Bat Selection

Type of Bat
Wood bats cannot match the performance of metal bats in either distance or durability. Today, the metal used to make bats continues to get stronger resulting in longer bats that weigh less. It is not uncommon to find small barrel bats that are -10, which means the number of inches is ten more than the number of ounces. For larger barreled bats, -8s are currently available with a 2 3/4 barrel. These bats aren't cheap but they do pack a wallop. In fact, for safety reasons, colleges currently require -3 bats (3 ounces lighter than the length in inches) and, at least in Ohio, high schools limit this difference to -5. These limitations will likely increase because of the very real danger these bats pose to pitchers (and other infielders). The ball just comes off the bat too fast for someone with normal reflexes to react to. Personally, I'd like to see limitations placed on metal bats at all ages and encourage leagues to use some kind of standard. This makes more sense to me than using reduced-impact-factor (rif) baseballs.

Bat Size
Most everyone is aware that if a bat is too heavy for a player he will likely struggle at the plate. I wanted to talk about the opposite problem we don't hear much about -- that is when a bat is too light for a player. We had a 13-year-old on a team this year going through a growth spurt and developing a lot of strength. He had a 24 ounce bat (31 inch) and as the season progressed, he pulled everything. His best hits were generally foul. Even when he swung late, the ball would hit on the handle and be pulled to the right side (he is left-handed). His mechanics were very good except that he couldn't keep the barrel of the bat back behind his hands after he started his swing. This was never a problem when he was younger. After finally convincing him to go with a heavier bat (27 ounce, 32 inch), he hit the ball hard to all fields. The additional weight corrected the flaw in his swing.
The point here is that when you see a hitter pull everything, especially off the handle of the bat, you might want to try going with a heavier bat. The additional weight can keep the barrel of the bat from drifting forward during the early part of the swing.