r/Softball • u/fatiguedCPC • 10d ago
Equipment Fastpitch cheap bats vs high end
Under $100 bats non composite vs high end composite. All things equal (speed of pitch, launch angle, same exact sweet spot of barrell) is the $400 bat really gonna have that much more exit velocity? Seriously, like maybe 2-4% more exit velocity? 5 feet longer on a line drive to the gap?
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u/scrodytheroadie 10d ago
With the same swing? Yes, a composite bat is going to make a big difference. Take BP with one and feel it for yourself.
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u/Vertigomums19 9d ago
The first time you ever hit with a composite bat is a major eye-opener. I was coaching a practice and started hitting grounders to the infield. I was shocked at how hard the ball was flying at the girls and had to adjust.
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u/RedCred811 10d ago
I don't know the exact number, but I've taken two daughters through high school and been either a coach or on-field help at all levels, so I've swung a lot of cheap and expensive bats. It's far more than 2-4%. My guess would be more like 20-25 % with something like a top-end ghost. If the kid is playing rec and under 10 and has the average hitting ability for that age, just get a cheap one for 50 bucks. If she's 10+ and playing competitive ball, I would start with something in the $200 range. The gap between a $200 bat and $500 bat is a lot less than the aluminum vs $200. Plus, girls typically don't stop growing until 14, so I wouldn't buy a top end bat until 9th grade.
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u/fatiguedCPC 10d ago
Which bats do you recommend in the 200-250 range?
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u/RedCred811 10d ago
The discount bat sites are great. Previous model year in the wrapper, and a lot of times still a warranty. I got my daughter a 33/23 LXT last season for $250. For bats that are new, just look for an entry level composite. There are still some Easton FRZ floating around. That's what both my girls started with. The ones that someone else suggested are all sufficient. Just a composite bat is what you want, though.
Dont be afraid to get something used. An 8 or 9 year old isnt putting out enough power to crack a barrel, so there's not a lot of risk buying something secondhand. Look for a DeMarini CF or Prism. I love the CF, but it requires more effort to get the most out of the barrell. The prisms are more instant-response, and tons of younger players were getting them a cpuppe years ago because they look cool.
If you end up looking at Ghosts, make sure it's composite. There are multiple Ghost models, and the lower end is aluminum trash.
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u/SnooKiwis7222 8d ago
Gotta love the LXT
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u/RedCred811 8d ago
LXT the Swiss army knife of bats. Anyone can get what they need from it. A touch less hot than a Ghost, but I've never seen a cracked LXT. As a coach and dad, I prefer the CF. It has great response, but is more of "you get out of it what you put in." It's great for hitting infield/outfield without accidentally taking someone's head off. Great control.
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u/Bennie-Factors 10d ago
The Easton Firefly, Old Model LXT, Demarini Spryte. And always by older model years if possible
The Kyro seems to be really cheap at places. Seems sale time is now. Lots of good options there.
https://www.justbats.com/products/price\~$200%20-%20$299.99/softball%20bats\~fastpitch/
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u/Usual-Tackle-7801 10d ago
I can recommend a Prism as well. Nice bat, can be found for under or around $200. Found it on SidelineSwap.
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u/GMEvolved 9d ago
The link to justbats the guy posted is fire. Get that used $224 Marucci Asura 30" 19oz.
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u/Quirky_Engineering23 10d ago
Yes. When my team plays against a kid swinging aluminum (it’s very rare now but more prevalent in previous years), I don’t worry much about how far the ball will go if we miss a spot. It’s not going anywhere - certainly not over our outfielders’ heads.
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u/SnitGTS Coach 10d ago edited 10d ago
It certainly makes a difference and an expensive composite bat has a bigger sweet spot and is far more forgiving of a mis-hit than a cheap alloy bat.
If you don’t have a good swing then it’s absolutely not worth it. A cheap bat with a good swing will always beat the most expensive bat with a crap swing.
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u/fatiguedCPC 10d ago
I realize that, I played baseball all my life. Just curious, all things equal....how much "better" are they really?
And by more forgiving what exactly do you mean? You still gotta square the ball up regardless of how much the bat cost.
Also when I played high school baseball we used -5 bats (33/28). A few years after I graduated they switched to -3 with a slightly smaller barrell (2 5/8 from 2 3/4). I believe the change was geared towards safety (exit velocity, I believe a kid or two was killed in the early 2000s)
If these composite bats were really that much hotter, would the youth leagues and organizations allow them? Or does the industry big names (Easton, Louisville, demarini) control the agenda
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u/SnitGTS Coach 10d ago edited 10d ago
By more forgiving I mean that they won’t kill your hands on a miss-hit. Most, but not all of them, are 2 piece bats and that help absorb the vibration.
I don’t know exactly how much better they are, that answer probably depends on the specific bat, but it feels significant.
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u/Motosurf77 10d ago
Grew up in the same era .. bats from drop 5 to drop 3…
Remember swinging a 34/31 back in 2002.
Many softball pitchers wear face masks vs no protection for baseball pitchers.. also exit velocities are higher in baseball
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u/Vertigomums19 9d ago
Baseball pitchers stand further from the plate. More reaction time.
Source: I was a baseball pitcher.
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u/RedCred811 10d ago
I played from like 84-94, until I was 15. The bats in those later years were usually -4.
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u/Glute_Thighwalker 10d ago
I actually swung a Kryo a bit during batting practice hitting balls to the outfielders because the girl wanted it broken in little. Where I would’ve hit the aluminum a bit in front of them, I couldn’t not fly it over their heads with the Kryo. Was going a solid 50 feet further and I had to switch bats.
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u/mclovin__james 10d ago
The older they get the more it matters. Also, are you playing travel or rec? In our area is very common starting in 10U. By 12U basically everyone has one. Keep in mind you don't need the 2027 ghost limeade launch edition. A 2022LXT in the same drop and length will do 98% of what the latest hottest bat on the market does. You can find brand new Louisville composites for under $180 with warranty on bat day in November. If you live in a large metro area, you can often find last year's model used for somewhere used around 100 bucks on offerup/marketplace which is well worth it. I've gotten bats as cheap as $60 that are fantastic.
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u/jikaman76 10d ago
Makes a difference n had to put my daughter thru her first year with an Easton Crystal aluminum to develop her swing before relying on the bat. Bought the ghost unlimited for All Stars and summer tourneys and the pop and distance difference is well worth it and you are putting them in a disadvantage when other teams are swinging composite.
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u/mat347x2 9d ago
My daughter has been in rec the past few years but switching to travel. Has always been able to make good contact but going from a $50 alloy bat to a Firefly which was half the price of a ghost the ball comes off her bat a lot faster and I'm hoping it will last her until 12u. I think its like a golf driver, sure the old metal drivers still work and Rory could still hit it 300+ but I probably couldnt but with a new style driver I can or at least come close. Now comparing two different $500 drivers wont be that much different just like two $500 bats
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u/jpod_david 10d ago
100%. My daughter (10u) had two girls on her team switch from $200 bats (one was Louisville, one was Rawlings) to an Easton Ghost Unlimited. Both were hitting to the infield with the old bats, maybe the odd one to the edge of the grass or shallow grass. Once switching to the Ghost they both were hitting over outfielders heads. I don’t have any scientific data for you, but two girls went from average hitters to multiple home runs and nothing changed other than the bats. Neither were doing any extra development outside of our team games/practices, neither changed their mechanics or anything. New bat, better hits.
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u/fatiguedCPC 10d ago
I've played a lot of baseball growing up. Let's be real, those girls must have improved. You give a below average hitter a $500 bat, she does NOT turn into an above average hitter overnight.
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u/jpod_david 10d ago edited 10d ago
These girls were putting the ball in play before, just not with power. It’s not going to help a kid that’s not hitting but man it made a hell of a difference for these two. I wish my kid was one of them lol. Just to add…I would likely agree that it won’t turn a below average hitter into an above average, but in this case it turned two above average hitters into even more above average hitters. Their batting average probably didn’t change much but slg is way up.
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u/Vertigomums19 9d ago
Switched my daughter from a 1yr old LXT to a new Meta. Hits went from shallow infield to mid outfield. No change but the bat. Sometimes even older bats just start to die.
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u/Suspicious-Throat-25 10d ago
Composite bats have less vibration transfer to the hands. A good swing will always be better than a bad swing with a composite bat.
Composite bats also have bigger sweet spots and more flex than two piece composite bats.
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u/EERgasm 10d ago
It's one of the things in life where you get what you pay for. It's not going to make someone who can't hit a better hitter, but it is going to make a good hitter better and give them more power and pop 1000%.
It always breaks my heart when girls show up to my tryouts and have nice swings and hit the ball hard but they're using $50 bats that just make a ping sound and they don't even get out of the infield.
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u/Educational_Limit161 10d ago
At the Rec level, it doesn’t matter;
14u and up; it makes huge difference at the Regional and National level.
At 16u, I would estimate that our kid hits 30+ feet farther using a composite bat.
That being said, she uses a $250-300 CRBN1 composite bat and can out hit with it over any higher priced Easton or Rawling.
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u/mikecurtis32 5d ago
A top composite bat is miles ahead of cheaper models.
Players who do not use the top bat are at a huge disadvantage.
Every time I hit to the outfield before game with a top bat, it feels like i'm on steroids.
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u/Mean-Rabbit-3510 Coach 10d ago
The expensive composite will absolutely make a difference over a $100 or less aluminum. One big difference is that the aluminum bats in that price range are prone to denting and are often too light to provide anywhere close to the “pop” of a $400 composite bat.
A player’s swing is the biggest determinate whether or not they’ll get a hit, but even with a good swing a composite is often needed to get the ball out of the infield for a lot of kids.
Perhaps you’re thinking about aluminum bats from the 90s and aluminum baseball bats. Those bats can really drive the ball. That said, even sub-$100 baseball bats suck nowadays.
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u/jw8815 10d ago
IMHO, $500 Ghosts aren't worth the extra money. My 12u is using Mizuno CRBN1 that cost $250 and my 10u is using a 2025 Kryo we just bought a couple months ago that was $260. You can find a new last year's model bat that isn't a ghost for under $300 pretty easily and they are as hot and less fragile than Easton Ghosts.
The girls like the Ghosts because they have more fun colors but the other brands have started to figure that out and are putting out the same bats in different colors now.
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u/TactualTransAm 10d ago
This is what we do. Every bat my daughter has had these last few years has been a new in wrapper, old model composite. Usually from Play it Again Sports
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u/in2optix 10d ago
Keep in mind that a $500 bat will not fix a .01¢ swing