Maple and birch are known as diffuse-porous species, which means the pores are spread throughout the wood material instead of in clear lines as they are in ash. The pores of maple, in particular, are smaller and tightly packed together, which makes for a dense and strong wood that continues to compress, instead of flake, with usage.
Staring in , MLB required that all maple bat handles remain unfinished and that the manufacturer stain a small section of the handle so the grain itself became visible. The ink dot reveals the slope of grain on a diffuse-porous bat and has been used to ensure only the straightest-grained bats are used in game play.
As a result, catastrophic bat failures are down dramatically since MLB instituted this requirement. The traditional species used in modern baseball, ash supplanted hickory as the wood of choice and has since been overtaken by maple. Ash is strong, lightweight, and easily identified by its grain lines that run the length of the bat. Cons : Low moisture content will cause grains to flake and splinter over time. Not as dense as some other bats. Maple is the hardest of the three major wood species used in pro baseball the others are ash and birch.
As noted above, maple is a diffuse-porous wood, meaning that the grains do not run in a straight line. As such, maple is more brittle than ash and can break spectacularly under certain circumstances. Cons : May acquire moisture and weight over the lifespan of the bat. Maple is such a dense wood, and so heavy, that hitters may not be able to use the maximum 2.
A softer wood with more flexibility that may help generate more whip-like speed through the hitting zone. Birch, like maple, is a curly-grained species that will compress over time and resist flaking. Exit velocity may suffer until this is achieved.
The first baseball bats were made out of hickory, which is the heaviest and hardest of all bat-wood species. Pros : Very hard wood results in high exit velocity. Most modern big league bats weigh between 30 and 34 ounces. Bamboo is technically a grass, and many strips of it must be pressed together into long rectangular billets that are then turned into the round shape of a bat.
Over the years, bat production has settled into producing several standard models that can be found in the hands of pro hitters. The is a lightweight, but slightly end-loaded, model. The has a slightly thicker handle and a long taper to a 2. The bat is less end-loaded than many models particularly in its popular cupped version. The is known for its large and long barrel size, which makes it a favorite of power hitters. This bat has a thin handle with a sharp taper out to the 2.
The result is an end-loaded bat that can do great damage, but which can also be difficult to control. This model is similar to the barrel construction, but it also features a thicker handle and a more gradual taper. The model is most like combining the barrel of a with the handle of the M The result is a well-balanced bat with a long and gradual taper that still retains some flexibility at contact. A bat is also more likely to break in cold weather, when the wood is dryer and more brittle.
Are maple bats legal in MLB? Maple bats have become controversial because of their tendancy to shatter in sharp shards when they break, posing an injury risk to spectators, players and umpires.
There were calls to ban them in , after a series of incidents in the early season. What kind of wood do they make baseball bats out of? Most wooden bats are made from ash; other woods include maple, hickory, and bamboo. Hickory has fallen into disfavor over its greater weight, which slows down bat speed, while maple bats gained popularity following the introduction of the first major league sanctioned model in Does ash or maple have more pop?
What brand of bat is the best? Louisville Slugger Meta Baseball Bat. Rawlings Baseball Bat. Louisville Slugger Prime Baseball Bat. What is a dead bat in baseball? From my experience, a dead baseball bat means that the bat lost its power, and doesn't have as much pop as it used to. For example, a dead metal bat might now hit like a wood bat. Do wood bats lose Pop? Losing Pop One argument is that, over time, a wood bat can lose some of its pop. This is apparently the result of the ball repeatedly hitting the barrel of the bat, causing the wood to soften.
Some types of bats will outlast others, but they all need to be replaced eventually. How long does a bat last in MLB? Remember, we're with you from click to hit! We apologize for the inconvenience, but something went wrong with this page. You can try reloading the page by clicking here. Thanks for signing up and welcome to the team! Skip to main content Stop all automatic animation Skip to footer site map. Home Blog How To.
This is because of maple's inability to flex when hit off the end. No flex results in the shock traveling down the barrel and breaking out of the weakest part of the bat the handle. This is why you see the barrel flying out into the infield during MLB games. Ash wood : Ash bats are on the opposite end of the spectrum as maple. While they do not give off as much pop as maple wood, they are very forgiving during hits. If you were to get jammed and hit in on the handle, there is still a great chance of breaking.
Ash bats won't break in two like a maple bat but rather splinter or flake apart into a thousand little pieces give or take a couple hundred. One way to prolong the life of your ash bat is to make sure you're not repeatedly hitting in the same spot over and over again.
Birch wood : While birch offers the best of both worlds with maple-like pop and ash like flex, the popularity of this wood type has still not caught on. More and more pros, minor league players, and amateurs are starting to lean towards birch wood as an alternative to maple or ash. This is a great choice for those first starting out with wood baseball bats. Bamboo wood : : While bamboo isn't technically a wood it's considered a grass , it is still used to create baseball bats.
Bamboo is one of the strongest natural materials on the planet so these "wood bats" tend to offer the longest life. Their effectiveness may not be up to par in comparison to other wood types, but Bamboo baseball bats will usually come with an extended warranty, which is unheard of from wood bat companies unless you're Marucci. Composite wood : Composite wood bats, such as the Baum Bat , tend to last much longer than other wood types.
Typically, these composite wood bats have a wooden core with composite material protecting said core. The composite material is obviously going to withstand the test of time much longer than any wood, and because of that, these bats should last the longest. Baum claims that the Baum bat is "indestructible"; a theory that has since been tested by JustBats.
Type of Ball: Nothing other than a normal baseball should ever be used when swinging a wooden bat. How You're Hitting: Experience will increase the life of your wood bat, believe it or not. The Quality of the Wood: The slope of grain is a huge factor when determining the quality of a wood baseball bat. Turn Models: Wood bats are typically categorized by their turn model.
The thick handle will add tremendously to the bat's durability, and a balanced swing weight helps keep the excess weight away from the end of the barrel. This is by and large the most popular turn model for players who are new to wood bats. The difference in handle thickness leads to a slightly end loaded swing weight that is perfect for both contact and power hitters. But, that thinner handle also means it is more susceptible to breakage in comparison to a turn model.
I Turn: Used by some of the games best players, the I turn model is extremely popular. The big difference between an I and the previous two is that the taper of the bat is more extreme. With a medium taper comes an end loaded swing weight.
An end loaded swing weight is awesome for power hitters, but it also comes at a price. This combination of a large barrel with an extra thin handle makes it a great choice for power hitters, but it is also a recipe for possible breakage. Weather: Weather has a serious impact on the life of your wood baseball bat.
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