The first gift almost every professional baseball player received as kids is a baseball with a bat or a glove. So often a child’s bat or glove creates a special love to the sport.
When your kids begin to take baseball a little more serious, it’s time when you, as parents should provide them with the best gear in the market.
That’s why we have made this Rawlings Prodigy BBCOR review, to show you one of the greatest bats for teenagers right now so you can buy it for your children.
OUR TOP PICK
Features
As you could see this baseball bat is a part of the Prodigy series which is known for its high-strength aerospace alloy that offers hitters a solid performance, and amazing durability.
Rawlings also designs this baseball bat with two great features that make the hitter more comfortable, the one-piece construction and its balanced swing weight. These two features let the hitters to obtain more control over the barrel and also allows them to reach higher swing speeds.
As for the bat’s handle, the design consists of a stiff and synthetic grip that gives hitters more comfort than other models. It also has an extended sweet spot technology that provides the bat with more forgiveness.
Whether you know or not, brands usually label baseball bats for the relation between length (in inches) and weight (in ounces). This said, there are 3 types available of this model, 32”/29oz, 33”/30oz, and 34”/31oz. And all of them count with the BBCOR certified for the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).
Who is this Rawlings Prodigy bat for?
These bats are mainly for hitters in older divisions of major youth baseball organizations, for those who are in high school or are entering high school the following year.
If you want an exact age number, players who are between 11 and 14 years are those who can have better experiences using this bat. College players can also use this bat without problems because its BBCOR certified.
For more specific users, this bat is made for utility players who can bat in any order of the lineup.
Pricing and purchase
There is more than one model of this baseball bat, of course, each one has its own price.
Starting from top to bottom, the most expensive type of this design is the 34″/31oz, which is Amazon’s price is normally around the $98 mark. The intermediate type (33”/30oz) is sold at a price of $85 and for the last one (32”/29oz), its price is $99.
Pros
One of the principal advantages of buying one of these Prodigy bats is definitely the quality/price relation.
As parents, you probably want to equip your children with the best gear in the market without spending a fortune. And trust me, if you really want to, you can spend a fortune on youth baseball gear.
This baseball bat has many amazing features for a price lower than $100.
Another great advantage for utility players is the balanced swing weight. This helps the hitter to make the fastest swings in order to battle fastballs.
Cons
Whenever you buy a baseball bat for your children who play in high school or college, you need to understand the principal material is aluminum so it’s very normal that when your child makes contact with the ball, their hands vibrate.
However, many young players have complained that the vibration they feel when the barrel hit the ball is very uncomfortable.
Although, this feeling has a strict connection with the strength the player wields the handle. If your child doesn’t make a strong grip when the baseball hit the bat, they surely will feel the vibration all over the body.
This is something you need to discuss with your son because buying the wrong baseball bat could impact on his health.
Similar products to this Rawlings Prodigy BBCOR
If your child complains very much about the vibration and you want to look for a solution, then you should take a look of the Quatro series. Design from the same brand (Rawlings), these bats are made from a carbon fiber composite which reduces the vibration feelings and also has a technology called Vibration Dampening that creates a soft contact when baseball and bat are met.
Another Rawlings design that could be an option so the vibration problem can be avoided is the Velo. This model was created for leadoff hitters and is made of an acoustic alloy making it much lighter than other series. This feature helps to reduce the vibration (not as much de Quatro series) some players feel in their hands.
Something you need to consider is that both models, Quatro and Velo, are more expensive than the Prodigy model.
Final thoughts
After researching a product like this, it is always important to see customer reviews.
Most people who express their love to this Prodigy bat explain that the thing that makes children crazy is the pop. Every time they enter the batting box and start hitting, they feel like big leaguers whenever the pop sound is produced.
Some players even support that since they start using this bat, their batting average rose and their swinging abilities got better as well. But the most exciting feature parents praised, was the price.
In spite there are more expensive Rawlings series which have better opinions, such as Quatro or Velo, this Prodigy bat is very well known as the best baseball bat in quality/price relation. You will never find a better bat at a better price.
So now you know everything about this Prodigy bat. The bats you buy young hitters as they’re developing their game is important, so choose wisely.