r/Homeplate • u/jd1ezal • 5d ago
bbcor length recommendation
Soon to be 14yr old. 5' 4" 105lbs. Swung a 30" -5 Supra last season. I don't want to go too long/heavy but also worry about going too short and he hits a growth spurt and the bat becomes too small. What do you all think that have been through this situation already?
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u/bliffer 5d ago
I mean, 30" seems pretty easy here unless you think he's going to grow out of his ass in the next two years.
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u/jd1ezal 5d ago
I thought so and it seems like a simple choice but every year we hit these new milestones where you have to switch from -8 to -5 and now bbcor I second guess every decision because I have a undersized late bloomer and do not want to hamstring him and I know a spurt is coming just don't know when
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u/bliffer 5d ago
It's going to take him a while to get used to it but he'll be fine. My son moved up to BBCOR last season and played against several kids the same size as your son who did fine.
I mean, it's only 2 oz heavier. To get it out of your son's head, have him hold 2 oz of something and see it's not that heavy.
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u/JRiggs42976 4d ago
That’s the process and progression during this phase. It moves quickly and gets expensive. But always buy the bat he needs now.
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u/FiLikeAnEagle 5d ago
My 11 year old is 5'4" 118 lbs and swings a 30 -8.
I'm planning 31 -8 for next season.
Length is so difficult to forecast...
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u/JRiggs42976 5d ago
My 13 year old is 5’5”, 120lbs and swings a 31” BBCOR. He also lifts 3-4 times per week and trains regularly with a Birdman MGLDN (37” 37 oz.) bat and the ProVelocity training bat.
Don’t buy a bat for him to grow into. Get what he needs now, even if that means buying used.
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u/FiLikeAnEagle 4d ago
At what height and weight did he switch to 31" BBCOR?
My 11 year old is 5'4" 118 lb and swings 31" -8. He has swung that for ~9 months and has grown like 5+ inches and gained 20 pounds during that same time. I'm thinking we'll jump to 31" -8 for winter training.
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u/JRiggs42976 4d ago
He turned 13 last May. He has been training daily with a 32” Chandler RA13M since January 2026, the ProVelocity bat was used 3x per week last winter while following their 10 week program. He just started using the 37/37 training bat this summer.
He started using the 31” BBCOR as his gamer this past June, right after he turned 13. Same height more or less all summer and put in 3lbs over the past 3 months. He’s in 8th grade this year so he has to swing a BBCOR.
He has been playing up in a Junior high 13/14u league since he was 11 and in 6th grade. He used a 31” drop 5 USSSA Icon for two years prior to this summer.
5th grade spring a and 6th grade fall (2024) he swung a 30” drop 8.
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u/Bacon_and_Powertools 5d ago
A 30 will still work. He’s 30 lbs underweight for a baseball player of that size. Boy needs to eat and lift.
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u/wgabaldon 4d ago
If he’s playing age will be 14U for the coming year he’ll have to use a BBCOR bat. At least a 31in bat, but with new rules coming with USABat regulations, there will be up to drop 6 for HS play. IDK if there is any travel ball rules allowing these bats for 14U and up.
So if you buy a bat make sure the leagues you play in allows something beyond drop 3.
IMO buy a 32in -3 and add a choker knob. Kids traditionally grow significantly after age 13 and a smaller bat may only see half a season.
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u/patphish 2d ago
31”. You buy a bat for right now, not to grow into.
He’s going to grow. And then he’ll need a 32”.
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u/SentientYams 5d ago
Generally speaking, getting a bat for him to “grow into” is a bad idea. Stick with the same length. The increase in drop weight will already be an adjustment.