Posted by: The Hitting Guru () on Wed Aug 4 09:33:49 2004

Hello, i am an entering freshman who is going to play college baseball this year. With all of this recent talk about bat weight i was wondering if anyone could tell me how heavy a bat i should use. I have been using a 34inch 31 once bat simply because it was what most of the other kids on my high school and summer ball team used.
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> However, i am a lot stronger then these kids and as i look forward to college i think one way i can improve my hitting is simply by using a heavier bat that i can still handle. to give you an idea i am 5' 11 200lbs bench 285 deadlift 450. So i was thinking maybe a 34 33 or 34 34. but i am not really sure, anyone who has any advice it would be greatly appreciated.
> -Matt



You are probably right. Mickey Mantle (Hall of Fame) was arguably the strongest man to play baseball. He used a 34.5 inch 33 ounce bat (wood). If you are having success stick with what you already use. But in your spare time, I would suggest that you start using some wood bats. This will let you know what type of hitter you really are. And wood is what you will have to use should you progress to higher levels. If you find yourself getting around to early on pitches or hitting the ball of the end of the bat, I would definitely go to the heavier models. Good Luck.