Little League Baseball Bat Restrictions
Little League Baseball, Inc. is the largest youth sports organization in the world, serving an estimated 2.2 million registered participants in the United States alone, according to the Los Angeles Times. The organization has specific regulations about the types of equipment that can be used in practices and games, with a number of rules that relate specifically to bats. These rules are directed at improving safety and the overall playability of the game. Local Little League organizations often have more stringent restrictions than those outlined in the official rules, so you should check with your local league office for specific regulations.
Other People Are Reading
-
Size Regulations
-
Bats used in Little League’s most populous age division (Majors), which serves youths 10 to 12 years old, must be less than 33 inches in length, and may have a diameter no thicker than 2 1/4 inches. Bats used in Majors may be of any weight; however, since 2009, all bats used in this age division must also display a manufacturer-printed Bat Performance Factor (BPF) of 1.15 or lower.
Bat Performance Factor
-
BPF is a formula designed to measure a metal, alloy or wood bat’s performance as related to a typical wood or wood-composite bat. BPF is derived from complicated mathematics that use a “bat/ball coefficient of restitution” in order to calculate how a ball will react with a particular bat at contact. A limited or capped BPF is a boon to player safety, since it essentially regulates the maximum levels of how hard a baseball can be hit.
-
Juniors, Seniors and Big League regulations
-
In addition to the popular Majors division, Little League Baseball operates leagues under the following age structures: Juniors, which includes players 13 and 14, Seniors, which includes players 15 and 16 and Big League, which includes players 17 and 18. In Juniors, bats must be 34-inches long or shorter, and no thicker than 2 3/4 inches in diameter. In Seniors and Big League, bats may be as long as 36 inches, but can be no thicker than 2 5/8 inches in diameter. The weight of bats is not regulated in the Juniors division, however, in the Seniors and Big League divisions, bats are restricted by a length/weight differential of -3; this means that a 33-inch bat may weigh no less than 30 ounces.
In Juniors, Seniors and Big Leagues, all bats must also comply with Ball Exit Speed Ratio limitations.
Ball Exit Speed Ratio
-
Ball Exit Speed Ratio (BESR) is similar to BPF in that it is a mathematical formula employed in order to build safety standards into youth and amateur baseball. While BPF is a static formula that measures a bat’s potential performance relative to a wood or wood-composite bat, BESR is a dynamic formula that takes into account the speed of the swing and speed of the pitch. Limiting a bat's BESR is important for safety because it effectively slows down the speed of the baseball as it leaves contact with the bat. This fact gives players--specifically, the pitcher--more time to react to batted balls. All legal bats for Junior, Senior and Big League divisions must possess a manufacturer-printed statement that the bat complies with the appropriate league’s BESR requirements.
Why metal, alloy and composite bats are used in Little League
-
One of the main reasons that metal, alloy and composite bats are preferred over wood bats in Little League is because of cost. Simply, wood bats break (and must be replaced) while metal bats can be used for years. Another factor, however, is that wood bats have a relatively minor length/weight differential. A typical wood bat has a drop ratio of about -2, which means that a 28-inch wood bat would weight 26 ounces--far heavier than a comparable metal bat. Because of their limited size and physical strength, players aged 10 to 12 would often have difficulty swinging with proper mechanics a bat of that weight, which would lead to poor skill development.
-
References
Resources
- Photo Credit baseball kids image by Linda Mattson from Fotolia.com
