Not all all as long as the bat is not to heavy and official stamp for use in baberuth you be fine. he might have to choke up more than usually. Local umpire in my town br patch ump

The larger barrel will improve his chances of getting a good hit or a hit at all. His skill level and how serious he is about baseball long term would be my determining factors. Unfortunately, Im in the same boat getting ready to drop $175 on a big barrel bat. Yikes!!

I don't personally like the big barrel bat. I believe that it makes the kids more dependable for wider barrel and they have problems when they return back to the regular size bat.

If for no other reason than the psychological effect, go with a big barrel bat. Hitting has a large mental component and having the "right bat" makes a big difference in confidence at the plate. I can't speak to mechanics and later problems but you can't teach confidence at the plate.

It is better to go out with a bat thats to light opposed to being too heavy

The road to success is not straight. There is a curve called Failure, A loop called Confusion, speed bumps called Friends, red lights called Enemies and caution lights called Family. You will have flats called Jobs, but, if you have a spare called Determination, an engine called Perseverance, insurance called Faith, and a driver called Jesus, you will make it to a place called Success.

HUGE DISADVANTAGE. gotta get a big barrel for your kid or he won't be able to hit at all

The best hitters can hit with a pool stick and a marble, if you can't hit with a small barrel you can't hit with a big, for hitting comes from perfect fundamentals from the toes to the top of your head.

I agree with christopher as long the bat is not too heavy for him he will b fine must of the homeruns hitters use light bats cuz they r easy to control and hit the ball to to where u want the ball to go. he will b able to have an advantage then as he gets older he will gwet stronger and will b able to grow out it and he will b able to swing with a much heavier bat. trust me i know. i been playing ball all my life he will get stronger but it will take a day at time. :) hope this will help u .

I wanted to thank all of you who offered me advice on this topic. Here's what we did... my son bought an aluminum Easton big barrel to see if he'd like it before forking out his hard-earned dough on a composite. He likes it a lot. Says its easier to hit with the slightly larger barrel. He's not a homerun-style hitter, but he's ripping the ball with a lot of confidence for singles and the occasional double. Moving up to the bigger field (90' bases and 60' mound) really makes you earn your hits now. Again... thanks for the help.