Youth Wood Bats > Buying Guide

Youth Wood Baseball Bat Buying Guide

My kid wants a wood bat. What do I look for? How big should the barrel be? How long? What age is best for a wooden bat?

Honestly, buying a wood bat for your youth baseball player isn't as big of a deal as you think. Remember, before the mid-1980s, aluminum bats weren't even really being used - it was all wooden bats back then. Yet, somehow, kids were still swinging these big, heavy wooden bats just fine and getting hit after hit. They even hit home runs. How was this possible? 

Wood bats teach kids how to use their whole body to swing the bat. In fact, wood bats (being heavier than your typical aluminum bat) force kids to use their legs, their hips, their torso - every part of their body. In the long run, these kids develop the muscles necessary for a powerful and controlled swing which leads to better hitting for both power and contact over time. Truth be told, all these super-light aluminum and composite bats are spoiling kids and giving them a false sense of ability. When they're forced to switch to heavier BBCOR and wood bats later in life as high school freshmen, they're often playing catch up to those who have already trained their bodies to swing properly by using heavier bats that force them to develop the necessary muscles for a strong and fluid swing.

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Buying a Youth Wood Baseball Bat: Simplified

First of all, relax. Buying a baseball bat for a kid isn't as complicated as everyone makes it out to be. Here's an initial chart to help you through buying an average sized bat for an average sized kid in each age bracket:

Youth Buying Guide:
Bat Size and Weight Chart

Age Group	Bat Length	Aluminum Bat Weight	Wood Bat Weight
5-6	26"-27"	16 oz.-19 oz.	21 oz.-23 oz.
7-8	28"-29"	17 oz.-21 oz.	23 oz.-25 oz.
9-10	28"30"	17 oz.-22 oz.	23 oz.-27 oz.
11-12	29"-31"	18 oz.-23 oz.	25 oz.-28 oz.
13-14	30"-33"	20 oz.-30 oz.	27 oz.-31 oz.
15-18+	32"-35"	29 oz.-32 oz.	29 oz.-36 oz.

Of course, the recommendations to the left aren't set in stone. You'll have to evaluate your kid to see what works best. Maybe even start with an aluminum bat in the beginning to get a look at their swing mechanics, then once they get used to swinging the bat, move them into a wooden bat. Also keep in mind that each age bracket has a wide variety of kids of all sizes, but for kids within the average size, weight and strength, the chart on the left is about right.

Guide to Buying a Youth Wood Baseball Bat

People who visit our site are concerned with the differences between the skinny barrel and the big barrel bats. Like everything else we've put on this page, don't overthink it. You've seen your kid play baseball; you know how athletic, strong, big, small, heavy, skinny, passionate about baseball your kid is, so buy the best wood bat according to all those attributes put together. As a guide, here's a quick rundown of what each type of bat is better for:

Wood Bat Type	Barrel Diameter	Type of Hitter	Body Type	Player Type
Skinny Barrel Bats	2 1/4-inch barrel	Contact hitter (singles and doubles)	Small, thin, lanky	Leadoff hitter; base-stealer; athletic but lacking brute strength
	2 3/8-inch barrel	Contact hitter with occasional power	Small, thin, lanky, short and stocky	1-3 or 6-9 spot in the batting order; athletic; strong for size; base-stealer
Big Barrel Bats	2 1/2-inch barrel	Good contact hitter with power, especially to the alleys	Regular build, larger build, good upper-body strength	Corner infielders and catchers; aggressive and confident; strong.
	2 5/8-inch barrel	Power hitter	Bigger build, heavy set, stronger than average	Corner infielders and catchers; corner outfielders; Exceptionally strong and athletic.

What Barrel Diameter Size is Right for Me?

There's a big misconception about the pop in a wood bat as it relates to the diameter (thickness) of the barrel. Players see the big-barrel bats (2-1/2" and 2-5/8") and they automatically assume they have more pop. After all, more wood means more pop, right? Not necessarily... 

​The general rule of pop in a wood bat comes down to the density of the wood. The more dense the wood is, the more pop it has. Likewise, the less-dense it is, the less pop it has. As an example, maple is more dense than birch and ash, hence maple bats have more pop in them, generally speaking. This is why Big Lumber wood bats are all made from rock-solid maple.

So why not get a dense, maple, big-barrel bat? In theory, this is fine, but the weight of the bat will definitely come into play.

Skinny Barrel Bats Actually (Usually) Have the Most Pop!

Believe it or not, skinny-barrel wood bats (2-1/4") generally have more pop in them than the bigger barrel bats! We'll explain... When we make a skinny-barrel wood bat, we choose the most-dense, strongest piece of maple available. Keep in mind that something more dense is heavier, so in order to keep the bats at a comfortable weight to swing, the skinny-barrel bats are easier to get to that coveted "drop -3" weight, meaning that the bat weighs 3 ounces less than its length (for example, a 30-inch bat will weigh 27 ounces; a 34-inch bat will weigh 31 ounces, etc.).

When we craft a skinny-barrel bat out of dense, rock-solid maple, we're able to easily get the weight down to where it needs to be, giving you maximum pop, maximum bat speed and optimal bat weight. We can even make skinny-barrel bats that are slightly end-heavy for even more pop, but we'll cover that later. The only downside to the skinny-barrel bats is that the contact point is less-forgiving than the bigger barrel bats...

Advantages (and Disadvantages) of Big-Barrel Wood Bats

First, the advantages of a big-barrel youth wood bat: the contact point is a little bigger and that means more solid contact. Since the barrel is a little wider (2-3/8" or 2-1/2" in our youth bats, and up to 2-5/8" in our 31-34-inch bats), that can sometimes be the difference in a weak hit and a solid hit. In a very basic sense, there's simply more surface to hit the ball, therefore the sweet spot is a little bigger and more forgiving. 

So far, everything about the big-barrel bats sounds better than the skinny barrel (2-1/4") bats. What are the disadvantages of a big barrel wood bat?

Earlier, we talked about keeping the bats at a manageable weight to be able to swing comfortably and correctly. In order to make a big-barrel bat the proper weight, we have to use a piece of maple that is slightly less dense and, therefore, a little bit lighter. Since the wood is a little less dense, it has a little less pop in it. BUT... like we said, the sweet spot is a little more forgiving on the bigger barrel bats, so don't shy away from them. If you struggle with contact, a big barrel wood bat may have the swing forgiveness you need. If you're already a great contact hitter, the skinny barrel bats may be the best choice for you. If you're somewhere in the middle, you may want to go with the 2-3/8" barrel diameter: dense wood with great pop and a slightly-bigger barrel may be all the difference you need.

All in all, you can't go wrong with either choice. Over time, you'll learn your preference: you may be able to sacrifice a little pop for more contact if you're already a power hitter at the plate, or you may want a little extra pop in your contact swingin' skinny barrel bat.

Okay, we realize this is getting a little like a physics dissertation, so we'll stop here. If you're gonna go buy your Big Lumber wood bat, by all means, don't let us distract you any more. 
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