The Best Baseball Bat for 7U and 8U Coach Pitching

The "Best Bat" may be a misnomer. Every year manufactures claim their new model is the best. Plus your boy grows, too - what best today may not be the best tomorrow. So the Best Bat that I share today is based on my son's experience of three different bats (at least used for one season) for 7 to 8 year-old age (Coach Pitching, big barrel) only.

Best - Marucci Cat 7 Junior Big Barrel

This actually his third & current bat (27" / 17oz, 2-3/4" barrel). We noticed this bat from a well-hit opposing team last year.  Its white color made it so outstanding from other popular colors (black, green, and red). My son borrowed from his teammate and hit an in-field home run in a game. This made my mind to buy it for him, even though he already has two
bats. Here are the two features that we love:

• Big Sweet Spot - twice as large as the Cat 6
• Beautiful Cracking Sound when hits a line drive, much better than the other two - very joyful hearing the vibrating sound while watching the ball shoot out

Obsolete - Marucci Cat 6 Big Barrel

This was his second bat (27" / 17oz, 2-3/4" barrel) for coach pitching. As I said early, I noticed Marucci bat but did not know different models: Cat 6 and Cat 7. Therefore, I blindly bought it (used one) for him. My son's experience about Cat 6 is good but just not as good as Cat 7. The main reason is its sweet spot is about half of Cat 7, less chance to hit a line drive. It is an old model, so don't waste your money just buy Cat 7 directly. 

So-so - Louisville Slugger Omaha 515

This was his first one (27" / 17oz, 2-3/4" barrel). It has vibe color- this probably the only outstanding point.  Shorter sweet spot. I don't think the barrel is optimized - feel too much weight at the tip not well balanced. If I had known Cat 7, I would not buy LS bat.

Tip: Lizard Skin Bat Grip is a Must

"Not matter what bat your are using, just replace its grip with a lizard skin" that is what his coach told the team. We have used lizard skin for all his bats. He feels optimized control, more slip resistant, and less vibrations. Just go with the thick option - 1.8 mm.