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?
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.
Last year, Major League Baseball started its investigation into the abundance of broken bats in recent years. At the time, a three-week count of broken bats in Major-League games showed about one shattered bat per game. After this first week of the regular season, it doesn’t look like the rate is coming down. Sure, maybe it’s the cold weather, but it seems like bats are breaking everywhere again. We’ve pretty much accepted it as part of the game. But just because we’re used to it doesn’t mean it’s safe.
Recalling last year’s incidents of fans and professionals getting hit in the head (Pittsburgh Pirate coach Don Long, umpire Brian O’Nora, and Dodger fan Susan Rhodes, who recovered from severe injuries after she was hit by a broken bat off Todd Helton), Ward Dill found a solution: the Radial Bat. It takes twelve wedges of wood and an adhesive, and it’s not likely to be adopted by pro ball. But it’s a step toward safety, clamped under 36,000 pounds of pressure. At $100 to $150 each, Dill’s Radial Bat is still pricey. The good news is, that if smart inventors’ minds like Dill’s are on the job, baseball may get the solution it needs for the broken bat blues.
