AboutJack Elliott Expertise I can answer all baseball training related questions. In particular, questions on hitting, pitching, instruction, strategy, and choosing the right equipment.
Experience I am former baseball player and fan of the game of baseball. I have played in high school and college and participated in MLB tryouts. My total years of baseball experience covers some 20 years.
Expert: Jack Elliott Date: 7/14/2008 Subject: wood bats
Question i want to buy some wood bats for 15 16 yearold boys, arte you familiar with the quality of these?
Easton Pro Stix 110
Wood Baseball Bat - 3 Pack
Easton Wood Bat: Pro Stix M267
thanks
Answer Hi Jerry,
I am not familiar with this specific brand; however, I do know a couple of things that may be of value to you. This particular bat is made of Northern Ash which is a good basic wood for baseball bats. In fact, it is the most common material used in baseball bats today. I grew up using Louisville Sluggers that were made of this wood and found them to be good bats. However, the more popular trend in baseball bats these days is to get ones made of maple wood. These bats tend to be a little more expensive, but offer greater strength. This is important when you consider how easy it is to break a wooden baseball bat.
Since you are purchasing these bats for young boys who probably aren't used to hitting with a wooden bat, you can expect that they will break a few from the very beginning regardless of the bat's quality. For this reason, it would probably be best to start them off with bats that are made of ash (like the ones you are thinking of) and after these break, move them over to maple bats where hopefully at that point they have learned to hit with the sweet spot only.
As far as brands are concerned, you can't go wrong with Easton. They have been in the business for years and make a quality product. My only advice in this area would be to go with bats that are made by an established manufacturer like Easton or Louisville Slugger and to possibly let some of the kids test out a couple of the bats to see which ones they like the best. The most basic rule about bat selection is to find one that feels good in your hands. If you feel comfortable swinging it at the store, you will also feel comfortable swinging it later.
Hope this helps,
Jack Elliott
www.baseballtrainingtechniques.com
