Batsmash.com: End Loaded vs. Balanced Baseball Bats

You're reading a smashing good baseball bat review post originally existing on Batsmash.com. Enjoy!

The swing weight of a baseball bat is critical to the success of any batter. Some players love top-heavy, or end-loaded swing weights for serious power. Others like lighter-swinging, balanced bats to have more control.

Similar to our piece on Wood vs. Aluminum bats, we attempt to dissect both top-heavy and balanced swinging bats and provide recommendations based on your batting style.

Whenever a discussion occurs about the length-to-weight ratio, such as -3 BBCOR Bats, you might hear these words End-Loaded and Balanced. So, what do these terms actually mean on the baseball diamond?

Here we will explain lightweight bats (balanced) vs Heavy Baseball Bats (end-loaded) by describing the benefits of each one.

Balanced Baseball Bats

Balanced Bat Swing Weight

A balanced baseball bat has its weight evenly distributed throughout the length of the bat. These type bats help players generate fast bat speeds that lead to high contact rates, line drives, and a higher batting average.

Contact hitters commonly prefer balanced bats to maximize swing speed and a consistent swing. That isn’t to say that a balanced bat can’t produce power. They just tend to be best for smaller players, a lead-off batter, or a scrappy bottom-of-the-order hitter who is hard to strikeout.

It is known that balanced, composite bats without BBCOR restrictions (such as USSSA) are absolute powerhouses at the plate. Unfortunately, those in high school cannot take advantage a balanced composite without having to deal with the downsides of .50 certification.

Recommended Balanced BBCOR Bat: 2020 Rawlings Quatro Pro

End Loaded Baseball Bats

An end-loaded baseball bat has its almost all weight concentrated towards the base of the barrel closer to the end cap which leads the bat to have a ‘top-heavy’ feel. This feature can cause the End Loaded Bats to be more difficult to control through the zone.

For this, such type bats are recommended for physically strong hitters who don’t need any help getting the barrel through the zone. Having more mass directly in the hitting zone, power hitters can create more momentum with the same swing speeds resulting in the capability of hitting a ball a greater distance. Thus, power hitters can benefit greatly from end-loaded bats and maximize their home run potential. 

Recommended End-Loaded BBCOR Bat: 2020 DeMarini “The Goods”

Difference Between End-Loaded and Balanced Baseball Bats

While choosing the right baseball bat between Light vs Heavy Baseball Bats is a little bit difficult decision. For this, we are representing an explained idea about both of the types so that you may make your decision quickly.

Benefits of Light Baseball Bat

Lighter bats are Best For A Contact Hitter. Here are some major benefits of Lighter (Balanced) Baseball Bat.

  1. Light baseball bats are very easy to control. This helps you react to off-speed pitches or well-placed fastballs. 
  2. The weight of the bat is less than end-loaded which is helpful for less experienced hitters while maintaining power for experienced batters
  3. Moreover, there is less margin for error, and can still make solid contact with a fast bat
  4. High exit-velocities
  5. Comfortable to play with the bat

Recommended: 2020-2021 BBCOR Bat Reviews:

Benefits of Heavy (End-Loaded) Baseball bat

Heavier bats are best for a Power Hitter because it contains most of its weight towards its core that maximizes bat drag through the zone. This generates the most power possible from a baseball bat. 

Thus, it is specially made for and recommended for physically strong players, power hitters that hit in the middle of the lineup and who can provide the most damage through extra base hits.  

Using a heavy bat you might have this question, do end-loaded bats hit further? Yes! Heavy bats really hit further due to its heavy and weight loaded base. The science behind “bat drag” and the force applied to a baseball from a heavy, metal bat can be found online. 

Are End-Loaded Bats Right for Me?

  1. Using an End Loaded Baseball Bat, the player can hit the ball its furthest due to its aerodynamics.
  2. Less consistent contact, but more damage is done when contact is made.
  3. Heavy bats are often durable. 
  4. You will have good bat speed from this bat, but less than a balanced bat.

End-Loaded vs. Balanced Bats Conclusion

When choosing the right baseball bat, one must decide first whether he is a power hitter or a contact hitter and then choose accordingly. Mostly, a contact hitter will benefit from a balanced bat, while power hitters can maximize their potential with a top-heavy bat. 

Catch our latest bat reviews:



Thank you for reading. View the original post, End Loaded vs. Balanced Baseball Bats on Batsmash.com, the top baseball bat review website.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Batsmash.com: Wood vs. Aluminum Baseball Bats

Image
You're reading a smashing good baseball bat review post originally existing on Batsmash.com . Enjoy! Maybe you wonder why youth, high school, and college baseball players commonly use aluminum bats while only specific leagues use wooden bats? Which one is better than the other?  The answer is that aluminum bats are banned in the major leagues for a reason. They are simply more powerful than wood bats , presenting a significant danger to opposing players when the batter is too strong. Alloy bats have higher performance, but swinging wood bats can have its perks outside of wood bat leagues. Keep reading to learn about the advantages of each type of bat, so you can pick which one suits you best. Don’t forget to check out our baseball bat reviews. 2020 DeMarini “The Goods” BBCOR Review 2020 Slugger Meta BBCOR Bat Review 2020 Easton Project 3 ADV BBCOR Bat Review Marucci POSEY28 Pro Metal BBCOR Bat Review 2020 Rawlings Quatro Pro BBCOR Bat Review Metal Aluminum Ba
Read more

Batsmash.com: Easton Project 3 ADV BBCOR Bat Review [2020]

Image
You're reading a smashing good baseball bat review post from Batsmash.com. The Project 3 ADV from Easton A top BBCOR composite model for the 2020 season is the Easton Project 3 ADV -3. These two-piece baseball bats became hugely popular not only for its sleek and light design, but because it shows results on the stat sheet. While high school baseball players are probably more familiar with the experience of using aluminum BBCOR baseball bats, there are definitely composites out there that may be a better fit. However, the transition to a composite can sometimes be difficult. A composite will have a different feel and most likely a short breaking-in period, but there are models on the market that are quite literally changing the game. In this Easton Project 3 bat review, we break down the baseball bat into three main categories that we find of optimal importance: durability and comfort, power, and performance. With these categories carefully dissected, it is our hope that we g
Read more

Batsmash.com: Composite vs Aluminum Bats

Image
You're reading a smashing good baseball bat review post from Batsmash.com. Aluminum bats for power hitters / Composite bats for contact hitters which bat is best for me? Ever since youth baseball has moved on from wooden bats, there have been ongoing innovations in the bat a player chooses to use. The most common youth and BBCOR bat models are aluminum (alloy) and composite bats.   Both types offer a different variety of pros and cons, as well as a fluctuating price range. Both aluminum and composite bats can provide a rewarding experience depending on the type of hitter one is. While the performance is similar, the features differ greatly. When you’re looking for the best baseball bat, first follow this composite vs. aluminum bat guide to pick the right model for you.  What is an Aluminum Baseball Bat? Marucci’s Cat aluminum BBCOR bat series Aluminum baseball bats, also referred to as alloy bats, first came around as a substitute for wooden bats. They provided hig
Read more