Mine is same size and has been using a 29/19 for the past year. Some say it's too big, others say it is fine. He likes it, is comfortable with it, and has good results.
Go by a large sporting goods store and have him check out a lot of different options in that size range to see what feels right.
Just ask a few teammates if he can take a few swings with their bats.
Pick the heaviest one that he can swing without changing his mechanics or losing an obvious amount of bat speed. This is a judgement call, but it should be pretty clear when it gets to be too much.
The extra inertia from a heavier bat really does help, and any less obvious loss in bat speed should be regained quickly.
30/20 will be too long for him, but my son is the exact same size and for USSSA travel ball we just put him on a 29/19 (rawlings icon) after swinging a 28/17 (adv360) all season in USA rec ball. he also used it last fall in USSSA amd managed to keep up.
if your player has a good strong swing with good form, it will only take 2 weeks of hitting off the T to get used to the new weight. Also the Rawling Threat (i assume the older green not the new orange) is a great bat with serious pop for a USA alloy. to match that kind of bat response will take a quality USSSA bat. I know this sounds strange because USA bats are by design less hot, but whenever I see an 8u player rocking the older Threat I know it's going to be a HIT.
Compsite or alloy won't matter, composites just need breaking time.
-10 USSSA Bats to consider in my opinion.
Louisville Atlas
Louisville Select Power
Rawlings Icon (white)
Rawlings Clout
Easton Hype Fire
DeMarini Zoa
Warstick Bonesaber 2pc
Cat 9
Cat X
Cat X Connnect
Victus Vibe
He’s swinging the white, red, and blue USSSA Rawlings Threat. I think it’s a 2022-2023. After seeing some YouTuber blind-test about 20 bats, I was considering the LS Atlas, Hype Fire, or Demarini Zoa.
All good choices for the age IMO. I think feel is going to be important too, like I said my son chose the white icon over the hype after swinging both, becuase it felt more like what he was used to ... Any chance you get to try before you buy could save some headache
My kid is 9U he is 4'8" and weights just under 70lbs. He swings a Hype Fire 28/18 and still chokes up some. He also has a 28/18 Cat X Alloy. Both are very light swinging bats. I personally think he hits further with the Cat but the Hype has a bigger barrel profile and he gets more good hits with it.
Only real difference IMO between alloy and composite at this age is the composites have a bigger sweet spot and ring you up less on bat hits.
Going up on length really makes the bat feel a lot heavier than the ounce you gain in actual weight I would suggest keeping the 28 and going with a 28/17 or 28/18 max. I only know a few 9U kids that are not HUGE swinging a 29. Edit: Several kids started with a 29/19 but ended up putting in their bag and going with a 28/18.
Wild. My kids' travel team is full of 8-9 year olds and most of them are swinging 29/19s. One kid has a 30/20 Hype Fire and half the kids on the team are using it now, even kids that are only about 70-75 lbs.
It goes both ways though.
Control comes from having good mechanics. And when it's too easy to manipulate the bat without relying on those mechanics, a lot of kids start to develop really weird habits.
My son basically the same exact age and size as yours. He swings a 27” -10 Bone Saber and has a very happy with it. Finds it faster/ more balanced swing than his Cat X he was using. For his size/ skinniness it seems like it’s all about a quick bat vs a thump stick.
Grad a used Marucci cat 9 for cheap and have fun. At his size a 29/19 is perfect and will have plenty of pop! Just make sure when he is taking reps he doesnt cast. If you see casting become an problem, back off the length a bit or get him some tee work to improve it!
28/18 Easton Maxum or Alpha ALX. Light swinging and great pop. Actual weight is close to listed weight. My kid is a similar size.
I got a CATX 28/18 and it weighed over 20 ounces. Just something to consider with any bat.
28” is the right size. And every kid should be swinging a 1piece alloy bat. Take a look at Marucci’s new balance rating system and you’ll see that the 2 pieces are always end loaded.
I might look for a 28/18 Louisville Slugger Atlas, then, and have him stand closer to the plate. My son's been struck out looking a few times lately on outside pitches.
At 9U, what is pop, essentially a fly out? Composites have longer barrels and bigger sweet spots, usually two pieces and have less feedback.
Alloy is just as good or better.
Err on the small side. If it’s too big and heavy it will mess with his swing. Light will be faster just less power. I’d stay at -10 for a year or two as -8 isn’t required until 13U.
As others have said, go to the store and swing away. He’s the one that has to use it. If you have a Scheels they have a demo room with tees and staff to help.
I've seen way too many kids develop really weird habits when the bat is too light and too easily manipulated.
They just start throwing it around instead of relying on good mechanics to get it around fast.
At that age heavy is potentially detrimental to development. Inertia isn’t the only force at work, assuming it is generated appropriately. Gravity at the end of the barrel.
The science of a balance loaded bat is next to nil at that age, leaving the weight at the end of the bat.
What happens when you swing 20-25 ounces at the end of a stick with weak/underdeveloped wrists, forearms, delts, and hips that can’t handle it?
You swing slow, under and late.
But to each their own.
Happy bat hunting!
Yeah, and every one of those things is easy to see as soon as they pick it up and try to swing it.
I'm just saying that if they can swing a 22 oz bat well for example, you're absolutely not doing them any favors by having them stick with a lighter one.
Mine is same size and has been using a 29/19 for the past year. Some say it's too big, others say it is fine. He likes it, is comfortable with it, and has good results. Go by a large sporting goods store and have him check out a lot of different options in that size range to see what feels right.
Yeah. A lot of his teammates are swinging 28/18, 29/19s or even 30/20s, but he is one of the smallest kids on the team.
Just ask a few teammates if he can take a few swings with their bats. Pick the heaviest one that he can swing without changing his mechanics or losing an obvious amount of bat speed. This is a judgement call, but it should be pretty clear when it gets to be too much. The extra inertia from a heavier bat really does help, and any less obvious loss in bat speed should be regained quickly.
30/20 will be too long for him, but my son is the exact same size and for USSSA travel ball we just put him on a 29/19 (rawlings icon) after swinging a 28/17 (adv360) all season in USA rec ball. he also used it last fall in USSSA amd managed to keep up. if your player has a good strong swing with good form, it will only take 2 weeks of hitting off the T to get used to the new weight. Also the Rawling Threat (i assume the older green not the new orange) is a great bat with serious pop for a USA alloy. to match that kind of bat response will take a quality USSSA bat. I know this sounds strange because USA bats are by design less hot, but whenever I see an 8u player rocking the older Threat I know it's going to be a HIT. Compsite or alloy won't matter, composites just need breaking time. -10 USSSA Bats to consider in my opinion. Louisville Atlas Louisville Select Power Rawlings Icon (white) Rawlings Clout Easton Hype Fire DeMarini Zoa Warstick Bonesaber 2pc Cat 9 Cat X Cat X Connnect Victus Vibe
He’s swinging the white, red, and blue USSSA Rawlings Threat. I think it’s a 2022-2023. After seeing some YouTuber blind-test about 20 bats, I was considering the LS Atlas, Hype Fire, or Demarini Zoa.
All good choices for the age IMO. I think feel is going to be important too, like I said my son chose the white icon over the hype after swinging both, becuase it felt more like what he was used to ... Any chance you get to try before you buy could save some headache
My kid is 9U he is 4'8" and weights just under 70lbs. He swings a Hype Fire 28/18 and still chokes up some. He also has a 28/18 Cat X Alloy. Both are very light swinging bats. I personally think he hits further with the Cat but the Hype has a bigger barrel profile and he gets more good hits with it. Only real difference IMO between alloy and composite at this age is the composites have a bigger sweet spot and ring you up less on bat hits. Going up on length really makes the bat feel a lot heavier than the ounce you gain in actual weight I would suggest keeping the 28 and going with a 28/17 or 28/18 max. I only know a few 9U kids that are not HUGE swinging a 29. Edit: Several kids started with a 29/19 but ended up putting in their bag and going with a 28/18.
Wild. My kids' travel team is full of 8-9 year olds and most of them are swinging 29/19s. One kid has a 30/20 Hype Fire and half the kids on the team are using it now, even kids that are only about 70-75 lbs.
My son is big for his age, but using a 30/20 in 8u and he's good with it.
I think that most of our kids are looking for more control.
It goes both ways though. Control comes from having good mechanics. And when it's too easy to manipulate the bat without relying on those mechanics, a lot of kids start to develop really weird habits.
Marucci F5 best bang for the buck
My son basically the same exact age and size as yours. He swings a 27” -10 Bone Saber and has a very happy with it. Finds it faster/ more balanced swing than his Cat X he was using. For his size/ skinniness it seems like it’s all about a quick bat vs a thump stick.
Grad a used Marucci cat 9 for cheap and have fun. At his size a 29/19 is perfect and will have plenty of pop! Just make sure when he is taking reps he doesnt cast. If you see casting become an problem, back off the length a bit or get him some tee work to improve it!
28/18 Easton Maxum or Alpha ALX. Light swinging and great pop. Actual weight is close to listed weight. My kid is a similar size. I got a CATX 28/18 and it weighed over 20 ounces. Just something to consider with any bat.
DSB Kamo Green 28 drop 12. I’ve seen check swings carry into the outfield with this bat from a kid with similar measurables.
28” is the right size. And every kid should be swinging a 1piece alloy bat. Take a look at Marucci’s new balance rating system and you’ll see that the 2 pieces are always end loaded.
I might look for a 28/18 Louisville Slugger Atlas, then, and have him stand closer to the plate. My son's been struck out looking a few times lately on outside pitches.
Standing close to the plate is probably the right move at this age. The atlas is a great bat and the one I’d chose
If your kid needs more than a drop 10, I would drop the length.
At 9U, what is pop, essentially a fly out? Composites have longer barrels and bigger sweet spots, usually two pieces and have less feedback. Alloy is just as good or better. Err on the small side. If it’s too big and heavy it will mess with his swing. Light will be faster just less power. I’d stay at -10 for a year or two as -8 isn’t required until 13U. As others have said, go to the store and swing away. He’s the one that has to use it. If you have a Scheels they have a demo room with tees and staff to help.
At 9U pop is a line drive over the outfielders heads that rolls to the fence and ends up a double, triple, or inside-the-park homerun.
At 9u in any competitive league, that is a Fly out.
Hitting a line drive on a rope has a lower percent chance of being an out than any other type of hit.
I've seen way too many kids develop really weird habits when the bat is too light and too easily manipulated. They just start throwing it around instead of relying on good mechanics to get it around fast.
Same with a bat too big and too heavy. The bat doesn’t move or they start casting.
Yes, a bat can be too heavy, I think that's pretty obvious to most people. It's less intuitive that a bat can be too light.
At that age heavy is potentially detrimental to development. Inertia isn’t the only force at work, assuming it is generated appropriately. Gravity at the end of the barrel. The science of a balance loaded bat is next to nil at that age, leaving the weight at the end of the bat. What happens when you swing 20-25 ounces at the end of a stick with weak/underdeveloped wrists, forearms, delts, and hips that can’t handle it? You swing slow, under and late. But to each their own. Happy bat hunting!
Yeah, and every one of those things is easy to see as soon as they pick it up and try to swing it. I'm just saying that if they can swing a 22 oz bat well for example, you're absolutely not doing them any favors by having them stick with a lighter one.
29 is too big for a kid his size , crowd the plate if you want more plate coverage.