“Going Yard” Bat Blog

If you’ve ever wondered how to calculate bat performance, this will give you plenty to consider…

Major League Baseball’s new ban on low-density maple bats excludes currently active MLB players.

The message, we guess, is that bat safety is of paramount importance - for rookies.

In the quest to make bats better, stronger and safer, leave it to the Wood Scientist to lead the way.

This one places among our favorites in the pantheon of great job titles. We hope it’s on his business card.

Here’s an interesting take on making bats stronger and more durable: put them in a deep freeze.

This innovative approach has yielded bats that are about 26% stronger than untreated bats, according to proponents.

Seems like one way of getting a hot bat is to give it the big chill. What do you think?

We’ve been hearing the drum beats of change these past few years as the game of baseball has gone back to basics with its embrace of wood bats.

In the name of safety or fairness or the purity of the game, the result is the same: here’s an interesting article on some of the ways that wood bats are changing the way we play the game.

We’d love to hear what you think about what the trend towards wood bats means for the players and the game.

The new rules for HS baseball bats meant to slow the speed of the batted ball may have had another effect: more doctored bats.

Here’s an interesting article about two ways unscrupulous players/parents/coaches may break the rules: rolling and shaving.

Some people will do anything to get an edge. What do you think about doctored bats? Is it a problem in your league?

A North Dakota high school league that had decided to use wood bats exclusively a few years ago has reversed direction and has unanimously voted to allow aluminum bats in Class B competition for the 2011-12 season.

The initial decision to ban aluminum bats in 2007 was driven by safety concerns - concerns that have been allayed by the power-reduction inherent in BBCOR-rated aluminum bats.

This move conforms to standards adopted by the National Federation of High School Associations and the NCAA.

As expected, the new NCAA specifications for bats that took effect this season have resulted in less power at the plate in college baseball.

This article talks about what’s going on - and takes a look ahead to next year, when these guidelines are extended to high school baseball.

Opinions are mixed, but we think less power is a fair trade-off for increased safety. And it may even make for more interesting, nuanced baseball games.

What do you think?

More news about bats being blamed for injuries incurred in baseball games. This article describes how the family of an 11-year-old Little Leaguer is suing sporting goods manufacturer Easton-Bell because they made the aluminum bat that was used in the play when a line drive struck the boy in the head.

We’re sorry to see anyone get hurt - this boy suffered brain injuries and deafness in one ear - but we wonder if the manufacturer is really to blame. Unless the product is defective, is the manufacturer responsible? What do you think?

We all know maple bats are more likely to shatter than ash bats - we’ve seen enough first-hand evidence. But why is that?

Is it because maple is harder than ash?

We always thought so, but this article explains how maple is only 5% more dense than ash. And more importantly, it explains how bat manufacturers choose maple billets with lower-than-average density and how they design bats with thinner handles because batters favor lighter bats.

Interesting reading.