How to Build a Batting Order for 11U-12U Baseball

At 11U-12U, batting order construction starts to matter more than at younger ages. Players are seeing faster pitching, strikeouts are increasing, and the gap between advanced and developing hitters is widening. Your lineup should reflect where each player is developmentally — while still giving every kid at-bats and avoiding the trap of batting the same five kids at the top every game.

Here's how to approach it for both rec ball and travel.

Pitching is real now. At 9U-10U, many leagues are transitioning from coach-pitch. By 11U-12U, kid-pitch is standard and speeds are reaching 45-55 MPH from 46 feet. Hitters who can't handle velocity will struggle, which changes how you construct a lineup.

Strikeouts are up. More strikeouts means fewer balls in play, which means the players who do make contact carry more weight. Your top-of-the-order hitters need to be players who put the ball in play consistently.

The spread between hitters is wider. At 8U, everyone hits about the same because the pitching is easy. At 12U, some kids are squaring up fastballs and others are still learning to track the ball. Your lineup needs to account for this reality without demoralizing your developing hitters.

Continuous batting order may still apply. Many LL rec divisions use continuous batting order through Majors (12U). Travel leagues typically use a standard 9-player lineup. Your lineup strategy depends on which system you're in.

In continuous batting order, your entire roster bats through. Defensive substitutions happen, but the batting order stays fixed. This simplifies things, but it also means you can't "hide" a weak hitter by sitting them out.

Spots 1-3: Your best on-base guys. These spots come up the most. Put your players with the highest OBP — not necessarily the highest batting average — here. A kid who walks a lot is perfect for leadoff at this age. Getting on base is getting on base.

Spots 4-6: Your run producers. Players who hit the ball hard and put it in play. At 12U, "power" might mean a kid who hits line drives to the fence, not home runs. That's fine. You want contact with authority.

Spots 7-9: Mix developing hitters with a second leadoff type. Don't stack your three weakest hitters at the bottom. Mix them with a kid who gets on base. The 9-hole in a continuous order comes up right before your leadoff hitter — it's actually a useful spot for a patient hitter who can turn the lineup over.

Rotate the order across games. Over a 15-game season, the kid batting 8th sees significantly fewer at-bats than the kid batting 1st. Move players around so everyone gets time in different spots. Rizzler's playing time tracking tracks batting order position history so you can keep this balanced.

In a standard 9-player lineup, you're choosing your 9 best hitters (for that game) and sitting the rest. This is where lineup construction starts resembling real baseball strategy.

Leadoff (1): Best on-base percentage. Ideally, this is a player who takes pitches, draws walks, and makes contact. Speed is a bonus, not a requirement. At 12U travel, a .400 OBP leadoff hitter is a weapon.

2-Hole: The 2-hole has evolved. Old-school says "bunt and move runners." Modern approach says put your best hitter with the best combination of OBP and contact. At 12U, this is often your most well-rounded hitter.

3-Hole: Your best overall hitter. High average, some pop, situational hitting ability. This is the kid you trust with runners on base.

Cleanup (4): Most power. At 12U, that might mean a kid who hits the ball to the outfield consistently. Doubles are the new home runs at this age.

5-6: Solid bats. Players who make contact and occasionally drive the ball. They won't carry your lineup but they keep rallies going.

7-8: Your weaker bats in the starting lineup, but don't think of them as throwaway spots. A well-placed contact hitter at 7 can be the difference in a tight game.

9: In a standard order (not continuous), the 9-hole is traditionally the weakest hitter. Some coaches use it as a second leadoff spot. At 12U travel, there's a real argument for putting a fast, patient hitter here who can get on base for the top of the order.