Composite bats?

[Axe]

I'd be the moron that spent $250 for the wrong bat. I'll stick to googling the bat before I buy it to confirm until I am seasoned enough to know the difference lol.

The difference between a good composite and cheap alloy is dramatic at any age. Certainly in any kind of travel ball or even all-stars your kid is going out there at a disadvantage without a decent bat. Still needs to be the right size and weight but that is totally independent or materials.

 

[Strike2]

All bats have the same performance limit, so at some point, there is no difference in how hard the ball comes off. It isn't just materials, it's design. A quality (and usually more expensive) bat will get typically closer to the performance limit than a cheaper one. There are some very good quality aluminum bats, like Rocketech, that will hit the ball as well as any composite. A quality design will also improve the "sweet spot" of the bat, allowing a decent hit with less than perfect contact.

IMO, how a bat is balanced is more important than the material. Composites don't make the bat lighter, but the balanced design commonly found with composites will make a heavier bat easier to swing. However, a bigger, stronger hitter may prefer an end-loaded design.

Ultimately, it is about the hitter. In one of my kid's MS games, I saw a kid who was rock-solid with a $30 bat, despite the presence of numerous Xenos in the dugout.

 

[Eric F]

The difference between a good composite and cheap alloy is dramatic at any age. Certainly in any kind of travel ball or even all-stars your kid is going out there at a disadvantage without a decent bat. Still needs to be the right size and weight but that is totally independent or materials.

With the RIF balls typically used at the younger ages, the difference becomes much less. Some say that the rigidity of an alloy barrel reacts better with RIF balls.

With non-RIF balls, the difference between a cheap alloy bat and a top-level composite is significant.

 

[Axe]

With the RIF balls typically used at the younger ages, the difference becomes much less. Some say that the rigidity of an alloy barrel reacts better with RIF balls.

With non-RIF balls, the difference between a cheap alloy bat and a top-level composite is significant.

Agreed. We used RIF balls in 8U rec and it makes no difference. Dirt Lover's daughter is in 10U so I'm assuming it's a 11' standard ball.

 

[gophert]

My daughter used to hit an aluminium bat and would get good infield hits. She switched to a composite bat and immediately started hitting bombs over the center field fence! She is 10U. Oh and by the way, she throws 8 different pitches too.

 

[dadofadirtlover]

My daughter used to hit an aluminium bat and would get good infield hits. She switched to a composite bat and immediately started hitting bombs over the center field fence! She is 10U. Oh and by the way, she throws 8 different pitches too.

LOL! You forgot.....and she verballed for 125% last week. Thanks for the education guys and gals. Not in the market right now, though. Was just curious about the difference as I'd never looked into it. We're still at rec and will likely stay there (and maybe all stars) for another year so it's not an emergency or anything. Interesting to find out that the bat sting comes mostly from a mishit, though. Very interesting indeed.

 

[Rocketech1]

I think the balance of the bat has a lot to do with it too. When DD was 8YO she went from the cheap $30 aluminum bat (-10 drop?) to the more balanced composite Easton Synge (-12 drop) she noticeably could hit the ball farther. The girls on her team called it the "magic" bat and they all wanted to use it.

FWIW - at 10u she used a -9 drop Rocketech but looking back I think it was a little too heavy and end-loaded for her. Her next bat was a -10 CF6 (32/22) and she currently uses a CF8 (33/23)

 

[dadofadirtlover]

All bats have the same performance limit, so at some point, there is no difference in how hard the ball comes off. It isn't just materials, it's design. A quality (and usually more expensive) bat will get typically closer to the performance limit than a cheaper one. There are some very good quality aluminum bats, like Rocketech, that will hit the ball as well as any composite. A quality design will also improve the "sweet spot" of the bat, allowing a decent hit with less than perfect contact.

IMO, how a bat is balanced is more important than the material. Composites don't make the bat lighter, but the balanced design commonly found with composites will make a heavier bat easier to swing. However, a bigger, stronger hitter may prefer an end-loaded design.

Ultimately, it is about the hitter. In one of my kid's MS games, I saw a kid who was rock-solid with a $30 bat, despite the presence of numerous Xenos in the dugout.

So, can composites AND alloy be made as a balanced bat or an end-loaded (I'm assuming the barrel end)? Or is 1 of them only made one way and the other made both ways?

 

[Eric F]

Agreed. We used RIF balls in 8U rec and it makes no difference. Dirt Lover's daughter is in 10U so I'm assuming it's a 11' standard ball.

Not necessarily. ASA rec and all-stars in So Cal uses 11" RIF balls.

 

[JAD]

View attachment 9235

So, can composites AND alloy be made as a balanced bat or an end-loaded (I'm assuming the barrel end)? Or is 1 of them only made one way and the other made both ways?

Loading can vary by manufacturer and most -9 and -8 bats they are usually end by adding either epoxy resin or a heavier end cap. I would recommend a -10 for any player swinging less than a 34/24. Go buy the 31/21 SCN1B I recommended on Ebay and you will thank me when your DD hits it for the first time and her eyes light up like the 4th of July!