re: Is it possible to have a non-sh!t show conversation about youth baseball bats here?

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For those that have used or have kids/players that use these types of bats, after break in, do they use it in the cage or to hit weighted balls? Or is it strictly game use? He spent a lot and i want it to last for him.

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Don't let him hit any dimple balls out of a pitching machine or any weighted balls. My son has cracked a few composite bats this way. I started making him use an aluminum bat for cages and weighted balls. I would let him use it anytime he wants (Practice, just hitting baseballs) just not on the balls i mentioned above.

Now that my son is in high school he has gotten over the composite bat thing and loves the sound of an aluminum bat so he uses those exclusively. He is using a Mariucci cat 9 now and loves it.

the bat is $317 w taxes and shipping for those that have access to a team locker store w/ marucci

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very few 11u kids swing or should be swinging -5's as game bats. starts to be more of a thing at 12's though. my 12u kid goes back and forth from -8 to a -5 30" bats right now. He's an average size 12u kid, not a monster.

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he's a big kid and can swing it, first hit with it this weekend was 2' from the top of the fence dead center.

-5 is still heavy for 12U. They can use -10 until 13U when they are required to use -8.

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-5 is still heavy for 12U. They can use -10 until 13U when they are required to use -8.

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p=mv

Cat X is not hot out of the wrapper. They are known as one of the hardest bats to break in. Hundreds of youth swings until it's fully broken in. Maybe 100 adult swings.

The Easton Hype Fire is the hottest bat out of the wrapper right now followed by the Rawlings Icon.

The -10 and -8 versions of the Fire are fine durability wise but the -5 is not durable at all.

Fire is slightly hotter than the Icon. Icon is more durable and might be better as your everyday game bat if using -5.

My kid is 12U and swings -8. I was just stating the rules. Don't see any kids in 12U swinging -5. If they are it's mostly their parents thinking they are the next Ohtani or Judge.

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Don't see any kids in 12U swinging -5. If they are it's mostly their parents thinking they are the next Ohtani or Judge.

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its way more common than what you're thinking.

How old is he? Seeing kids in 8u coaches pitch with $400 bats and $5 swings makes me laugh. If you’re going to drop $100’s on a sport, make it coaching so that the kid has skills.

And this is coming from someone that wants to buy every damn piece of gear/hardwar/training tool on the market.

Eta
I see he’s 11. Honest question; at 11 are the kids really swinging hard enough that the bats make that huge of a difference?

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-5 is still heavy for 12U. They can use -10 until 13U when they are required to use -8.

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That must be nice, in Alabama they start having to use a -3 BBCOR in 7th grade. My son was 12 in 7th. I'm pretty sure they could use a -5 in tournaments during 13U but had to use the -3 during middle school ball.