Legion Rules

Following the lead of the NCAA and the NFHS, American Legion Baseball is also implementing the BBCOR standard in the United States beginning with the 2012 season. American Legion formerly followed the BESR standard up through the 2011 season. BBCOR stands for “Ball-Bat Coefficient of Restitution” and is used to measure the speed with which the ball leaves the bat at contact.

For a non-wooden bat (metal or composite) to be legal in any American Legion baseball game beginning with the 2012 season, it must have the BBCOR logo imprinted on the bat. Manufacturers earn the BBCOR badge after independent testing to validate the bat’s BBCOR rating.

Wooden baseball bats will continue to be legal in American Legion play.

Another requirement of American Legion baseball bats is that they be of a “drop 3” or “-3” design. What this means is that the weight of the bat can only be three ounces less than the length of the bat. So, for a 32 inch bat, the weight can be no less than 29 ounces.

The maximum length for an American Legion bat is 36 inches. The maximum barrel diameter is 2 ? inches.

The knob and end plug must be firmly attached.

All non-wood bats must have leather, rubber, or taped grips securely attached to the bat handle.

Illegal Bat Rules
Any bat that fails to meet these specifications or, in the umpire’s judgment, has been altered
to affect the distance factor or cause an unusual reaction on the baseball shall be removed
from the game. The batter shall be declared out. Base runners shall not advance.

To find bats that are legal in your specific league, visit BaseballExpress.com.