Not all youth wood baseball bats are the same. The best performing youth baseball and training bats are made of hard maple because it's the strongest and most dense wood for bats today, yielding great pop and long life. Hard maple's tight grain structure ensures a bat that is less likely to flake or split. All X Bat youth baseball bats are made from the hard maple so many Major Leaguers say is the hardest wood for bats on the market today.

What to Look For in Youth Stock Bats

Performance is what drives bat choice. Youth bats that perform really well have to be of the perfect size and weight to fit the youth player. The right bat is the one that works for a particular youth player, not what works for others on the team. When buying a youth bat off the shelf (as opposed to ordering it custom made) remember that the player and the bat need to balance each other to perform well together. The bat needs to feel right and comfortable in the youth player's hands to ensure a consistently confident and controlled swing. So, don't pick a bat that's too heavy for your youth player to swing easily.

Also, when youth players are switching from aluminum/composite to wood it's important to select wood youth baseball bats with a similar shape/profile/feel.

X Bats has designed wood baseball bats for youth and has met the youth bat market's needs for 15 years, and through that experience has refined its in-stock youth baseball bats to maximize feel and balance, meet the needs of most youth players, and players transitioning from aluminum/composite bats.

In Stock / Pro Stock Youth Baseball Bats

X Bats keeps its two most popular youth baseball bat models in 28,” 29,” “30,”and 31” lengths in stock and ready to ship to you immediately. These pro grade hard maple youth baseball bats are in stock for customers who want high quality X Bats quickly without waiting for customization or paying rush charges.

With handle thicknesses of 15/16” and 2 ¼” youth barrels the following two types of youth baseball bats are available to choose from, each in four lengths from 28” to 31”:

• Best Balanced / Youth Baseball Model 73 — this best-selling bat has a tapered medium 15/16” handle transitioning to a very large knob for optimal comfort and that weight in the large knob acts as a counterweight to the weight in the barrel giving this model exceptional balance and a light swing feel. The large flared knob also acts to protect hamate bone from bruising and soreness common in high level players who take a lot of swings. With a full power hitter's 2 1/4” youth barrel, this bat gives both power hitters and contact hitters great pop and control — and its shape and exceptional balance are ideal for young hitters switching from the hollow barrels and counter balance of aluminum/composite bats. Power hitters like its comfort and gap hitters like its balance and large hitting area and sweet spot.
• Longest Barreled / Youth Baseball Model 98 — This a long-barreled bat with a long, thin handle transitioning straight to a small conventional knob. With a 15/16″ handle thickness, the thin handle and long barrel quickly tapers to a full 2 1/4" barrel delivering a more end-loaded feel for players who like to feel the barrel snap through the hitting zone. This bat works well for players accustomed to thin-handled non-wood bats because its profile is similar to aluminum/composite bats. Its longer barrel creates a well-balanced bat with the largest hitting area of any youth wood bat.

Three-Bat Progressive Training System for Young Players

Youth league players often use metal/composite bats in league play, and transitioning from metal bats to wood bats requires a progressive effort and dedication. This is because the balance point in wood bats is much different than that in hollow-barreled metal and composite bats.

In addition to offering the stock youth baseball bats above, and to make the best of the transition from overbalanced metal bats to underbalanced wood bats, X Bats has devised a three-bat training system for youth players that allows them to train progressively with weighted handles that counterbalance the barrel-end weight. Large oversized knobs start at 2” and then progressively get smaller, first to 1” and then to ½”. Training moves from the 2”-knob bat once the player attains a solid comfort level to the 1”, and then to the ½”.

Players aspiring to a baseball career find this three-bat training system yields immediate and lasting results, and a short, reliable swing connecting to the ball. Each player's progress is different depending on training and game time, but gaining comfort and consistency with a regular wood bat leads to better bat control and increased performance and productivity at the plate.

X Bats' 3-bat training sets are for youth players from ages 7 – 12 (in 27", 28", 29", 30" and 31" lengths) and for 13-15 year old players (in 32 and 33 inch lengths).

Easy to Order and Customize — Online

Youth baseball and training bats are available in a number of sizes and shapes. X Bats has more choices to fit each player than any company out there with 18 different models in 13different size lengths and 10 options to customize each bat. You won't have a problem or waste any time creating your perfect youth baseball bat and training bats—it's is easy to customize using our user-friendly online “X Bat Customizer.” We've tried to make customizing a bat as simple as it can be with our website tool. X Bats' state-of-the-art computerized CNC lathes and laser engraving equipment gets your bat order details right every time. It's easy to add your team or coach's name or logo, season, championships, etc. along with 10 different customizing options.

Now that you know how easy it is to identify, select and customize youth baseball bats, we hope you'll let us help you help others use a youth baseball bat that works best for them, train properly and become the ball players they want to be.