Chris Mackie – Quickball Co-Founder
So, you ask, why is it advantageous to use a plastic bat at the 6U Level?
The answer is easy — it helps young players produce age-appropriate bat speed. Bat speed is generally defined as the speed of the sweet spot or barrel of the bat at the moment of impact. It is a key metric when developing and evaluating hitters.
According to MLB.com, the average Major League baseball player weighs in at 209 pounds. The average bat used in an MLB game weighs in at 32 ounces. By comparison, the weight of an average 5-year old — the age when most boys and girls join an Entry Level program — is 41 pounds according to the CDC. The average T-ball bat weighs in at around 16 ounces.
Factoring those age and body weight numbers into this comparison, that means the average 5-year old currently swings a bat that is 1/2 the weight of an MLB bat — even though the younger batter weighs 5 TIMES LESS THAN their MLB counterpart. Obviously, the bat weight-to-player ratio has a negative impact on the bat speed of the younger player.
That is an important note to consider when hoping to capture the interest of a baseball or softball beginner. A slow or sluggish swing results in a slow or sluggish hit, a result that does little to capture the excitement of a beginner. To correct that disparity, Quickball Entry Level players use a sturdy but lightweight plastic bat that is easy to swing. Coupled with the safe Quickball Revolution game balls, these bats generate quality swings — swings that produce satisfying hits that are both realistic and exciting, from a ground ball single all the way up to the ultimate hit — the Home Run!
