all liked the Plasma the best... Unscientific and a small sample, but it was cool to see their reactions...

My son (age 14) has hit quite a few 350-360+/- ft. homers with it... So it can be done with BBCOR!

Honestly, the BBCOR standard doesn’t allow for a lot of performance leeway. So the only way one company is going to be able to draw more customers, is by offering models with different “FEELS” and different “LOOKS”, which may or may not translate into better performance.

Good luck!

[Santoball]

Anyone know anything about the Marucci Prebcor -5?? Thinking about this bat to ease into a BBCOR for fall. Or should I go with a S3 or S4?

[tradosaurus]

My son will be going into 7th grade and trying out for the school team, coach wants them using BBCOR to get used to them. Any tips on making the switch to the heavier bat? he is 5'2" and 120lbs, currently uses a 29" -10 senior bat. I was looking at the Rip It in 30.5", he hits well in wood bat games. Any help on bat choices and hitting drills?

I would recommend transitioning to a -5 drop bat during fall ball and then going to -3 drop for school baseball. Personally I think kids are too young to be swinging a BBCOR in 7th grade effectively.