Is there a difference between Baseballs?
Yes, different grade baseballs have different composition such as a composite cork or or a coushioned centre and the grade of the wool winding is also different. A quality baseball will have a leather cover.
Rawlings ROLB Tournament Grade Baseball
This baseball features a full grain leather cover for added durability with Rawlings raised seams for improved grip. This ball also has a cushioned cork center for optimal performance.
Rawlings ROLB1 Competition Grade Baseball
This baseball features a full grain leather cover for added durability with Rawlings raised seams for improved grip. This ball also has a composite cork and rubber center for optimal performance.
Wilson A1010HS1 Pro Series SST baseball
The A1010 HS1 features Super Seam Technology, which posseses seams that are rasied 20% higher than raised seam baseballs. This allows pitchers to experience superior control on the mound, while also allowing fielders to be able to locate the ball quicker in their glove and throw with more accuracy, thus making it the perfect for the high school game level.
Soft Core Balls.
Sometimes referred to as Reduced Injury (RIF), Flexi balls or low compression balls. These have a softer core with a vinyl cover and are usually a smaller diameter than a standard baseball to help younger players grip the ball. These balls are only intended for Tee Ball competitions. If used for live ball they can easily split.
Vinyl Covered Balls.
Balls with a vinyl cover are a low quality ball which has a very short life span and the cover deteriorates rapidly. Any cost savings are quickly eroded due to the rapid detoriation of these balls. These balls should not be used with Zooka pitching machines.
Dimple Balls
These are a hard rubber ball favored by commercial batting tunnels for their durability. Unfortunatley these ballls can damage your bat and for this reason bat manufacturers do not provide warranty for bats used with dimple balls or if used in commercial batting tunnels.
Kenko Balls
Kenko is a brand of rubber ball introduced in Japan during the second World War due to a shortage of leather. These balls are much more bouncier that regular baseballs and are available in 8.5 inch or 9 inch diameters and with or without seams. A small number of high schools and universities in Japan participare in Rubber Ball competitions.