Official Major League & Minor League
Specification Baseballs
These are designed as game day baseballs
for Major League Baseball or for leagues where the performance of a
Major League baseball is required. These baseballs are the top
of the line in component and construction quality and have the best
overall performance. These balls are designed with wood bats
in mind.
These baseballs are designed for high
school and college game play. The general quality of the
components and construction is the same as the Major League
specification baseballs. However these baseballs are not wound
quite as tightly and have a little less "pop" than Major
League specification baseballs. These balls are designed with
aluminum bats in mind.
Please note that NFHS or NCAA specification baseballs are the
same components and construction as the equivalent NFHS or NCAA
Approved baseballs, but you must buy the Approved baseball if it is
to be used in a NFHS or NCAA game.
Tournament grade baseballs usually have
the same quality leather cover as the high school and college
baseballs with wool blend windings with a cushioned cork center
core. These balls have less "pop" than the high
school and college baseballs, but are considered high performance
for youth league baseballs. These baseballs are designed with
aluminum bats in mind.
The materials and construction of these balls are the same from
one league designation to the next for the same manufacturer.
That is the Rawlings RSLL Senior Little League baseball is the ball
as the Rawlings RBRO Babe Ruth League baseball, only the league
approval stamp is different.
Competition or game grade baseballs
usually have the same quality leather cover as the tournament grade
baseballs with similar windings and composite cork and rubber or
solid rubber center core. These balls have less
"pop" than the tournament grade balls and are the most
popular youth league baseballs. This is the standard baseball
used by most youth leagues. These baseballs are designed with
aluminum bats in mind.
The materials and construction of these balls are the same from
one league designation to the next for the same manufacturer.
That is the Rawlings RSLL1 Senior Little League baseball is the ball
as the Rawlings RBRO1 Babe Ruth League baseball, only the league
approval stamp is different.
Practice baseballs come in both leather
and synthetic covers with a variety windings and cores.
Practice baseballs are generally less expensive than game grade
baseballs and typically don't as much "pop" or as good a
cover as a game grade baseball.
Safety baseballs come in a wide variety
of covers and performance levels. Safety baseballs are
typically for youth players from tee ball up through age 8.
They are designed to protect players who are still developing
fielding skills.
Click to see our selection of
Safety Baseballs or the Safety Baseball & Softball Buyer's Guide.
Baseballs typically have either leather or synthetic covers that are glued to
the windings and stitched together. The more expensive the ball, generally
the better the cover and the process used to bond the cover to the
windings.
Leather covers are the traditional choice because they
offer the best grip. Leather covers have consistent performance, durability, and shape maintenance.
However leather covers will get dark with use. They will absorb water and
get slippery when wet. Usually, the more expensive the ball, the higher
the grade of the leather.
Synthetic covers are usually vinyl and less expensive than leather covers.
Synthetic covers vary in texture and grip depending on the quality. The
high quality synthetic covers have a grip and feel that is close to
leather. Synthetic covers resist dirt, maintain color well, and do not
absorb water. However, like leather covered baseballs, they get slippery
when wet.
Baseballs covers are stitched together to in such a manner to form raised seams,
rolled or standard seams, or flat seams.
Raised seam baseballs have the highest seams are typically used by age groups
where pitching is being developed. Use typically starts with 8 or 9 year
olds up and goes through 14 year old leagues. Raised seams grip the air
well and offer the most control for developing pitchers. Fielders can also
benefit by enabling a better grip on the ball. Raised seam baseballs are
not well suited for machine pitch use.
Standard or rolled seams are not as pronounced as raised seams. They
are sometimes referred to as major league seams because these are the seams used
on Major League Baseballs. Standard seams are used by all age levels and
can be used in many pitching machines.
Flat seam baseballs are rarely used in game play unless mandated by a specific
league. Flat seam baseballs are ideal for use with pitching machines when
neither pitching machine balls or seamed baseballs are not desirable.
Baseballs are traditionally constructed with wool or cotton thread wound tightly
around a center core, although, some low end baseballs do not have windings but
only have a solid composite cork and rubber center. The windings and core
are the key to the performance and durability of a baseball.
Usually tournament grade and higher baseballs have cushioned cork cores.
Cushioned cork cores consist of a cork ball wrapped in a thin
layer of premium rubber. Cushioned cork cores are the most dense and have
the highest performance. Lower quality balls have cores made of either
solid rubber or a composite of ground cork and rubber.
Wool or wool blend windings are the most common. Wool windings have the
highest compression and shape retention characteristics. The higher the
quality of the ball generally the greater the percentage of wool used in the
windings and the tighter the thread is wound around the core. Higher
quality baseballs retain their shape longer and have higher performance.
Baseball performance is determined by all the materials and construction used to
create the ball. As with most things, the better the components and manufacturing
process, the better the baseball performs and the more it costs. With baseballs
the key performance measures are how much "pop" the ball has and how long it keeps
it, how well the baseball retains its shape, and the grip of the cover.
What's the right baseball for you depends on how the baseball is going to be
used. For most people the youth league competition/game grade baseballs
are the way to go. They have good performance and durability at a
relatively low price and are great for game or practice. If you need
something different, then check out the description of the features and the
usage chart and pick the ball that best fits your application.
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