Bat guides

Sizing by age, the marks leagues require, the drop, the length chart and wood.

• What size bat for a 7-year-old?A 7-year-old usually swings a −13 to −12 bat.
• What size bat for an 8-year-old?An 8-year-old usually swings a −12 to −10 bat.
• What size bat for a 9-year-old?A 9-year-old usually swings a −12 to −10 bat.
• What size bat for a 10-year-old?A 10-year-old usually swings a −12 to −10 bat.
• What size bat for an 11-year-old?An 11-year-old usually swings a −12 to −10 bat, or −8 for a bigger, stronger player.
• What size bat for a 12-year-old?A 12-year-old usually swings a −12 to −10 bat, or −8 for a bigger, stronger player.
• What size bat for a 13-year-old?A 13-year-old usually swings a −5 bat.
• What size bat for tee ball?A tee-ball bat is 24 to 26 in long with a 2-1/4 in barrel, at a drop of −14 to −10.5, and carries the USA Baseball tee-ball mark: it is only for use with approved tee balls.
• What is the difference between USA, USSSA and BBCOR bats?They are the marks different leagues require on a metal bat: USA Baseball in Little League and most rec leagues, USSSA in travel ball, and BBCOR in high school and college.
• Can a 10-year-old use a USSSA bat in Little League?No. Little League Minors and Majors require the USA Baseball mark, so a bat with only the USSSA mark is turned away at the plate.
• Are USSSA bats legal in travel ball?Yes, in USSSA travel ball through 14U: a bat there carries USSSA 1.15, BBCOR or solid one-piece wood.
• Is BBCOR required in high school baseball?Yes, for the 2026 and 2027 seasons: a high-school bat that is not solid wood must carry the BBCOR mark, at a −3 drop, with a barrel up to 2-5/8 in.
• What does drop −10 mean on a baseball bat?A −10 bat weighs 10 ounces less than its length in inches: a 30 in, −10 bat weighs 20 oz.
• When should a player move from a −10 to a −8 bat?At ages 11 to 12, and only for a bigger, stronger player: −12 to −10 is the default through 12, and −8 is for bigger, stronger players aged 11 to 12.
• When should a player move to a −5 bat?At ages 13 to 14: −5 is the drop then, and a smaller player can stay at −8 where the state allows it.
• When do kids switch to a −3 BBCOR bat?In high school, for the 2026 and 2027 seasons: high-school and college bats are −3 with the BBCOR mark.
• What bat length chart do I use by height and weight?Use your player's height and weight, not age.
• How do I measure my child for a baseball bat?Measure height and weight at home and read the length off the chart; no tape on the arm is needed.
• Is a heavier or lighter bat better for a kid?The heaviest bat your player can still control.
• Should I buy a 2 5/8 or a 2 3/4 barrel bat?It depends on the league.
• What is a balanced versus an end-loaded bat?A balanced bat spreads its weight evenly, so it feels lighter than its number; an end-loaded bat puts extra weight toward the end of the barrel, so it swings heavier than its number.
• Maple, birch or ash: which wood bat is better?Birch for a first wood bat and a younger player: it forgives mis-hits.
• Is maple or ash better for a beginner's wood bat?Neither is the first choice: birch is, because it forgives mis-hits.
• What is the ink dot on a wood bat for?An ink dot on the handle shows the maker tested the grain slope.
• Can you use a wood bat in Little League, USSSA or high school?Yes: solid one-piece wood is legal everywhere without a mark.
• What length and weight should a wood bat be for a 14-year-old?−3, or −2 for a bigger, stronger player, at the length the wood chart gives for your player's height and weight.

Each guide answers first, then shows the rules and sources it rests on.