When my son played U9 ball, it was anarchy. I started him off with a 16 ounce bat that had no technology. On a cold night, he took one in close to the handle and it rattled his hands off. Stung so bad, it brought tears. That's when I started learning about bats.
U9 sorta sucked, both financially, and from a frustration standpoint, because the big barrel bats he could use were too short, and the longer bats he could use had a 2 1/4" barrel. So, we went through a lot of bats that year, trying to strike a balance. Not too long, not too short, not too heavy, not too light.
All in all, I spent over a thousand bucks on bats that year.
U10, he transitioned to a 29/19 Easton Stealth Speed (which later evolved into the Omen and then evolved into the S1.) It was a great bat. It was also our first carbon composite bat. At one point, his coach told me his bat was worn out. So, I bought him an Omen.
Thing is, the bat wasn't worn out. It just wasn't quite broken in, yet. Soon thereafter, the ball started making a distinctly different sound off the bat and started rocketing off it with even more velocity.
Carbon fiber bats need to be broken in. The manufacturers insist that they don't, but I've heard other accounts of the same thing. After a few hundred batted balls, they sound different and perform better.
Why? There are two theories, here, but only one of them makes sense to me. The first is that the fibers, when used, get compressed further. Thus, the bat gets harder. This makes zero sense to me, but you hear it quite a bit.
The theory that DOES make sense is that as the bat is used, the carbon fibers actually get loosened up. Thus, the bat becomes more flexible. More springy. My opinion is that this is what happens.
Anyway, I'm a carbon fiber fan, but there's something to be said for aluminum. It hits right out of the wrapper. The carbon fiber bats hit just as well, IMHO, but they hit better after extended use.
In the case of my son's Speed, extended use was almost 2 full seasons of about half the team using the bat. I am absolutely NOT worried about wearing out a carbon fiber bat as so many others have warned against. It might happen, but in youth baseball, they'll outgrow it before they wear it out.
This year, things get complicated again. I need to move my son up in drop. So, his previous drop 10 bats need to start giving way to progressively smaller drops so he can gradually work his way towards drop 3, which is what he needs to play with in High School.
The philosophy I like to follow, here, is that length is more critical than weight. A shorter bat is easier to control than a longer one. So, find the length that works, first.
In this case, my son is swinging a 30 inch bat very, very well. So, 30/31 is probably his length.
Weight? Lots of different theories on this one. The rule of thumb I've heard is that you take the heaviest bat that you can swing without slowing down, then back off an ounce or two.
Weight, in my opinion, is less of a factor than people think. An ounce is not a lot of weight, not even on a baseball bat. The bats my son uses are "balanced" (versus "end loaded"). So, an extra ounce of weight is distributed along the entire length of the bat, not just at the end.
An ouce is basically the weight of a really thick letter that requires more than one stamp.
So, using e-bay and justbats.com, I'm bringing in a few bats for him to try.
Right now, his arsenal consists of:
30/20 SV12. No USSSA Stamp. It appears he has already outgrown this one. The SV12 is an awesome bat, IMHO and was a great power-hitter bat. Near as I can figure, it has eventually evolved into the Easton XL2.
30/21 Easton Rival. No technology in this thing. One piece construction. However, kids hit a ton with this bat. The two things against this bat are: no technology and a reputation for denting easily.
In my opinion, once you dent a thin-walled aluminum bat, it's done. You've ruined the rebounding properties of the barrel.
The technology is an issue, too. My son's hands sting on the hits up on the handle.
No two ways about it, though, my son kills with this bat. First game using it, he went 3/4 with a single, double and triple. His only out was a hard shot that the pitcher managed to catch and throw him out.
I am pretty sure the rival evolved into the Easton S3.
So, the new bats coming are:
1. Combat Grifter, 30/21. Same weight and length as his Rival. We'll have to see how this goes. Never used one before. Got an insanely good price on it, though. This is our first Combat. I think the top of the heap for them is the S3, but I don't know that much about their product line. This one retails for about $200. Worst case, it'll go up on e-bay and I'll get most of the money back out.
2. Easton Surge 31/21. I actually am more worried about the 1" length than I am about an extra ounce of weight. However, most of the height-weight charts show that he should probably be using a 31" bat. So, we'll give it a shot. This is the bat that evolved into this year's S2.
3. Easton Omen 30/22. This one evolved into this year's S1. I am sort of hoping that this ends up being his bat, but so far, things don't look good. He really doesn't seem to like 22 ounce bats. (After action report: hit well with this bat, but popped up and was late a bit. Pretty solid indication that the weight is too much. Since the length is not an issue, this bat will just have to wait. Will still have him swing it here and there, but too heavy for right now.)
In the end, does 1 inch make that much difference? Does 1 ounce? My opinion is that both make a small difference. However, the main thing is: what does a kid THINK is working for him.
Hitting is as much mental as physical and if a kid is convinced that 31" is too long, then it's too long. If a kid is convinced that 22 ounces is too heavy, then it's too heavy.
At least at this point, I've got 3 quality bats for him to try. One of them should work. If not, I'll keep trying. The next few years are going to be a challenge as I continue to work the various drops. Once we finish up this year, he has only 3 more years of club ball, then off to High School, where he'll need a drop 3 bat.
There are a lot of ways to bridge the gap between drop 10 and drop 3. They all cost money, and if past experience is any indicator, I'll try them all.
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Batdance, 2012 Edition
Okay, it's been a while since I provided a bat-buying guide for youth baseball. Things have actually changed a bit. Time for an update.
Let's start with the simplest bats, and the ones most common for younger players. If a bat says it is legal for little league play, chances are it has a few common characteristics.
One of those characteristics is a 2 and 1/4" barrel. This is the standard barrel bat used by little league today.
If your league requires you to use a 2.25" barrel, or if your kid is very small, these are the bats to use. They are generally sold in what's called a drop 12. Drop 12 means that if you measure the length, then subtract the weight, the result is 12.
So, for instance, an 28" bat that is 16 ounces is a drop 12.
These bats are fine for recreational play, and little league requires you to use standard barrel bats. However, once your kid gets to travel ball, or senior league, or a league not governed by little league, then your kid can use big barrel bats.
My friend, Clay Snellgrove, of the Bases Loaded Baseball school in Murfreesboro, TN, advised me years ago that big barrel bats do make a difference. I've found that this generally is true. The bigger the barrel, the bigger the sweet spot and the greater the rebounding effect of the ball off the bat.
The difficulty is that big barrel bats generally come in a maxium of drop 10. So, if your kid is very little and can't swing a very heavy bat, his big-barrel bat will be very short.
My son had two bats when he played U9. A big barrel and a standard barrel that was longer. We tried to guage whether the ump was calling a generous strike zone or not and if he was, we'd go with the longer bat. Once my son could swing a 29/19, though, we were able to use just one bat.
Nowadays, if you're using a Big Barrel bat, many leagues require that it have a Bat Performance Factor of no greater than 1.15. Basically, it should be stamped with "1.15" somewhere on it and in most cases, will have a USSSA stamp on it that signifies it is legal for play in leagues with a 1.15 limit.
Here is where things get tricky. In NCAA play, you can only have a -3 to +3 differential between bat length and weight in ounces. Many high schools have also adopted this standard. Because of this, many middle schools have adopted this standard.
This is the BBCOR / drop 3 rule. Batted Ball Coefficient of Restitution is a different measure of bat effectiveness. So, a bat can be no lighter than drop 3, and must have an approved BBCOR.
Even if you have a very young child, you should probably consider the drop 3 standard. For instance, my son has 4 more seasons of play before he gets to High School. In High School, he will need to be able to swing a drop 3 bat.
It makes no sense to let him use a drop 10 bat for the next 4 years, then have to adjust abruptly when in High School.
So, last year, he used drop 10 bats. This year, we're experimenting with drop 9 and drop 8 bats. By the time he plays U14 ball (the year before High School), I hope to have him using, at the lightest, a drop 5. That way, the transition to a drop 3 in High School won't be quite so dramatic.
On Paper, I would like the transition to look like this:
U11: Drop 8 or 9
U12: Drop 6 to 8
U13: Drop 5 to 7
U14: Drop 3 to 5
Obviously, how closely he adheres to that schedule depends on how much he grows, how much body mass he puts on, etc. I'm just highlighting that you need to think about when and how you're going to wean your kid off of a drop 10 bat if you hope to have them play in High School.
I think most of us who are going through the effort of getting our kid through travel ball are doing it so they can make their High School team, someday.
So, basically, little league or very young players? Go with a drop 12 bat.
Get a big barrel as soon as the kid is big enough to swing it and is in a league that allows it. Use a drop 10 through maybe U10 or so.
Right around middle school age, think about the transition to High School bats. Wean the kid away from drop 10s.
In High School, you will have to use a BBCOR bat, with no lighter than a drop 3 differential.
Let's start with the simplest bats, and the ones most common for younger players. If a bat says it is legal for little league play, chances are it has a few common characteristics.
One of those characteristics is a 2 and 1/4" barrel. This is the standard barrel bat used by little league today.
If your league requires you to use a 2.25" barrel, or if your kid is very small, these are the bats to use. They are generally sold in what's called a drop 12. Drop 12 means that if you measure the length, then subtract the weight, the result is 12.
So, for instance, an 28" bat that is 16 ounces is a drop 12.
These bats are fine for recreational play, and little league requires you to use standard barrel bats. However, once your kid gets to travel ball, or senior league, or a league not governed by little league, then your kid can use big barrel bats.
My friend, Clay Snellgrove, of the Bases Loaded Baseball school in Murfreesboro, TN, advised me years ago that big barrel bats do make a difference. I've found that this generally is true. The bigger the barrel, the bigger the sweet spot and the greater the rebounding effect of the ball off the bat.
The difficulty is that big barrel bats generally come in a maxium of drop 10. So, if your kid is very little and can't swing a very heavy bat, his big-barrel bat will be very short.
My son had two bats when he played U9. A big barrel and a standard barrel that was longer. We tried to guage whether the ump was calling a generous strike zone or not and if he was, we'd go with the longer bat. Once my son could swing a 29/19, though, we were able to use just one bat.
Nowadays, if you're using a Big Barrel bat, many leagues require that it have a Bat Performance Factor of no greater than 1.15. Basically, it should be stamped with "1.15" somewhere on it and in most cases, will have a USSSA stamp on it that signifies it is legal for play in leagues with a 1.15 limit.
Here is where things get tricky. In NCAA play, you can only have a -3 to +3 differential between bat length and weight in ounces. Many high schools have also adopted this standard. Because of this, many middle schools have adopted this standard.
This is the BBCOR / drop 3 rule. Batted Ball Coefficient of Restitution is a different measure of bat effectiveness. So, a bat can be no lighter than drop 3, and must have an approved BBCOR.
Even if you have a very young child, you should probably consider the drop 3 standard. For instance, my son has 4 more seasons of play before he gets to High School. In High School, he will need to be able to swing a drop 3 bat.
It makes no sense to let him use a drop 10 bat for the next 4 years, then have to adjust abruptly when in High School.
So, last year, he used drop 10 bats. This year, we're experimenting with drop 9 and drop 8 bats. By the time he plays U14 ball (the year before High School), I hope to have him using, at the lightest, a drop 5. That way, the transition to a drop 3 in High School won't be quite so dramatic.
On Paper, I would like the transition to look like this:
U11: Drop 8 or 9
U12: Drop 6 to 8
U13: Drop 5 to 7
U14: Drop 3 to 5
Obviously, how closely he adheres to that schedule depends on how much he grows, how much body mass he puts on, etc. I'm just highlighting that you need to think about when and how you're going to wean your kid off of a drop 10 bat if you hope to have them play in High School.
I think most of us who are going through the effort of getting our kid through travel ball are doing it so they can make their High School team, someday.
So, basically, little league or very young players? Go with a drop 12 bat.
Get a big barrel as soon as the kid is big enough to swing it and is in a league that allows it. Use a drop 10 through maybe U10 or so.
Right around middle school age, think about the transition to High School bats. Wean the kid away from drop 10s.
In High School, you will have to use a BBCOR bat, with no lighter than a drop 3 differential.
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Travel Baseball 3 Years In
This is our 3rd year of travel baseball and I have quite a few observations on the experience.
Everything you heard about travel baseball is probably true.
For those who are contemplating having their kid play travel, most of what you heard about travel baseball is true. It is crazy expensive. The time committment is staggerring. Some kids really aren't ready for it. The level of play is far above what the recreational leagues have. The level of coaching is generally much better. Not all the folks involved have what I would consider a healthy attitude towards all this.
This is supposed to be fun. If it isn't, don't do it.
The thing to remember, first and foremost, is that travel baseball is sports. Sports are games. Games are supposed to be fun. Especially for little kids. My son started playing travel baseball on a 9U team when he was 8 years old. That's too young to put much pressure on a kid. I did worry more than a few times during that first year if it was a bit too much for him. In hindsight, it was probably getting close to his saturation point.
The fact that he was the youngest kid on the team probably had a lot to do with it. He's also a kid who takes things very personally. In all honesty, I wasn't always sure that it was an entirely healthy experience for him.
Those are my misgivings about travel sports. They're not for everyone. Making the city's travel teams is a big deal in our hometown. I think I was just so proud that my son was selected that I didn't think it through much farther. I should have given it a great deal more thought. Would I have decided differently? No, I don't think so. However, this is simply not a decision to be taken lightly.
It isn't ONLY supposed to be fun, is it?
There are some parents who will argue that travel sports is serious. So, it isn't always about fun. Well, there, I'm going to disagree a bit. Even though it's serious, and even though the kids should be working hard, it should always be about fun.
There are parents out there who are convinced that with the proper experiences, their kid will grow up to play in college or the major leagues. I guess, technically, that's not impossible. Figure there's maybe a few hundred major league ballplayers who grew up in the United States. If you really think that it's wise to build this much of your life around being one of a few hundred folks who succeed at the highest levels of a game that is literally played by millions of kids, then you should probably consider wisely investing your money in lottery tickets, instead.
There are precious few baseball scholarships. (Only 11.7 full-rides PER TEAM in NCAA Div I.) Also, realistically, your kid probably won't get one. In fact, most of our kids will never play an inning of baseball after the graduate High School.
Playing in High School? That's a realistic goal, in my opinion.
You Have to Play Travel Ball to Make Your High School Team.
Very few statements stir up as much controversy as this one. There are some who swear, adamantly, that it's nearly impossible to make a High School team without having played travel. There are others who swear, adamantly, that this is travel-ball snobbery and that good players can make their High School teams after years in rec.
Personally? I think both sides have a lot of merit to their argument. Neither one is entirely right, but the ones who say that travel ball greatly increases your chance of making the team are probably closer to right than those who say you don't need travel.
Yes, you can make a High School team out of rec ball. Happens every day. However, you have to battle long odds. The kids who travelled will have played three times as many games, probably practiced three times as much, and have benefitted from much better coaching every stop of the way.
I've seen kids who I thought were every bit as talented as my son back in the 2nd grade. These days, after 2 full seasons of travel and starting on a 3rd, there is no comparison. None at all. Can the rec league kids make up the gap? Sure, but it'll take a lot of work, and the most reasonable place to be able to do that work would be on a travel team.
So, if Travel is About Making the High School Team, then It's Not All About Fun.
No, it's still all about fun. The only reason to play High School baseball is that you enjoy it. If you don't, there's no law that says you have to play High School baseball. Playing high school baseball is probably considerably less important than eating green vegetables. It's not life or death. Even in High School, the only reason to play is that you enjoy it.
This isn't to say you have to enjoy every second of it, but on balance, if you don't enjoy it, there's no reason to do it.
Find a Team Your Kid Loves to Play On.
I wasn't sure how much longer my son would be playing baseball after last year. There was just something about the chemistry of his previous team that didn't work out for him. It was nobody's fault. Lots of kids on that team LOVED the experience. The coach was an awesome guy who worked tirelessly to give the kids a fantastic experience. His team-mates were great kids.
However, it was clear he wasn't enjoying it. I had resigned myself to the possibility that he may dial it back and just play recreational baseball. Or maybe he'd drop baseball entirely. Sad in a way, but then, again, this is a game and games are supposed to be fun. If he didn't want to play anymore, I'd respect that decision.
This year, my son is playing travel, but on a less competitive team and he is absolutely loving the experience. Is he getting the optimal level of development? He's clearly not playing on a team that's at the same level. They're also in an easier division of the area league with other teams that are not as competitive. On the other hand, he's getting a great opportunity to play shortstop and pitch.
So, on balance, he's getting less development in some areas (hitting against fast pitching), but getting more development in others (pitching and fielding.)
All that is beside the point, though. This year, he is truly enjoying playing baseball again.
If It's Only About Fun, Why Not Play Rec?
Good question! Why not!? If your kid would enjoy playing rec, then they should play rec. I think my son would enjoy playing rec, but the season is much shorter. The caliber of play is usually not as good, either. However, I would have no problem with my son playing rec. if that's what he wanted.
Travel is fun in ways that rec isn't, though. You travel to different cities. It's a far tighter bonding experience. The kids have to work much harder. So, there's a bonding that takes place from sharing a common difficult task. There are tournaments. Kids get a lot more games and a that means a lot more chances to make memorable plays or hit memorable shots.
In basketball, my son plays on a travel team, but then plays a short rec season in the Spring. He loves doing both. Trouble is, in baseball, logistically, it's hard to play on two teams at once. Heck, keeping up with the travel schedule is a trick in and of itself. By the time the travel season is over, my son has usually had more than enough of baseball to last him until the next Spring.
Am I Glad We Play Travel Ball?
On balance, yes, I am. I truly believe that years from now, he'll look back on these years as the most fun he ever head. He's just too young to understand that right now.
Everything you heard about travel baseball is probably true.
For those who are contemplating having their kid play travel, most of what you heard about travel baseball is true. It is crazy expensive. The time committment is staggerring. Some kids really aren't ready for it. The level of play is far above what the recreational leagues have. The level of coaching is generally much better. Not all the folks involved have what I would consider a healthy attitude towards all this.
This is supposed to be fun. If it isn't, don't do it.
The thing to remember, first and foremost, is that travel baseball is sports. Sports are games. Games are supposed to be fun. Especially for little kids. My son started playing travel baseball on a 9U team when he was 8 years old. That's too young to put much pressure on a kid. I did worry more than a few times during that first year if it was a bit too much for him. In hindsight, it was probably getting close to his saturation point.
The fact that he was the youngest kid on the team probably had a lot to do with it. He's also a kid who takes things very personally. In all honesty, I wasn't always sure that it was an entirely healthy experience for him.
Those are my misgivings about travel sports. They're not for everyone. Making the city's travel teams is a big deal in our hometown. I think I was just so proud that my son was selected that I didn't think it through much farther. I should have given it a great deal more thought. Would I have decided differently? No, I don't think so. However, this is simply not a decision to be taken lightly.
It isn't ONLY supposed to be fun, is it?
There are some parents who will argue that travel sports is serious. So, it isn't always about fun. Well, there, I'm going to disagree a bit. Even though it's serious, and even though the kids should be working hard, it should always be about fun.
There are parents out there who are convinced that with the proper experiences, their kid will grow up to play in college or the major leagues. I guess, technically, that's not impossible. Figure there's maybe a few hundred major league ballplayers who grew up in the United States. If you really think that it's wise to build this much of your life around being one of a few hundred folks who succeed at the highest levels of a game that is literally played by millions of kids, then you should probably consider wisely investing your money in lottery tickets, instead.
There are precious few baseball scholarships. (Only 11.7 full-rides PER TEAM in NCAA Div I.) Also, realistically, your kid probably won't get one. In fact, most of our kids will never play an inning of baseball after the graduate High School.
Playing in High School? That's a realistic goal, in my opinion.
You Have to Play Travel Ball to Make Your High School Team.
Very few statements stir up as much controversy as this one. There are some who swear, adamantly, that it's nearly impossible to make a High School team without having played travel. There are others who swear, adamantly, that this is travel-ball snobbery and that good players can make their High School teams after years in rec.
Personally? I think both sides have a lot of merit to their argument. Neither one is entirely right, but the ones who say that travel ball greatly increases your chance of making the team are probably closer to right than those who say you don't need travel.
Yes, you can make a High School team out of rec ball. Happens every day. However, you have to battle long odds. The kids who travelled will have played three times as many games, probably practiced three times as much, and have benefitted from much better coaching every stop of the way.
I've seen kids who I thought were every bit as talented as my son back in the 2nd grade. These days, after 2 full seasons of travel and starting on a 3rd, there is no comparison. None at all. Can the rec league kids make up the gap? Sure, but it'll take a lot of work, and the most reasonable place to be able to do that work would be on a travel team.
So, if Travel is About Making the High School Team, then It's Not All About Fun.
No, it's still all about fun. The only reason to play High School baseball is that you enjoy it. If you don't, there's no law that says you have to play High School baseball. Playing high school baseball is probably considerably less important than eating green vegetables. It's not life or death. Even in High School, the only reason to play is that you enjoy it.
This isn't to say you have to enjoy every second of it, but on balance, if you don't enjoy it, there's no reason to do it.
Find a Team Your Kid Loves to Play On.
I wasn't sure how much longer my son would be playing baseball after last year. There was just something about the chemistry of his previous team that didn't work out for him. It was nobody's fault. Lots of kids on that team LOVED the experience. The coach was an awesome guy who worked tirelessly to give the kids a fantastic experience. His team-mates were great kids.
However, it was clear he wasn't enjoying it. I had resigned myself to the possibility that he may dial it back and just play recreational baseball. Or maybe he'd drop baseball entirely. Sad in a way, but then, again, this is a game and games are supposed to be fun. If he didn't want to play anymore, I'd respect that decision.
This year, my son is playing travel, but on a less competitive team and he is absolutely loving the experience. Is he getting the optimal level of development? He's clearly not playing on a team that's at the same level. They're also in an easier division of the area league with other teams that are not as competitive. On the other hand, he's getting a great opportunity to play shortstop and pitch.
So, on balance, he's getting less development in some areas (hitting against fast pitching), but getting more development in others (pitching and fielding.)
All that is beside the point, though. This year, he is truly enjoying playing baseball again.
If It's Only About Fun, Why Not Play Rec?
Good question! Why not!? If your kid would enjoy playing rec, then they should play rec. I think my son would enjoy playing rec, but the season is much shorter. The caliber of play is usually not as good, either. However, I would have no problem with my son playing rec. if that's what he wanted.
Travel is fun in ways that rec isn't, though. You travel to different cities. It's a far tighter bonding experience. The kids have to work much harder. So, there's a bonding that takes place from sharing a common difficult task. There are tournaments. Kids get a lot more games and a that means a lot more chances to make memorable plays or hit memorable shots.
In basketball, my son plays on a travel team, but then plays a short rec season in the Spring. He loves doing both. Trouble is, in baseball, logistically, it's hard to play on two teams at once. Heck, keeping up with the travel schedule is a trick in and of itself. By the time the travel season is over, my son has usually had more than enough of baseball to last him until the next Spring.
Am I Glad We Play Travel Ball?
On balance, yes, I am. I truly believe that years from now, he'll look back on these years as the most fun he ever head. He's just too young to understand that right now.
Thursday, April 19, 2012
The Season Begins
Baseball is a game that runs with the seasons. It awakens from a Winter slumber, begins in the Spring, goes through the long months of Summer and concludes with the turning of the leaves in the Fall.
Every Spring, I find myself almost giddy with excitement when Logan's season starts. It is an absolute joy to watch him play.
This year was a pivotal one for baseball. Based on how he felt after last season, I was afraid his days in baseball were numbered. Maybe he would run track, instead. That would be a logical fit with football, which appears to be his strongest sport so far.
I was hopeful that he'd find a renewed love of baseball. Baseball was his first love in sports. As a child, he would bounce wiffle balls off the front door for hours on end, even at ages as young as 4.
So far, this season is going great. He is playing on a different team, for a different coach, in a different division. He is also having a lot more fun.
On the defensive side of the ball, it looks like he's going to get a lot more work as a pitcher this year. His control is good and he's throwing the ball well. He's been putting in work and will probably continue to improve as the year goes on. He's sharing duties at shortstop and playing 2nd when he's not at short. So, he finally gets some experience in the infield.
Offensively, I ended up moving him up 2 ounces in bat weight. So far, it appears to be the right move. He's up from a 19 ounce bat to a 21 ounce. I don't have a 22 ounce for him to try, but that may be next.
All in all, the new division of the league is an easier one. They have yet to face anybody who is a really hard thrower. Most of the team is hitting really well.
I'm just glad to see Logan having fun. The new coach is great. The new division gives these kids an ample opportunity to hit. Logan is getting to play infield. I really couldn't ask for a better situation.
Every Spring, I find myself almost giddy with excitement when Logan's season starts. It is an absolute joy to watch him play.
This year was a pivotal one for baseball. Based on how he felt after last season, I was afraid his days in baseball were numbered. Maybe he would run track, instead. That would be a logical fit with football, which appears to be his strongest sport so far.
I was hopeful that he'd find a renewed love of baseball. Baseball was his first love in sports. As a child, he would bounce wiffle balls off the front door for hours on end, even at ages as young as 4.
So far, this season is going great. He is playing on a different team, for a different coach, in a different division. He is also having a lot more fun.
On the defensive side of the ball, it looks like he's going to get a lot more work as a pitcher this year. His control is good and he's throwing the ball well. He's been putting in work and will probably continue to improve as the year goes on. He's sharing duties at shortstop and playing 2nd when he's not at short. So, he finally gets some experience in the infield.
Offensively, I ended up moving him up 2 ounces in bat weight. So far, it appears to be the right move. He's up from a 19 ounce bat to a 21 ounce. I don't have a 22 ounce for him to try, but that may be next.
All in all, the new division of the league is an easier one. They have yet to face anybody who is a really hard thrower. Most of the team is hitting really well.
I'm just glad to see Logan having fun. The new coach is great. The new division gives these kids an ample opportunity to hit. Logan is getting to play infield. I really couldn't ask for a better situation.
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