Make sure you're buying the best when you buy discount bats. Of course you can get the same quality and top-notch selection when you buy your bats from a discount vendor online or wholesale that you could get from an expensive sporting goods store or specialty shop. The key for you, the consumer, is to be able to pick out the quality from among the pack of other so-so, average, and below par bats out there.

This process is also very personal. Choose a baseball bat as you would golf clubs. It ought to be perfect for your particular arm length, height, grip, and swing feel. You wouldn't take just any driver off the shelf and march over to the tee. You would make sure that your driver has the right sweet spot for you. Then you'll able to drive 300 yards. It's the same with baseball bats. You want the bat that will help you to drive the center field fence.

First, consider the barrel size of the discount bats you're shopping for. The barrel size involves the top part of the bat. It measures both the barrel length and barrel diameter. When it comes to a sweet spot on a baseball bat, you want a longer barrel. The common wisdom is that longer barrels, generally speaking, have larger sweet spots.

This goes against common practice, though. Most players tend toward smaller barrels and a lighter bat for faster swing speed. Your standard baseball bat will have a diameter of about 2.5 inches. Your standard fast pitch softball barrel will be slightly bigger at 2.75 inches.

Your second measurement of importance for your discount bats is the bat taper, which is the diameter of the bat at its handle. Your typical baseball bat has a taper of 31/32 of an inch. This size varies, nonetheless, depending on the weight of your bat. There are players who claim that a narrower taper on a lighter bat allows them to rotate their wrists faster, while there are others who say the bigger taper helps lessen the pain when you don't catch a ball with the sweet spot.