Various Types of Baseball Bats

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.

The first baseball bats were constructed from wood. Wood bats continue to be common nowadays, since they’re the rule in professional baseball and numerous amateur leagues. Louisville Slugger is one of the most well known wood bat manufacturers in the world.

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.

But, composite bats have come upon the landscape in the 21st century. They are built with a similar aluminum outer shell, but contain a graphite layer inside the hull. This gives the composite bat a lighter weight and higher trampoline effect on the batted ball.

On account of this greater trampoline effect, organizations, such as Little League Baseball, have put a halt on composite bats. Furthermore, it also caused a new rule in the NCAA. Composite bats now have to meet the BBCOR standard. The National Federation of High Schools is also making the BBCOR standard with the 2012 season. Thus, it’s going to be vital that baseball bats adhere to the BBCOR standard of .50 or less and be stamped with the BBCOR logo to be legal.

If you’d like to know more aboutthese types of baseball bats or if you are searching for a great bat for baseball, be sure to check out the links.

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