Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Different Types of Baseball Bats

By Maurice Jones


Many years ago, baseball bats were crafted from one type of material: wood. Though, as time has passed, bat manufacturers have constructed their bats from many different materials. With this narrative, we will go over the unique variations of baseball bats.

Original baseball bats were crafted out of wood. Wooden bats remain popular these days, as professional leagues, such as Major League Baseball, require their use. Several companies produce wooden bats today, including Louisville Slugger, Rawlings, Marucci, Mizuno, and Mattingly.

You will find a couple of main types of wood used for these bats; ash and maple. Ash is considered the most well known. Northern White Ash has a unique texture and look and has been in play for many, many years. But a bug, the emerald ash borer, has produced a lot of issues for ash bat manufacturers in recent years, damaging tens of millions of ash trees in Michigan by itself, and many millions more in Canada and the Northern/Midwestern states.

Maple bats have gained popularity in the big leagues in the last few years. The maple bats are stiffer than their ash bat counterparts. But, splintering has been a dangerous issue, as the bat handles are typically made with a smaller diameter. More and more professional and amateur hitters are swinging maple bats today.

Birch bats have become popular lately. Boasting the same hardness as the maple bats, while being more flexible, the birch bats have enjoyed a surge in popularity in the last few years. Bamboo has also started to become an attractive option. Because of its eco-friendly reputation, the bats are somewhat riding the wave of green products in the market. But, it's not just that which makes bamboo popular, they are actually very light and durable, making them a good choice.

Because of Easton's introduction of the aluminum bat in 1969, youth baseball has never been the same. Metal bats weigh less and have more pop than wooden baseball bats. Rockets travelled out of the baseball fields at a dizzying pace. Runs were scored in bundles, as well. Most youth associations have used the metal bats for a number of years.

However, composite baseball bats have come upon the landscape in the 21st century. They are made with a similar aluminum outer shell, but possess a graphite layer within the hull. This gives the composite bat a lighter weight and greater trampoline effect on the batted ball.

As a consequence of this greater trampoline effect, leagues, such as Little League Baseball, have put a halt on composite bats. What's more, it also created a new standard in the NCAA. Composite bats now have to meet the BBCOR standard. The National Federation of High Schools is also putting in the BBCOR standard for the 2012 season. So, it will be required that baseball bats adhere to the BBCOR standard of .50 or less and be stamped with the BBCOR logo to be legal.




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