Posted by: Jon (jonwilliams@fuse.net) on Wed Apr 27 14:22:50 2005

> > My son is 12 1/2, 5 ft. 6 inches and 155 lbs with about .750 average using an Easton Triple 7 31 inch -12 Youth bat for the last two years. We move up to Pony in the fall and we'll need to get him a big barrel. Should we go with a transitional -10 or -8 or go for broke and move up to a -5 in prep for the transition to high school? He practices with a 23 oz. and has started fooling around with a 28 oz. How big is the adjustment for hitters going to a big barrel? Does anyone have any suggestions on brands of Easton, Worth or Rawlings Senior League bats? Thanks for the input.
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> > It is a big difference from the little bats to a big barrel. If your son is strong and hit fast pitchers pretty well you may want one of the new Stealths by Easton which comes in -5. They have two others which are -9 and -10. These are made out of Sc900 alloy which is probably one of the best out right now.

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It's really sad what a disservice Little League does for 11 and 12 year old kids. And I'll lump in any other league that has the same stupid rules. LL requires the same size field (46/60) for 9 through 12. They also only allow 2 1/4 inch bats for all ages. So when a kid turns 13 he must jump to a large barrel and prepare for the -3 bats he'll be required to use as a 14-15 yr old.

Fortunately my sons can play USSSA and AABC which allow for transitional field sizes and allows Sr. bats from age 9. That will give them a much better chance to be ready for High School.

So for now a 12 yr old kid can hit .750 with a -12 bat but then he will be quite disappointed at age 13 when the production drops with a much heavier bat and a field that grows to 54/80 or even 60.5/90.

Teri, I would suggest going with a heavy Sr. Bat like the Easton Connexion -7.5 for your son's 13 yr old season, then move to a -5 the following year. Hopefully he will then be able to handle a -3 when he's 15.

Best wishes.
Jon