How to Choose a Wood Bat — Length, Drop, Turn Model

Choosing a Tater® custom wood bat comes down to four specs: length, drop, turn model and wood. Most hitters start with a colorway they like and make the specs work around it. Pro hitters do it the other way: they size the bat to the swing and pick the colors last. Here's the order to go in.

The four specs at a glance

Step	Spec	The short answer
1	Length	Use your age, height and weight. Between two sizes? Go shorter
2	Drop	Drop 3 for high school, college and adult wood bats. Drop 2 if you want more swing weight. Youth bats are drop 5 or 6
3	Turn model	Balanced for contact hitters and anyone new to wood. End-loaded for power hitters who already square up wood
4	Wood	Birch is more forgiving, maple is denser with more pop

Step 1: Length

Length is the easiest spec to get right, because it follows body size. Start with your age:

Age	Length
5-7	24"-26"
8-9	26"-28"
10	28"-29"
11-12	29"-30"
13-14	31"-32"
15 and up	32"-34"

Then fine-tune it with height and weight in our wood bat size chart, the same chart we use to fit players in our Cheshire, Connecticut shop. Pick a length you can control through the zone, and if you're between two sizes, go shorter: a bat that's too long slows your swing down.

Coming from metal? Swing the same length you swing in your metal bat. More in your first wood bat.

Step 2: Drop

Drop is the difference between a bat's length in inches and its weight in ounces. A 33" bat that weighs 30 oz is a drop 3 (-3). The lower the drop number, the heavier the bat for its length.

Drop 3: the standard for high school, college and pro wood bats.
Drop 2: one ounce heavier, for more swing weight. It's the drop we recommend for the Tater® Torpedo Wood Bat, because the extra wood protects the thinner sections above and below its sweet spot.
Drop 5 or 6: our youth wood bats, like the C271 youth bat, built to the USA Bat standard for Little League. Smaller players and hitters new to wood should start with the lighter drop.

Always check your league's rules before you order.

Step 3: Turn model

The turn model is the bat's profile: the size of the barrel, the thickness of the handle and the shape of the knob. Together, they decide whether a bat swings balanced (light, quick, easy to control) or end-loaded (more mass in the barrel).

Turn	Feel	Profile	Best for	Our model
271	Balanced	Medium handle, medium barrel, flared knob	Contact hitters and the switch from metal	X24, C271
RA13	Balanced, our most balanced	Thin handle, medium barrel, bell knob	Contact hitters	X4
X12	Balanced	Thin handle, medium barrel, flared knob	Contact and gap hitters	X12
Torpedo	Balanced feel, mass in the sweet spot	Thin handle, medium barrel, flared knob	Advanced hitters with a clean, repeatable swing	Tater® Torpedo
141	Slight end load	Thin handle, extra-long barrel, slow taper	Gap and power hitters	X6
AP5	Slight end load	Medium handle, elongated barrel	Power hitters	XL5
I13	True end load	271 handle and knob, 243-style barrel, sharp taper	Power hitters	I13
243	End-loaded	Thin handle, extra-large barrel	Power hitters	243

Not sure where to start? The 271 is the safest first wood bat. The X24 is the bat we recommend most for hitters coming off a BBCOR bat: the handle and knob feel familiar, and there's no end load to adjust to.

For the full breakdown of what makes a bat balanced or end-loaded, see balanced vs end-loaded wood bats. For model picks by hitter type, see our picks for contact hitters, gap-to-gap hitters and power hitters. The torpedo is its own shape; more in what is a torpedo bat.

Step 4: Wood

Birch flexes a little more and forgives mishits, and it splits before it breaks. It's the wood we usually point hitters new to wood toward first.
Maple is denser, with the hardest hitting surface and the cleanest pop, but it stings more on a mishit.

The wood changes how the bat feels on contact, not its balance: a balanced model stays balanced in either wood. One exception: the torpedo is built in maple only. More in our maple vs birch guide.

Four mistakes to avoid

Going longer than you can control. A bat that's too long slows your swing. Between sizes, go shorter.
Going end-loaded too soon. If you're new to wood or still building bat speed, start balanced.
Picking the colorway first. Size the bat to your swing, then pick the colors.
Ignoring your league's drop rules. Check them before you order.

Next steps

Know your specs? Build yours in the custom wood bat builder.
Need it now? Browse our stock wood bats.
Got your bat? Make it last with our wood bat care guide.

Wood bat buying guide

Your First Wood Bat: A Metal-to-Wood Transition Guide
How to Choose a Wood Bat (you're here)
Balanced vs End-Loaded Wood Bats

FAQ

What size wood bat should I use?

Start with your age: 32"-34" for players 15 and up, 31"-32" at 13-14 and 29"-30" at 11-12. Then fine-tune it with your height and weight in our wood bat size chart. If you're between two sizes, go shorter.

What does the drop on a wood bat mean?

Drop is the bat's length in inches minus its weight in ounces. A 33" bat at 30 oz is a drop 3. Drop 3 is the standard for high school, college and pro wood bats, and drop 2 is one ounce heavier.

What's the best first wood bat?

A balanced 271 turn. The X24 is the one we recommend most for hitters moving off a BBCOR bat, and birch is the most forgiving wood to start in.

Should I get a balanced or end-loaded wood bat?

Balanced if you're a contact hitter or new to wood. End-loaded if you're a power hitter who already squares up wood consistently.

Key takeaways

Choose a wood bat in this order: length, drop, turn model, then wood. Pick the colors last.
Size the length by age, height and weight; between sizes, go shorter. Drop 3 is the standard for high school, college and pro, and drop 2 adds swing weight.
Balanced turns (271, X4, X12) are the place to start on wood; end-loaded turns (I13, 243) are for power hitters who already square up wood.

Tater Baseball builds custom wood bats in Connecticut — family-owned since 2015. Start your build at the Custom Wood Bat Builder.