Best Baseballs – Rec Baseball Leagues

Hopefully by now, you know more about baseballs than just about anyone else on your child’s team!

Let’s dive into which baseballs should be considered given your child’s age or grade (remember, recreation baseball teams are usually formed by player’s school grade level).

• Baseballs for toddlers
• Baseballs for T-ball League
• Baseballs for 1st graders
• Baseballs for 2nd graders
• Baseballs for 3rd graders
• Baseballs for 4th graders
• Baseballs for 5th graders
• Baseballs for 6th graders
• Baseballs for 7th graders
• Baseballs for 8th graders
• Baseballs for 9th graders
• Baseballs for 10th graders
• Baseballs for 11th/12th graders

Baseballs for toddlers

For children between the ages 1 through 4 in pre-kindergarten, no specific baseballs are designed expressly for toddlers. Given their small hand size at this age, it’s advisable to opt for multiple small, soft balls. These assist in teaching essential throwing and catching techniques without instilling fear. The apprehension of catching typically stems from negative experiences, so employing a soft ball encourages experimenting with various catching methods without the concern of injury.

By the age of 3, consider purchasing a set of a dozen IncrediBall soft stitch “baseballs.” These offer a more realistic baseball feel but are a firmer type of soft ball, minimizing the risk of injury.

The crucial point to remember is to avoid any situation where your child might get injured and consequently lose interest in the sport. Therefore, focus on ensuring the experience is enjoyable and pressure-free.

Both my son and daughter learned to throw with Easton INCREDIballs and I found them to be highly effective. Also, I would recommend getting more than one to minimize the time it takes to retrieve it after an errant throw.

Baseballs for Pre-Kindergarteners (Pre-K)

Some leagues classify 4 and 5 year old children as “Pre-Kindergarten” ball players but do use a regular t-ball. If your child is in this age group, check with your league and consider using a softest t-ball available on the market.

Baseballs for T-ball League

Most leagues, such as Babe Ruth/Cal Ripken, Little League, PONY, and others, feature a separate T-ball division specifically for kindergarteners (players aged 5 to 6 years). T-ball players should focus on building their confidence through continuous practice in catching and throwing.

For detailed information on the latest T-balls available on the market, please refer to What Kind of Balls Are Used in T-Ball League.

Baseballs for 1st graders

Players in this age bracket (6 to 7 years old) are placed into Farm A (Cal Ripken), Minor (Little League), AA (Dixie) or Shetland (Pony) division.

Baseballs are usually RIF Level 5 safety baseballs but they look very much like a “regular baseball”.

All these t-balls are good for what they are but I prefer the MacGregor model because the leather is really nice with high seams

Baseballs for 2nd graders

7 and 8 year old players are placed into Farm AA (Cal Ripken), Minor (Little League), AA (Dixie) or Mustangs (Pony) division.

Baseballs at this begins to resemble a professional-grade baseball without the same performance characteristics.

Also keep in mind that two different models from Rawlings is purely cosmetic (brand stamping).

Baseballs for 3rd graders

Players in this age bracket (8 to 9 year old players) are placed into Minors 46/60 League (Cal Ripken), Minor/Major (Little League), AAA Minors (Dixie) or Broncos (Pony).

Baseballs for 4th graders

Players aged 9 to 10 are placed into Majors 50/70 (Cal Ripken), Major (Little League), AAA Minors (Dixie), or Broncos (Pony) divisions.

Most often, the baseballs used in third grade are also used in fourth grade.

Baseballs for 5th graders

Players aged 10 through 11 are placed into Majors 50/70 (Cal Ripken), Major (Little League), AAA Minors or Majors (Dixie), or Pony (Pony).

Baseballs used by these players are similar to those used for fourth graders.

Baseballs for 6th graders

Players aged 10 through 12 are placed into Majors 50/70 (Cal Ripken), Intermediate 50/70 (Little League), Majors (Dixie), or Pony (Pony).

Baseballs used by these players are similar to those used for fifth graders.

Baseballs for 7th graders

Players in this age group (12 through 13 years) begin playing in the 12u division in spring and transition as a rising 13u in fall (if fall baseball is available).

As players reach the age of 13, most leagues start transitioning them onto “big” fields, also known as 60/90 or MLB regulation-sized fields. Players in this age group are classified as Pony (Cal Ripken), Junior (Little League), Majors (Dixie), or Pony (Pony).

Baseballs for 8th graders

Players in this age bracket (13 through 14 years) are assigned to the Pony or Seniors League(Cal Ripken; most rec leagues do not have enough kids so they merge), Junior (Little League), Colts (Pony) or Junior (American Legion).

Baseballs for 9th graders

Players in this age bracket (14 through 15 years) are assigned to the Seniors league (Cal Ripken), Junior (Little League), Colts or Palominos (Pony) , or Junior League (American Legion).

Baseballs for 10th graders

Players in this age bracket(15 through 16) are assigned to Seniors or babe Ruth league (Cal Ripken), Junior or Senior (Little League), or Palominos division (Pony).

Normally, most leagues in this age group start to use the same baseballs used by middle school and high schools.

Baseballs for 11th/12th graders

Players in this age bracket (ages 16 through 18) are assigned to Babe Ruth (Cal Ripken), Senior (Little League), Palomino (Pony), or Junior league (American Legion).

Many teams at this level use baseballs made by Diamond, Rawlings or Wilson, all of which are known for their high quality leather and accurately shaped baseballs.