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Baseballs 101

06/26/2015, 12:15pm EDT
By Mike Mazzolla

Difference in Quality is Apparent

Since the first post about baseballs was read by over 700 people in early 2013, I figured re-visiting that today would help new players understand simple differences in baseballs. For instance, did you know that the A1010 model we use, has three versions? We have created relationships with the Wilson brand, and trust them with our game balls on Sundays.

We receive a lot of questions about baseballs, with teams clearly understanding the difference in quality and how it affects their play. This blog is devoted to educating on the different models on the market, and why we use currently use the Wilson A1010HS1 model. Wilson does a good job determining what level of play each model should be used for, noting what sort of competition they can withstand. if you use a ball that easily dents or unwinds, you probably use a youth model ball in your league. 

The following is an overview of the most commonly used baseballs for Youth, High School & Collegiate which are used in Adult Leagues across the country. While we used Epic Sports for the quick review & pricing, for an appropriate description of what level of play these baseballs should be used, it is appropriate to discuss with a sales rep from each company. Pricing is online retail, and bulk pricing comes down more when dealing with reps from the manufacturer. An example, we use the Wilson A1010HS1 baseball currently in our league. The A1010HS1 baseball is shown as $55.99 a dozen, but through our sales rep we pay roughly $50 a dozen. You can see, that when you buy hundreds of dozens, you get cut a break on pricing. The ball is also characterized as a High School Game Ball here, but it is considered a College/High School caliber baseball by Wilson. Also with the A1010 Stamp is the A1010S, which is their defect baseball. These typically have a factory defect, such as bad seams or scuffed leather, and are not branded as NFHS certified. This version of the A1010 typically become dented easily in Adult league play, and are the reason they are considered primarily "practice" baseballs. They have a price tag of $36.99 online, but typically can be purchased for $25 per dozen. The chart below has highest quality on top and descends downward to the poorest quality by Wilson. 

The major takeaway from this, "pricing helps to determine quality". As with anything, you get what you pay for in baseballs. The difference you find in baseballs is the grade leather, the core/wind and how the ball is manufactured for durability/impact/life. The cheaper balls (A1030, A1020), tend to not withstand much in adult league play... and thus become almost worthless for BP in a quicker amount of time. Have you ever seen a game ball tear easily or become lopsided after a pretty solid hit? The cheaper balls will do that, while the more durable ones will withstand it. 

You cannot supply a quality league experience with baseballs that dent easily or meant for youth league play... which is why we spend the additional money to ensure the product is the best we can offer. We believe the difference in "product" is easily recognizable. It is one of the easiest areas to cut corners since most players do not realize the difference if the baseball doesn't clearly say it. If you are not playing in our league this year, hopefully your league values quality of product over profit, and supplies you with the best they can as well. 

Enjoy the rest of the season

See you on out on the field!

-Mazz

Tag(s): Blog