While Minor League and Major League Players use wooden bats to hit during baseball games, little league baseball teams, softball teams, and high school leagues should not. One reason to not use a wood bat in little leagues is that the players don’t have the power nor timing skills to hit the ball far.
Wood baseball bats used in Major League Baseball are generally made from one of three types of wood: maple, birch, or ash. Each one has its own benefits and drawbacks, making it important for players to choose the right make for them. Maple wood is the most popular.
Using wooden bats allows more safety for the defending infielders since balls aren’t flying at the pace or frequency they would if batters were allowed to use metal bats. Wooden bats are cheaper to manufacture so when a player breaks a bat its easy to replace.
The Best Wooden Baseball Bats Reviewed by BaseballMonkey
Rank | Name |
---|---|
1 | Louisville Slugger MLB Prime C271 High Roller Maple Wood Bat - Black/Flame |
2 | Rawlings MM8PL Manny Machado Maple Wood Bat |
3 | Marucci Pro Model Smart Wood Softball Bat (No Sensor) |
4 | Marucci AP5 NB Albert Pujols Pro Model Youth Maple Baseball Bat |
Bat-Exit Speed Standards
Proponents of the bans suggest that aluminum bats allow for higher ball-exit speed, which endangers pitchers, while opponents suggest that existing regulations are sufficient to restrict batted-ball speeds.
MLB has put a restriction to play with the metal bats, because of various concerns. Professional baseball players of both Major League Baseball and Minor League Baseball can hit the ball very hard. And while doing so, it is possible that sometimes the ball might hurt opposition players or fans in the stands.
While uncommon, MLB players buy their own bats on certain occasions. Bat manufacturers often have endorsement deals with Major League players where they can get paid to use a brands gear. Players always have the option to purchase their own bats as long as they meet league rules and regulations.
Overall, over the course of the last 20 years, Maple bats have emerged as the most popular species of wood used by players at the major league level. This is due to the hardness, durability, and overall performance of the wood. Maple bats make up approximately 75% to 80% of all bats used at the major league level.
But, that’s not all, as MLB still has a big surprise to offer for the 2022 season. If reports are true, then, Major League Baseball is planning to bring back the aluminum bats into the regular season in 2022. Notably, as of now, only wooden bats are allowed for the batters in Major League Baseball.
A wooden bat is heavier and has a smaller sweet spot, which means it is much harder to hit the baseball. In order to make contact, your swing needs to be more accurate. However, you can improve your hitting performance by practicing with a wooden bat.
The aluminum bat hit farther than the wooden bat because it is a harder surface and it will go further.
Your wood bat can last from one swing to hundreds of swings. The biggest factors that determine this are 1-Where the ball hits your bat and 2-Quality of wood in the bat you buy and the care you give it.
Many players say that a Birch Bat is the perfect mix of a Maple Bat and an Ash Bat, because it has the hardness of Maple, but the flex of Ash. However, it’s really not that simple. Birch definitely has more flex than Maple, but it doesn’t compare to the flex of Ash.
So, can a wood bat lose pop? No. Bats will eventually break, but the amount of “pop” should remain the same until the bat is cracked, broken or damaged.
Contact hitters prefer this type of bat construction. A two-piece bat allows a contact hitter to swing the bat fast, put the ball in play, and control their contact to get on base. Also, if you prefer a smooth feel on every swing, then a two-piece bat is the best fit.
The unique composition of wood bats and the balance of pop and density are unmatched by metal bats. A good hit with a wood bat will come off the bat faster and go farther than the same hit with a metal bat.
Broken bats are either trashed, given away or, if in good enough shape, told at the Harrisburg Senators team store. As part of our weekly Harrisburg Senators notebook, which will run every Monday during baseball season on PennLive.com, we’ll answer questions from fans.
Perfect Game Bat Bans 2021
Starting in 2021, Perfect game bans all the USSSA banned bats, see below, and the 2017 DeMarini CF drop 5, the 2016 USSSA CF8 line of bats (5, 8, 10), the 2015 CF7 in a drop 5 and the 2015 Eaton XL1 in a drop 5. All banned for Perfect Game starting 2021.
Corking a bat lightens the lumber, which in turn increases bat speed and, the conventional wisdom holds, hit distance. Corkers typically drill a hole at the end of the bat, hollow out the “sweet spot,” and fill it with wine corks or Superballs.
Ash bats will break just as easy, but usually they just wear out. The grain of an ash bat will delaminate over many uses. Birch is tougher than ash, and more flexible than maple.
So, using a heavier bat should result in faster hit balls, which means the hit ball will travel farther. If a player can maintain the same bat swing speed with a heavier bat, the heavier bat will produce higher batted ball velocity and an increase in distance.
Most bat boys make around $9 or $10 an hour.
Also, since they only work home games, they only get 81 days of work each year.
How much do umpires make in the MLB? In Major League Baseball, professional umpires just starting to work pro-level games begin with a salary around $120,000 per year, according to the Major League Baseball association. Senior umpires with more experience can earn upwards of $350,000 per year.
Wood Bats Don’t Lie
With the sweet spot much smaller on a wood bat than aluminum, it forces the hitters to feel the barrel’s sweet spot more and helps the hitter focus on better mechanics and approach. Wood bats give a hitter much tighter “feedback” on their swing.
Bats that are made with harder, more durable wood have more pop, making them a good fit for power hitters. Due to its close grain structure, maple bats hold up well under high-speed impact so they do not break easily either. This also means that the more you hit with a maple bat, the more grains will compress together.