2019 Louisville Slugger FP LXT - worth it?

[So Cal Seth]

Daughter will be playing her second season of 8u. We don't have expensive gear at this point. She has some natural talent and is foregoing her usual fall/soccer season to play softball again (her choice). With 2019 bats being discounted, wanted to find out if this bat is worth throwing $150 at (which I have found online).

She swings a Rawlings, which I believe was like $80 or something (not sure on model). At this young age, I'm of the opinion that working on the swing is more important than the stick. But she'll likely play All-Stars next summer, so wondering if it's worth picking something up at a discount at this point to have for the next year in this crazy competitive world of youth softball.

I'm a bat novice, so reaching out for some opinions of y'all. Thank you in advance.

 

[MadBandit22]

Daughter will be playing her second season of 8u. We don't have expensive gear at this point. She has some natural talent and is foregoing her usual fall/soccer season to play softball again (her choice). With 2019 bats being discounted, wanted to find out if this bat is worth throwing $150 at (which I have found online).

She swings a Rawlings, which I believe was like $80 or something (not sure on model). At this young age, I'm of the opinion that working on the swing is more important than the stick. But she'll likely play All-Stars next summer, so wondering if it's worth picking something up at a discount at this point to have for the next year in this crazy competitive world of youth softball.

I'm a bat novice, so reaching out for some opinions of y'all. Thank you in advance.

Absolutely. Big sweet spot very forgiving. Very balanced. IMO best bat in Fastpitch. There are some other less expensive options out there. Rawlings Velo is a very good bat. Very balanced, swings light.

 

[wheresmycar]

Yes, assuming you find one in the correct length/weight. My DD used a 30" CF8 drop 11 with great success in 8u. I would not go heavier than a drop 11 for 8u.

 

[Pigskinguru34]

Avoid ANY drop 12 bat. Simply no pop. Might be light and easy to swing but the pop is not going to be there at all.

 

[MadBandit22]

Avoid ANY drop 12 bat. Simply no pop. Might be light and easy to swing but the pop is not going to be there at all.

You think so? I am curios about the drop 12 LXT. We had a 2015 Miken Halo Light 31” drop 12.5 and that bat was a great little bat. Nice pop. 1st composite bat we got. Just grew out of it and donated to LL.

 

[MadBandit22]

You think so? I am curios about the drop 12 LXT. We had a 2015 Miken Halo Light 31” drop 12.5 and that bat was a great little bat. Nice pop. 1st composite bat we got. Just grew out of it and donated to LL.

Also now that I think of it we also have basically the same bat in the 2016 Worth Legit 33” drop 12.5. I use it for infield/outfield practice. Bought it for daughter couple of years ago but hasn’t had that growth spurt. I like the bat plenty of pop. I will say just not as satisfying as Sluggers/Ghost on contact.

 

[Pigskinguru34]

MB,

Yeah I went by we had 4 girls swing a drop 11 ghost, drop 11 lxt, drop 11 CF zen, a drop 12 vendetta, drop 12 lxt, and drop 12 easton wonder. The drop 11 outhit the drop 12 by on average 35 feet. (10-11 year olds)

We had one girl who had a vendetta who barely made the outfield grass consistently going to the warning track with the ghost. so clearly there was a major difference in the two bats.

 

[MadBandit22]

MB,

Yeah I went by we had 4 girls swing a drop 11 ghost, drop 11 lxt, drop 11 CF zen, a drop 12 vendetta, drop 12 lxt, and drop 12 easton wonder. The drop 11 outhit the drop 12 by on average 35 feet. (10-11 year olds)

We had one girl who had a vendetta who barely made the outfield grass consistently going to the warning track with the ghost. so clearly there was a major difference in the two bats.

I get it. I believe the correct bat length & weight make a huge difference. Mechanics are of the utmost importance but that takes years and is always in flux. I get the feeling from many on this board that bats don’t matter. They do matter and can hide mechanics that need to be tweaked.
Like I have said I have a bat fetish and there are definite distinctions between different high level bat manufacturers. Yes they are all good some are better. Much of it comes down to feel and confidence.

 

[So Cal Seth]

So for 8u, what range of length/weight to maintain -11 max should I be aiming for? I think her current Rawlings is 28/15! Yikes, swinging to light, eh?

 

[BrianTx01]

I was forced to get my DD an LXT in 8U because she kept on denting aluminum bats. If she can swing it than it should be a good bat, but the many 8U players are too small and their swings are not developed enough for the always overweight composite bats. Just remember they have good resale value so don't try to buy big with the idea of saving money. Unless she is above average height/weight the CF series is probably your best bet. It has the longest barrel of the short composite bats. I am sure Mizuno could claim some of that market share if they wanted because it is a bat that is close to sticker weight but the shortest bat they make is 30".