Perfect Game Rules Explained
Perfect Game is among the most well-recognized and highly-regarded youth baseball tournament and scouting organizations. Its events draw hundreds of minds of eager players, parents, and coaches for the opportunity for exposure in front on collegiate and professional scouts. Like all such organizations, however, it imposes rules and restrictions to ensure that its events are run in an orderly fashion, with players’ safety in mind, and to ensure that no one plays with a competitive advantage to the detriment of others.
Strict equipment regulations for bats are commonplace, we have written previously on this blog about the composition and design requirements for bats governed by the USA Baseball standard , grandfathered wooden bats, and other bat regulations. Perfect Game’s official rules make reference to the "bat rule," but offers no actual description of what those rules are.
In general though, for all of its events, Perfect Game permits only bats which have a Bat Performance Factor (BPF) of 1.15 or lower. Furthermore, players may only use wood-composite bats if they are certified for use in Perfect Game events, and the certification must be printed directly on the reduced barrel of the bat. While the regulations leave some uncertainty as to the status of Baum bats at Perfect Game events, players generally find that Baum bats satisfy the BPF requirement, and also come with certification directly on the batting surface.
What Are Baum Bats?
When it comes to baseball bats, the name Baum has started to establishes itself as a household name for baseball enthusiasts. Baum bats are made by Franklin Sports, an American company that is known for making high-quality sporting goods. Though originally designed for practice and training purposes through the use of their big hitters, fly swatters and L screens, the extreme sturdiness and nominal warranty claims of Baum bats have made them the go-to option for many players.
Most Baum bats have a solid wood, thick two-piece design, unlike most other wooden bats, which provides for a great stability that maximizes performance while minimizing any chance of breakage. All Baum bats are made with the same material used to build CF2, which has an incredible toughness that results in a very low breakage and splinter rate. The woods used are generally ash, which was used in the final MLB wooden bat ever broken at a major league game, and maple, which has been on the rise in recent years. While ash was mainly used in the past, many players now use maple for its hardness, allowing a more powerful performance when the ball makes contact.
Baum bats are legal for Perfect Game tournaments. However, Perfect Game has increased their restrictions on the types of metal bats that can be used. As far as wooden bats go, they have no problem with Baum bats, which is good as most of the online reviews speak highly of them despite their general obscurity.
Baum Bats and Perfect Game
Perfect Game’s Official Tournament Rules, as taken from the official tournament handbook, state the following:
2.10.3 – Bat Restriction
USA Bat Certification
Only USA Baseball stamped bats are allowed for 8U through 14U age divisions. (Some individual events may have specific bat restrictions). Bats must be 2 5/8 in. or smaller in diameter and no longer than 33 in. in length. A full listing of compliant games bats can be found at www.usabat.com.
NCAA Bat Certification
2 5/8 bat or less is USA Baseball approved.
30" or 32" BBCOR – approved for 8U-9U thru 18U age div We do not recognize USSSA, high school or Little League bat standards. Unless an event or tournament has its own specific bat restrictions, these are the only allowable bats.
2.10.12 – Player Equipment: Pitching Masks
Please note for the below Rule 1.11.2 Clarification that generally speaking pitching masks cannot be worn by pitchers up to 60’6" even if approved by local rule for a specific event (See Rules 1.11.2 and 1.21.1 of the Official Baseball Rules). However, due to the increase in injury risk with pitchers at more youthful ages, Perfect Game does allow pitchers at 60′ or more to wear helmets with face coverings (masks) while pitching (including the junior division). The equipment must be specifically manufactured and approved by the equipment rule reference of these rules. The pitcher must also make an appropriate, timely request for the use of the equipment, and the umpire shall provide the pitcher subsequent to the next dead-ball period, a time period for which the pitcher must wear such equipment. The pitcher may substitute the equipment for any reason during the game.
The general applicable notes to Rule 1.10.9 shall also apply to pitching mask requests.
Note that with USABat, TSA 329, 430 and 533 Baum bats do not comply with USABat certification, if they didn’t comply to USSA standards they wouldn’t be recognizable on field as a result. This means that the 41 inch and 42 inch Baum bats will be banned from Perfect Game, any other 32 or shorter Baum bats will be legal and eligible for Perfect Game use.
Checking for Baum Bats
Perfect Game maintains strict standards for equipment, including the use of Baum Bats under specific conditions that are clearly outlined in its equipment rules. Players with questions concerning the equipment and/or equipment rules should direct those inquiries to their tournament director prior to the tournament so that any issues can be addressed before the start of play. If a player uses an illegal bat during games, the team will forfeit the game(s) and be required to refund any fees associated with said game(s).
Bat inspection and the process for addressing bats that may not conform to the rules occur according to the following protocol:
- Player removes the bat from his/her bag and the bat is hand-carried to the equipment sales booth (if available, this task will be conducted by the coach or the head of the dugout area) for inspection. No coach or team parent is permitted access to the players’ bags and no equipment may be retrieved from the players’ bags in the dugout.
- After inspection, upon verification that the bat conforms with the specifications, the bat is returned to the player.
- If in the judgment of the on-site tournament official the bat does not conform to the specifications (the onsite official’s decision is final), the player must remove the bat from play without delay. If the player fails to do so, then that player is subject to ejection from the game and such other penalties as Perfect Game deems appropriate.
- A player who removes the bat from play and uses it or any other bat that does not conform to the rules thereafter in that same game is subject to immediate ejection from the game and such other penalties as Perfect Game deems appropriate.
Impact of Baum Bats on Performance
Using a Baum bat during a Perfect Game tournament won’t give your player an advantage over their opponents. After all, it’s just a tool they use for playing the game. However, the type of bat players uses can have an impact on their performance. The reason Baum bats are often considered superior to other bats is the construction and how it holds up against regular wear and tear (damage that is caused by general use). Other bats (typically aluminum bats) can crack and be unusable after one or two games while Baum bats retain their integrity even after hit after hit after hit. This durability can impact performance as it means players don’t need to worry about making sure their bat makes it through each game unscathed. This frees them up to focus on the game itself and can help them perform at a higher level. Further , the increased durability of a Baum bat means that they can load up on swings and improve their hitting without having to worry about damaging the bat. The impact that you’ll see from having a Baum bat is largely dependent on your player and how experienced they are. A more experienced player will likely benefit more from a Baum bat than a beginner.
Baum Bat Alternatives
If your child is not able to use a Baum bat in a Perfect Game sanctioned tournament or event—and we drive home the point that the reasons to use wood bats in youth baseball are more relevant than ever—don’t fret. There are plenty of other alternatives that will prove profitable for thoroughbreds in wood bats games. To be sure, if you are dropping the coin for a Baum bat, you are understandably a tad concerned about alternatives. But alternatives there are.
In addition to Baum bats, the following alternatives are typically available for 5-8 dollars cheaper than their Baum bat counterparts: Either one of these two options should be sufficient to get you through the tournament. But why stop there? Remember, these wood bats are going to be a lot less forgiving than aluminum. More pronounced vibration will likely be felt in the hands and a greater sting in the muscle of the hands that holds the bat, so the fewer bad quality at-bats mustered by any player due to the inherent learning curve of wood is a big plus. That’s where ideally getting players used to the quality of a wood bat makes way too much sense. Many of the more expensive high quality maple and birch replacements are made by Marucci and Louisville Slugger and would be a good fit. Some of the less expensive Kestrel Maple are also a good fit. All of these alternatives should ultimately bring some peace of mind to the player who is using a Baum alternative, while making those flawed uses a little less frequent.
What Experts and Players Say
While the legalities surrounding Baum bats vary, opinions on their impact on a baseball game are widely shared. Many within the baseball industry and media, when posing the question "Are Baum Bats Legal for Perfect Game Tournaments," immediately move into the personal experiences on using them within the game.
Perfect Game, an organization dedicated to promoting youth baseball and helping players achieve scholarships for college, plays many elite tournaments every year. They have rules regarding bat specifications that are more stringent than those of most other tournaments. Their rule is 33" long and no weight requirement. For heavier bats, you can add more weight with inserts. As the standard for youth baseball equipment, Perfect Game must also deal with parents on the legality of some of these new age bats.
"We’ve received plenty of emails and phone calls about the legality of the Baum bat, specifically during the Perfect Game tournaments," says the organization’s Line Coach. "Some coaches and scouts know the bat and say that it’s illegal. Others, who have seen it out there in use, are getting confused. You can also add in that some parents don’t know enough about the bat to even pose the question. To them, it looks different and looks like it could violate our rules." He continues, "We’ve passed down all the emails we’ve received and from everything we’ve found Baum bats are perfectly fine for our tournaments. We’ve had kids using them for a few years now . Some actually haven’t seen any power increase and others have benefited a great deal.
A Perfect Game parent says she didn’t know about Baum bats…but she was sold on the idea. "My son has always had trouble with his swing. It never felt right. He could always make contact and get a hit but it wasn’t how he wanted to play the game. He’d been going through batting lessons for the last few years and his swing didn’t get any better. His swinging motion is precise. He judged each part of it like he was trying to hit a home run every time up. He didn’t care if it was only a pop up. We found out he was wrong in his approach. It was all in his equipment. My husband found out he hit a Baum bat and had some data to back it up. I took a look into it and loved the reviews. It was expensive but we said ‘what the hell’ and ordered one." Her son now plays travel ball with the bat and uses it for high school practices. "It didn’t take him long to get used to it. It took a little while to break in but the models now believe it or not come pretty much ready to go. Things have changed and the price is always a bit over steering wheels so we expect for things to be different but the reviews I’d seen were right. These bats are perfect for guys who want to be elite. This is something we expect to last a while. When my son’s able to go higher up a level he knows he’ll use the same bat. He believes this will get his swing back where it needs to be and I trust him."