Talk:Baseball bat

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Bat rules
RULE CHANGE: According to MLB Rules for bats were changed last year to reduce splintering, the maximum diameter was reduced to 2.61 inches from 2.75, this should be updated. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 146.123.143.246 (talk) 23:12, 3 February 2011 (UTC)

RULE CHANGE: Currently, Pony League, Little League, and Cal Ripken do not allow bats with diameters of larger than 2.25".

Baseball bat regulations
" Aesthetically, wooden bats are generally preferred to metal, both for their traditional appearance and satisfying traditional "crack", far superior to alloy bats' hollow "ping"."

Wooden bats are generally preferred by who? Is this an opinion? Can someone cite this? Why is "crack" superior to "ping". It's fine if someone can cite this, but I'm pretty sure it should be removed. Does anyone disagree? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2601:8C:C300:D5A4:1D4D:B1E3:16FE:391B (talk) 05:42, 20 November 2016 (UTC)

History
When baseball was in its beginning years, baseball players made their own bats. This allowed players to experiment with different shapes and sizes of the bats. It did not take long for players to realize that the best bats were those with rounded barrels. Wood bats are rare at most levels other than the pros. The majority of wood baseball bats today are made from northern white ash harvested from Pennsylvania or New York. White ash is used because of its hardness, durability, strength, weight and feel. Trees that provide the lumber for baseball bats are often 50 years old, and of all the lumber harvested, the top 10 percent is saved for pro bats. Recent technology in drying wood has created bats with lower moisture content, which are light enough to make effective baseball bats. Rock or Sugar Maple bats are preferred. Maple bats cost more than white ash, but they often last longer as a result of their high strength. Broken bats are the largest equipment expense. Today, stronger bats are a result from lamination. The baseball bat was actually a hickory stick. High-density woods from trees make the most resilient bats. A solid hickory bat weighs 33 ounces, and it is proven that a batter gets more distance on a hit with a lighter bat. Louisville Slugger is Born Baseball bats’ most popular name is the Louisville Slugger. Seventeen-year-old John Hillerich watched Pete Browning break his bat at an 1884 Louisville game. John observed as Pete Browning got frustrated, and after the game offered to make him a new bat. Pete Browning joined John Hillerich at his father's woodworking shop, where Pete supervised the construction of his new bat. Browning went three for three with his new bat. Word spread quickly, but not as quickly as the demand did once everyone knew about these bats. It wasn't long before each baseball bat that John and his father constructed had the famous Louisville Slugger trademark. Today, players engrave their names on the end of the baseball bats. Before the Louisville Slugger came into existence, players carved their initials or in some other way marked the knob of the barrel of their bats. Honus Wagner, one of the best and most famous baseball players ever, was the first player paid to have his name burned into Louisville Slugger bats.

Introduction of Aluminum Bats
The introduction of aluminum baseball bats in the 1970's forever changed the game of baseball at every level but the professional leagues. Aluminum bats are lighter, stronger and can hit a baseball significantly further than wooden bats. This is a result of not only lighter bats, but also the trampoline effect that occurs when a ball hits an aluminum bat. As time has progressed, so has the technology put into aluminum bats. Aluminum in bats today is aircraft grade and as scientists have developed stronger alloys, they have used them to make bats both stronger and lighter.

Design of Bats
The design of bats also continues to evolve as manufactures search for ways to magnify the trampoline effect and increase the size of the bat’s “sweet spot.” In aluminum bats, a double-walled bat was introduced in the late 1990s. This design comprises an outer wall of scandium-aluminum, an inner wall of a composite material, and a “filling of rubber or a thick fluid between the two walls.

Making a Bat
1.	A mill worker places each split onto an automatic lathe that shaves the rough edges off as it turns the wood. The billets, as they are now called, are inspected again for straightness of grain. The billets are stacked and strapped together into six-sided bundles. Workers paint the ends with a protective preservative to prevent the billets from splitting at the ends during the drying process. The bundled billets are then trucked to the lumberyard of the bat manufacturer. 2.The billets that arrive at the lumberyard are considered "green" wood because they still contain a high moisture content. In order to strengthen the wood,the water must be removed by an air-drying process called "seasoning." To achieve the proper seasoning, the billets are simply stacked in the yard for a period of six months to two years. 3. When the billets have dried completely, they are weighed and inspected for quality. A worker places each billet on an automatic lathe and shapes it into a rough baseball bat shape with a narrowed neck. The bat forms are sanded, inspected once more, and then sorted according to weight. 4. The bat manufacturer keeps a model of each bat made, typically identified by the baseball player who initially ordered it. When a player or team places an order, the order may look like this: six Johnny Bench models, ten Hank Aarons, four Mickey Mantles. The plant workers who create the final product are called bat turners. They are highly skilled artisans who have been specially trained for the intricate work. When an order is placed, the bat turner selects a billet from the storage bin that fits the called-for weight and length. The billet is placed on a lathe. The model bat is placed on a rack above and behind the lathe. The bat turner revolves the billet slowly on the lathe, sanding and shaving it to an exact replica of the model. Using calipers, the bat turner measures the billet every 1-2 inches (2.54-5 cm) and weighs it repeatedly until it is perfect. 5. The bat is branded with the company trademark and the signature of the player associated with the model. The trademark is placed one-quarter of a turn from the sweet spot. If the order calls for staining, the bat is dipped into a staining vat. All of the bats are then varnished, packed into cartons, and shipped to the player or team.

Manufacturers
Sam Bat is not owned by Willson. It was founded by Sam Holman in 1997 and was owned independently by him until 2007 when it became owned by four individuals, none of which have any association with Wilson. The confusion probably derives from a distribution deal Sam Bat had with Wilson some time ago, in which Wilson had their logo added to the bat, although Wilson never played any part in the ownership or manufacturing of the product. (Sbajn (talk) 18:17, 19 March 2009 (UTC))

Agreed and true. The section about Wilson purchasing Sam Bat needs to be corrected. I personally evaluated Sam Bat for potential purchase in early 2007 and had numerous discussions and in person meetings with Sam Holman, Sam Bat's founder. --Dnewman676 (talk) 00:20, 9 May 2010 (UTC)User:dnewman676

Baseball Bat Directory - A Guide to Baseball Bat Manufacturers Baseball-bats.net--Dnewman676 (talk) 06:06, 9 May 2010 (UTC) Anderson bat is proudly made in the U.S.A. for players, by players. We set the standard, and we will continue to push the envelope.You can see our many little league approved bat online. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Akiva18 (talk • contribs) 21:26, 8 May 2012 (UTC)

Association with crime
Can anyone verify how and when using this as a weapon became associated with organized crime, or at least expand on this portion of the article a bit? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.60.18.222 (talk) 21:53, 20 November 2006


 * They've probably been used as weapons almost as long as they've been made, it's a very convenient club (and, at least in the US, generally unassuming). I don't know that there is an association with organized crime more than just crime or vandalism in general. One news story217.42.18.162 (talk) 21:43, 6 October 2010 (UTC)


 * See also description in Club (weapon) -- SEWilco (talk) 23:41, 25 September 2010 (UTC)

Copyright date
where is the copyright date on this page??? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.170.74.201 (talk • contribs)
 * If you look at the bottom of the page, there is a "This page last modified ..." section that lists a date. This date is the copyright date of the current version of the page.  If you want to know about previous versions, check the "history" section (available from the "history" tab at the top of the page).  --Kelly Martin 04:13, Jan 17, 2005 (UTC)

in a bibliography what would i put for the authors name?
im writing a bibliography for my project, and can't find the author name. can somebody help me?

tia —Preceding unsigned comment added by 162.83.81.155 (talk) 00:33, 21 February 2006


 * Wikipedia articles don't have "authors" per se. It is usually quoted as "Wikipedia contributors." If you're doing a bibliography on a Wikipedia article, there's an easy way to do it. Go back to the article, then look at the toolbox on the left-hand side. There should be a link that says "Cite this article," and that will give you all the information you need. EWS23 | (Leave me a message!) 00:48, 21 February 2006 (UTC)

thanks for the help —Preceding unsigned comment added by 162.83.81.155 (talk) 20:55, 21 February 2006

Bat Drop Confusion
In the article, the calculation for "drop" is presented as weight minus length. But in the Drop disambiguation page, it is described as length minus weight. I suspect the disambiguation page is correct, and the article simply uses an incorrect example. --Llewdor 16:24, 9 June 2006 (UTC)
 * No. It is weight minus length, which is why it is usually negative. ¿SFGi  Д  nts!  ☺ ☻ 14:47, 6 May 2007 (UTC)

Bat Drop is determined by length minus weight, it is refered to as negative because it is the difference between the two. When a bat is made the maker knows the length, but does not know the wieght until the bat is finished. A bat that has a greater value in ounces than its value in length is given a plus sign before the value of the difference, like +3. (Sbajn (talk) 17:58, 19 March 2009 (UTC))


 * Your first words (incorrectly) say “length minus weight”, but your example is weight (ounces) minus length (inches). I know it was 9 years ago but I bet people are still getting discombobulated.
 * The article says (after citing a negative number) Larger bat drops help to increase swing speed. I presume “larger” means a more positive number! MBG02 (talk) 07:04, 24 September 2018 (UTC)

Dangers of Aluminum Bats
Without citations to back up claims, it may appear that this article is biased. For instance, the article states: there is statistical evidence, if sometimes contested, of more injuries and even deaths with the metal bat but it fails to cite any of the statistical evidence. There are also no citations to any deaths caused by using an aluminum bat, or proof that these deaths (if they exist) would not have happened if the batter had been using a wooden bat. If aluminum bats are so dangerous, and I'm not saying that they aren't, then why did the American Academy of Pediatrics not recommend using wooden bats in their own study? Instead, they suggested using softer balls and more headgear protection. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.112.137.120 (talk) 17:54, 17 June 2006

There are studies, I'll post. Most who play baseball will strongly oppose headgear, especially for pitching which requires keen balance and vision. In addition to recommendations like headgear or using a softer ball, it is equally important to consider field dimensions which vary between baseball organizations at youth levels. Regardless, performance standards of bats can and should be regulated, see The NCAA Baseball Research Panel's 2008 recommendation of replacing the BESR standard with the BBCOR and its adoption of the BBCOR standard [http://web1.ncaa.org/web_files/rules/baseball/2009/NCAABBCORProtocolFINAL509.doc. National Collegiate Athletic Association Standard for Testing Baseball Bat Performance / Bat-Ball Coefficient of Restitution, May 21, 2009] .Dnewman676 (talk) 06:37, 9 May 2010 (UTC)

The NCAA Baseball Research Panel, a group charged with maintaining the protocol for testing baseball bats in the college game, has recommended changes to the means for measuring performance in those tests. The panel recommended replacing the “ball exit-speed ratio” with a “ball-bat coefficient of restitution” or BBCOR. Bat-testing regulations modified, The NCAA News, October 2008.--Dnewman676 (talk) 06:37, 9 May 2010 (UTC)

Wood vs. metal: Debate continues over which bat is safer to useBY MARK DeCOTIS • FLORIDA TODAY • May 9, 2010 --Dnewman676 (talk) 05:48, 9 May 2010 (UTC)

Death by aluminum bat: the Brandon Patch case against Louisville Slugger. Sports Edge, WFAN, host Rick Wolff and attorney Steve Kallas discuss the Brandon Patch case.--Dnewman676 (talk) 05:58, 9 May 2010 (UTC)

03/21/10 – WFAN Sports Edge Sports Edge host Rick Wolff and attorney Steve Kallas discuss the tragedy of 16-year-old Gunnar Sandberg and the continuing dangers of aluminum bats.--Dnewman676 (talk) 05:58, 9 May 2010 (UTC)

April 18, 2008 USA Baseball creates bat committee Group to work closely with medical, safety committees. As an element of the ongoing follow-up from the Board of Directors Meeting in January, and at the request of its National Member Organizations, USA Baseball has assembled a panel of scientists -- the USA Baseball Bat Advisory Committee -- to provide advice on baseball bat performance standards in amateur baseball.--Dnewman676 (talk) 06:37, 9 May 2010 (UTC)

Please Lock the Page
As I was reading through, I noticed a portion of inapropprite (sp?) writing found at the very bottom of the article. Copied from the article exactly, it reads.: "A yes, Gilbert Watts is a FAT man. His favorite thing to do is go over Jenny'shouse and smash on some food with her. He also likes to stick his POP CAN weaner in her FAT Ath. He likes it when his POP CAN fizzes" That is suggestive of intercourse, and I feel the page should be locked to prevent further damage.I did delete it, by the way. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Zim64 (talk • contribs) 00:52, 7 December 2006 (UTC).

Drop 3
I have always wondered what the -3 on the bat actually means i hoped that the bat page would tell me but it didnt. Someone please help me.66.189.93.135 11:18, 24 April 2007 (UTC)
 * That's the weight (in ounces) minus the length (in inches). Next time, try the Reference desk. ¿SFGi  Д  nts!  ☺ ☻ 14:46, 6 May 2007 (UTC)  Correct, so a bat that weighs 29 ounces and is 32 inches long has a bat drop of minus 3 (29 - 32 = -3)Dnewman676 (talk) 13:10, 9 May 2010 (UTC)

Bamboo
Ridiculous. Bamboo is hollow so it can't be shaped on a lathe. Furthermore, hitting a baseball with a piece of bamboo as hard as a batter swings would shatter it every time. Also, it's so lightweight because of being hollow that it could never comply with the weight vs length rules. Surprisingly this has been in the article since Jan. 2005 without being challanged as far as I can tell. --Steven J. Anderson 08:20, 22 May 2007 (UTC)


 * There are bats made from bamboo. They are made from laminated strips of bamboo, not from an intact bamboo shoot. --SodiumBenzoate 01:51, 11 July 2007 (UTC)


 * The bamboo bat is somewhat widely used in Japan for the purpose of checking for a correct swing. This is because it is heavier than plastic but lighter than wood, so a batter can make a more comfortable swing. Also, it's possible that since many Japanese have had experience in kendo which uses a bamboo sword, shinai, they feel comforts in using a bamboo bat. --Revth 05:49, 31 August 2007 (UTC)

Pinnacle Sports Equipment Inc. has manufactured bamboo bats for several years. They press and laminate the bamboo to form a billet and then shape the bat like all other manufactures do. http://www.bamboobat.com/index.html --Dnewman676 (talk) 00:29, 9 May 2010 (UTC)

Copyright Violation
I labeled this page as a possible copyright violation. Sections appear to be direct copies from How Products are Made, Volume 2 (1994)  by Mary McNulty. Editors who are more knowledgeable than I about baseball bats should scrub copyright violations off of page ASAP.--Nowa (talk) 02:36, 16 May 2008 (UTC)
 * I believe I've scrubbed the copyright violations, but will defer to an administrator to remove copyvio tag.--Nowa (talk) 02:50, 16 May 2008 (UTC)
 * The source of the copy violation seems to have been these edits. Thanks for locating that. I have warned the editor who included the material here. --Moonriddengirl (talk) 18:59, 12 June 2008 (UTC)

Use as a weapon

 * The line "In some countries where baseball is not popular, they are associated mostly with crime in the public mind" is uncited, except for a (commented) vague reference to a work of fiction. Considering that almost anything can be used as a weapon if wielded as such, this section seems off-topic to me, and I have removed it. Kevin Forsyth (talk) 01:31, 27 September 2008 (UTC)
 * I see it's been restored, and I've just added to it. Criminals in the UK, judging by currently fashionable police documentaries, may carry a rounders bat in a vehicle, yet media reports will invariably refer to a 'baseball' bat. Something similar happens with the term 'baseball cap' which can refer to a variety of cap styles. Hakluyt bean (talk) 00:14, 4 April 2009 (UTC)
 * This is off topic. I recommend removing.--Dnewman676 (talk) 00:39, 9 May 2010 (UTC)
 * See also phrasing in Club (weapon) -- SEWilco (talk) 23:43, 25 September 2010 (UTC)
 * It is a use of baseball bats, so it is on topic. For reference about baseball bats as weapons, read some crime reports, and follow these Google searches:
 * http://www.google.co.uk/#sclient=psy&hl=en&q=%22with+a+baseball+bat%22+-lyrics&aq=&aqi=&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai=&pbx=1&fp=de610b7113b09eab
 * http://www.google.co.uk/#sclient=psy&hl=en&q=%22with+baseball+bats%22+-lyrics&aq=&aqi=&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai=&pbx=1&fp=de610b7113b09eab
 * (The exclude term "-lyrics" is to get rid of an excess load of links to pop music songs.) Anthony Appleyard (talk) 09:43, 8 January 2011 (UTC)
 * Here's a link to a newspaper article from Germany where police seized a handgun, a knife and multiple baseball bats in a raid against Hells Angels. All seized items are being describes weapons. Having been a baseball player for many years in my youth I am regularly disgusted by the typical German perception that baseball bats are primarily weapons because baseball is not a very popular sport here in Germany. http://www.sueddeutsche.de/panorama/razzia-in-koeln-schusswaffe-baseballschlaeger-und-messer-1.972127 mikenolte (talk) 03:43, 24 May 2011 (UTC)

hard side of the bat?
This line needs clarification or explanation: "the brand is applied to the hard side of the bat" - what is the hard side? How is it formed or identified? Do all bats have such a hard side? Is it related to the 'sweet spot'? 205.167.180.131 (talk) 14:53, 16 July 2009 (UTC)

The brand is applied to the quarter-sawn of the lumber. When a piece of lumber is cut from a log, the grain curves through the stock in such a way that two faces are plain-sawn, and two are quarter-sawn. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quarter_sawing The quarter-sawn side is "harder" than the plain-sawn.

Somebody who knows more than me could add this and clarify the article. But the comment in the article is correct. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.226.171.6 (talk) 21:44, 14 October 2009 (UTC)

Quarter-sawn and plain-sawn cut wood will have different grain patterns and are usually used to describe planks or boards of wood. Baseball bats are commonly produced from a round billet (typically 3" diameter by 37" long) and will have "4" faces, two with a flat-grain face (wider grain) and two with the edge-grain face (tighter grain). This is what is termed, "hitting with or against the grain" and not the quarter-sawn or plain-sawn sides. Bat toughness, or "hardness" is higher when using the flat-grain face as opposed to the edge-grain face. http://www.woodbat.org/ an informational website that discusses wood science, as it relates to wood baseball bats. I would also suggest changing the title of this section from "hard side of the bat" to "Hitting With or Against the Grain"Dnewman676 (talk) 07:34, 9 May 2010 (UTC)

Players who use maple bats typically turn the label so it faces up and hit the ball with the grain of the bat but MLB's new guidelines for 2010 call for the label to be rotated 90 degrees so the bat makes contact against the grain of the wood. This is somewhat confusing since it only applies to maple bats and players using ash bats can still hit with the grain. To help see which way the grain runs, on of the new regulations eliminated the painting of bat handles or a 100 percent painted bat. Bat handles at a minimum must be left natural in color and the bat barrel is permitted to be painted. Two-toned maple bats go against the grain, USA Today, March 13, 2009 Dnewman676 (talk) 17:45, 9 May 2010 (UTC)

Edit request from Dnewman676, 8 May 2010
Major League Baseball (MLB) implemented bat material changes for the 2010 season by banning certain types of maple wood (silver and red maple) to help stop catastrophic bat breakage where large parts of a broken bat can fly dangerously and potentially injure players, coaches or spectators. In 2009 Boston Red Sox short stop Nick Green was nearly impaled by a broken bat. [Source: http://imperfectgame.blogspot.com/2009/06/broken-bat-impales-shortstop-was-nearly.html]. MLB also change bat specification for the 2010 season. The maximum diameter of the barrel was changed from 2.75 inches to 2.61 inches, and the minimum size of bat handle increased about 1/50th of an inch. [Source: http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20100301&content_id=8643638&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb].

In the Manufacturer section "...Wilson (who purchased maple-bat pioneer Sam Bats in 2005)"...this is not accurate. Wilson and Sam Bat (not Sam Bats) did enter into a co-marketing/distribution agreement which ended shorty thereafter. Wilson did not purchase Sam Bat. I suggest specifically deleting (who purchased maple-bat pioneer Sam Bats in 2005). Other Manufactures should also be listed. I suggest the following.

A number of manufacturers construct a wide variety of baseball bats varying in size, length, style, and composition. Every player who plays at a professional grade is automatically given a standard contract by Hillerich & Bradsby, owner of the Louisville Slugger brand, which he may sign, but is not required to.[citation needed] Other notable wood-bat makers include Rawlings, Mizuno, Wilson, Sam Bat, Marucci, Old Hickory, Max Batt, D-Bat, CTG, KR3, Brett Brothers. Radial Bat (not MLB approved) produces wood ash and maple bats by constructing their own billets by gluing/laminating (12) 30 degree wedges together. This allows for a higher quality billet and eliminates the catastrophic bat breakage problem. Popular metal bat brands include the Louisville Slugger TPX line, Wilson's Demarini label, Rawlings, Worth, Anderson, Nike, and market leader Easton.

In professional baseball [NOTE: THERE ARE MANY PROFESSIONAL LEAGUES IN THE U.S. AND THROUGHOUT THE WORLD. I BELIEVE THE ORIGINAL AUTHOR OF THIS SENTENCE WAS MAKING A REFERENCE TO MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL, MLB. I SUGGEST IT BE CLARIFIED]. only wooden bats are permitted. [I ALSO SUGGEST MOVING THIS SECTION REGARDING THE CORKING OF BATS TO THE "CONTROVERSY" SECTION]. They are not allowed to be hollowed or corked — that is, filled with an alien substance such as cork which reduces the weight. This corking is thought to increase bat speed without greatly reducing hitting power; but this idea was "busted" on MythBusters; see Mythbusters, season 5 (Corked Bat).

Dnewman676 (talk) 16:21, 8 May 2010 (UTC)


 * This sounds OK, but, it lacks appropriate references. A blog is not a reliable source, and the latter part of your request does not have any reference. Therefore, I cannot do this as an request. It is possible that other users will read the above, and be able to source it and add it to the article. Alternatively, you could perhaps find the appropriate sourcing information yourself and reinstate the request. The MLB reference should be OK, and you could also use "MythBusters" as a reference if the programme is available on DVD or something - ie referencing the specific published copy of it.   Chzz  ►  22:05, 9 May 2010 (UTC)

Dangers of Wood Bats
Maple wood bats were approved by Major League Baseball (MLB) in 1998. The first maple bat manufacturer to gain MLB approval was the Original Maple Bat Company of Ottawa, Canada founded by Sam Holman under the brand name Sam Bat. Maple has different properties than the common ash bat, most notably density, and when Joe Cater of the Toronto Blue Jays and Barry Bonds of the San Fransisco Giants started to use the maple Sam Bat exclusively, many MLB players followed suit and bat manufacturers soon followed including the market share leading brand Louisville Slugger produced by Hillerich & Bradsby. With the increased popularity and use of maple bats, particularly at the MLB level, came an increasing breakage rate and concern regarding their catastrophic breakage where large and usually sharp pieces of the bat can potentially injury players, coaches or spectators. Ironically, one of Mr. Holman's goals for his bats was to produce a maple bat that reduced the bat breakage rate with the traditional ash bats in use. On April 24, 2008, Home-plate umpire Brian O'Nora was hit in the head by broken maple bat USA Today: 6/25/2008. On April 15, 2009 Pirates Pirates hitting coach Don Long while in the team dugout was hit just below the eye by a broken piece of a maple bat and required 10 stitches to close. Shattered bat injures Bucs' Long Baseball, Tribune-Review, April 17 Baseball at breaking point over maple bats Fan’s injury should force bat policy change, Yahoo Sports, May 30, 2008. Beginning with the 2010 MLB season, bat specifications where changed requiring among other things that the label on the bat be rotated 90 degrees so as to hit with the grain as opposed to the long-standing standard of hitting against the grain, Change for Maple Bats in 2009, New York Times,

MLB.com's Jim Duquette and Jeff Nelson discuss the use of maple bats in the Majors

Padres CEO Sandy Alderson explains why a committee was formed to research maple bats and what kind of research will occur going forward

The Safety and Health Advisory Committee met to discuss the safety of maple bats Dnewman676 (talk) 14:25, 9 May 2010 (UTC)

Edit request from Price8644, 30 May 2010
Price8644 (talk) 19:59, 30 May 2010 (UTC) it says maple bats shatter and ash cracks whereas maple cracks and ash shatters.
 * Can you cite this please?  Giftiger Wunsch    [TALK]  20:11, 30 May 2010 (UTC)
 * Red information icon with gradient background.svg Not done: please provide reliable sources that support the change you want to be made.  — fetch ·  comms   21:07, 30 May 2010 (UTC)

Metal bats?
I have just seen a few videos on Youtube where line drives have hit young people. Several news stories say that some leagues are trying to ban them, now eg Marrin County, CA. There are bans already in force in some states. Shouldn't that make a section? [One news story One such news story[[Special:Contributions/217.42.18.162|217.42.18.162]] (talk) 21:43, 6 October 2010 (UTC)

Duplicate statements
Under "Controversy" the final sentence reads, "Corked bats and other modified bats are also illegal in major league baseball." This duplicates two sentences in "Baseball bat regulations": para 1, sent 2: "Bats are not allowed to be hollowed or corked..." and final paragraph, sent 8: "''Rule 6.06 refers only to bats that are "altered or tampered with in such a way to improve the distance factor or cause an unusual reaction on the baseball. This includes, bats that are filled, flat-surfaced, nailed, hollowed, ...''". Remove the sentence in "Controversy" please. 71.234.215.133 (talk) 10:09, 3 May 2011 (UTC)
 * Yes check.svg Done — Bility (talk) 15:48, 3 May 2011 (UTC)

Edit request from, 11 October 2011
Maximum barrel size is 2.61 inches since 2010

66.158.157.213 (talk) 01:43, 11 October 2011 (UTC)
 * Do you have a source for this since MLB's rules still has it shown as 2 3/4 inches? --Jnorton7558 (talk) 02:00, 11 October 2011 (UTC)

Edit request from, 22 November 2011
Please change the paragraph that first discusses wood bats from...

"Most wooden bats are made from ash. Other natural materials used include maple tree wood, hickory wood, and bamboo. Hickory has fallen into disfavor because it is much heavier than other woods, while maple bats have become more popular recently. This ascent in popularity followed the introduction of the first major league sanctioned maple baseball bat in 1997, by craftsman Sam Holman, founder of Sam Bat. The first player to use it was Joe Carter of the Toronto Blue Jays.[5] Barry Bonds used the bats the season that he broke Mark McGwire's single-season home run record in 2001 and Hank Aaron's career home run record in 2007.[5] Recently, Major League Baseball has debated whether maple bats are safe to use, due to the tendency for them to shatter."

With the suggested change as follows...

"Historically, white ash (Fraxinus americana) has been the most common wood species used for the manufacture of wood baseball bats. Today, sugar maple (Acer saccharum), also called hard maple, has gained popularity that it now comprises more than 60% of all bats used in Major League Baseball.  Other species used for wood bat manufacture include yellow birch, beech, elm, oak, and hickory.  These species of wood have physical and mechanical properties that makes them favorable for the manufacture of baseball bats.[12]  The ascent of hard maple in popularity is credited to the introduction of the first major league sanctioned maple baseball bat in 1997, by craftsman Sam Holman, founder of Sam Bat. The first player to use it was Joe Carter of the Toronto Blue Jays.[5] Barry Bonds used the bats the season that he broke Mark McGwire's single-season home run record in 2001 and Hank Aaron's career home run record in 2007.[5]

In 2008, Major League Baseball began discussing whether maple bats are safe to use, due to the tendency for them to shatter.[13] A team of experts was put together by the Safety and Health Advisory Committee to study broken bats. The over-whelming conclusion confirmed by the experts was that the wood property that was causing dangerous 2-piece broken bats was "slope-of-grain". In essence, if a wood bat has suitably straight grain along it's length, if and when it breaks should typically result in the classic "splintery" or "rupture" failure. However, if the wood grain was NOT straight along the length, this typically resulted in the barrel separating dangerously from the handle. Thus, dangerous 2-piece breaks were due to the angled-grain in the bat, and not due to the wood species. New rules on wood quality and new technologies specific for maple bats were adopted by Major League Baseball starting in the 2009 season, and this created a stir in the wood bat industry.[14] A minimum slope-of-grain of 3-degrees was adopted and maple bats were now required to be oriented for flat-grain contact - which was proven to be a percentage stronger orientation for resisting the impact a baseball makes on the bat.[15]  The wood bat manufacturer that created the slope-of-grain grading technology in 2002 and first advocated flat-grain contact for maple bats in 2005 was RockBats. [14]"

Also add new references... [12] RockBats. 2006. "Mechanical Properties of various hardwoods suitable for baseball bats". Technical Note RB-TN-001. RockBats.COM. Monona, WI. http://www.rockbats.com/techNotes/RB-TN-001.pdf

[13] MLB Press Release. 06-24-2008. "MLB, union meet over maple bats" http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080624&content_id=2993964&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb

[14] Yahoo Sports. Passan, J. "New bat rules cause maple bat flap" http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=jp-maplecontroversy011809

[15] "Wood science and how it relates to wooden baseball bats" http://www.woodbat.org/

Rockbats (talk) 08:58, 22 November 2011 (UTC)


 * Wikifying:
 * "Historically, white ash (Fraxinus americana) has been the most common wood species used for the manufacture of wood baseball bats. Today, sugar maple (Acer saccharum), also called 'hard maple', has gained popularity that it now comprises more than 60% of all bats used in Major League Baseball.  Other species used for wood bat manufacture include yellow birch, beech, elm, oak, and hickory.  These species of wood have physical and mechanical properties that makes them favorable for the manufacture of baseball bats.[12]  The ascent of hard maple in popularity is credited to the introduction of the first major league sanctioned maple baseball bat in 1997, by craftsman Sam Holman, founder of Sam Bat. The first player to use it was Joe Carter of the Toronto Blue Jays.[5] Barry Bonds used the bats the season that he broke Mark McGwire's single-season home run record in 2001 and [Hank Aaron]]'s career home run record in 2007.[5]
 * In 2008, Major League Baseball began discussing whether maple bats are safe to use, due to the tendency for them to shatter.[13] A team of experts was put together by the Safety and Health Advisory Committee to study broken bats.  The overwhelming conclusion confirmed by the experts was that the wood property that was causing dangerous 2-piece broken bats was "slope-of-grain".  In essence, if a wood bat has suitably straight grain along its length, if and when it breaks should typically result in the classic "splintery" or "rupture" failure.  However, if the wood grain was NOT straight along the length, this typically resulted in the barrel separating dangerously from the handle.  Thus, dangerous 2-piece breaks were due to the angled-grain in the bat, and not due to the wood species. New rules on wood quality and new technologies specific for maple bats were adopted by Major League Baseball starting in the 2009 season, and this created a stir in the wood bat industry.[14]  A minimum slope-of-grain of 3-degrees was adopted and maple bats were now required to be oriented for flat-grain contact - which was proven to be a percentage stronger orientation for resisting the impact a baseball makes on the bat.[15]  The wood bat manufacturer that created the slope-of-grain grading technology in 2002 and first advocated flat-grain contact for maple bats in 2005 was RockBats. [14]"
 * But: does User:Rockbats represent the firm http://www.rockbats.com/ ? Anthony Appleyard (talk) 10:14, 22 November 2011 (UTC)


 * I am similarly concerned about the username, per WP:CORPNAME, and the fact that you use 'rockbats.com' as a ref. "woodbat.org" also mentions that company. Claims such as "gained popularity", "60% of all bats", etc. cannot be made with these primary souces. Please refer to WP:COI and WP:BFAQ. Please re-request, if appropriate. Thanks,  Chzz  ► 00:49, 23 November 2011 (UTC)

Suggest removing section on baseball bat as a weapon.

 * The section listing a baseball bat as a weapon is tendentious. Virtually any object may be used as a weapon; must every Wikipedia article mention the weapon-potential for every object? For example, the articles for frying pan and golf club make no mention of the subject's weapon potential, although these objects frequently appear in popular media depictions as weapons. The article is not improved by listing extraneous uses. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Christopher norton (talk • contribs) 05:12, 22 April 2012 (UTC)
 * There is a tradition of using baseball bats as weapons. Plenty. Quite enough for us to keep this section. Anthony Appleyard (talk) 05:17, 22 April 2012 (UTC)

Added a "citation needed" for the statement on baseball bats being often associated with crime and assault in the "public mind" however that is defined. The citation should talk directly to the public's perception of the baseball bat as a weapon, not just a news article on say, police confiscating a baseball bat from a suspect. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Christopher norton (talk • contribs) 17:31, 22 April 2012 (UTC)

Reiterating suggestion to remove section on baseball bat as weapon. Current citations are spurious and anecdotal. The information in this section does not provide additional information or clarity. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Christopher norton (talk • contribs) 06:36, 4 May 2012 (UTC)

Removed section. Please discuss here, providing citations and notability (not isolated anecdotes) before reversion. --Chris Norton — Preceding unsigned comment added by Christopher norton (talk • contribs) 03:13, 31 May 2012 (UTC)

I have removed the blunt weapon category again due to there being no discussion of it's use as a weapon in the article, as well as it not meeting the provided definition of "primarily mêlée weapons designed to use blunt trauma to inflict damage on their targets." Bakilas (talk) 06:29, 29 May 2017 (UTC)
 * Baseball bats are often used as weapons, and that is well known, and many news-type refs can prove it. See for example the result of this Google search. Likewise, the original purpose of a pickaxe handle was as the handle part of a pickaxe, but it is also well known as a weapon. Anthony Appleyard (talk) 08:11, 15 July 2017 (UTC)

Edit request on 31 October 2012
I would like to add more information on the benefits of the different materials of each bat. In the third paragraph under 'Baseball bat regulations' I would be adding more information on maple, ash and birch bats. Here is the content I would like to add: While maple wood bats have more pop than ash bats, they are more likely to break on mis-hits off the end of the barrel. Ash wood bats, on the other hand have larger sweet spots than maple bats but are more likely to break on mis-hits off the handle. Birch wood bats are the compromise: closer in strength to maple but having some flex, like an ash bat, making it a good choice for mis-hitting all-over.

AS 15:21, 31 October 2012 (UTC)
 * Red information icon with gradient background.svg Not done: The proposed wording violates NPOV as it uses peacock terms ("Birch wood bats are the compromise...a good choice"). Additionally it is sourced to a sales site, which is not a reliable source and not NPOV. &mdash; KuyaBriBri Talk 15:44, 31 October 2012 (UTC)

Edit request on Febuary 2013
Change 1,100 mm to 110 cm in the first paragraph. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 78.50.68.22 (talk) 22:38, 2 February 2013 (UTC)

Edit request on 28 October 2013
Wood Bat Care (copyvio text removed - see original diff)

JToth44 (talk) 18:14, 28 October 2013 (UTC)

❌

Semi-protected edit request on 28 January 2015
== History == In the 1850’s when baseball was a rather new and developing sport in the United States, players were expected to bring their own bats. At this time there was no rules on size, shape, or weight of the bat and each bat varied greatly. It did not take long for the players to figure out that rounded bats performed best in games. Players began to experiment with different types of wood in order to gain the upper hand on their competition. In 1859 The Professional National Association of Baseball Players Governing Committee voted in favor of a league wide barrel width restriction of two and one half inches. At this point in time there was still no limit on bat length but this new restriction blazed a path for many more to follow. In order to maximize hitting surface, players would have woodworkers reconstruct their bats with wider handles since the barrels were now limited. Players soon found the flaw in the wider handle as it made gripping the bat extremely difficult. In the years approaching the Civil War, many players began to use cord or string to wrap around the handle of their bat in order to help with grip. This method quickly became extremely popular and is the inspiration behind grip used on modern bats. In 1869 the first rule outlining a bat length limitation was adopted. The rule stated: “The bat shall be…. not more than 42 inches in length.” oddly enough this regulation has stood the test of time and is still implemented in gameplay to this day. After this new rule in 1869 it would be over a decade before the next big event in baseball bat history would take place. Since the adoption of the new rules regarding length, woodworkers strived to emerge as a front runner in baseball bat manufacturing. In 1884 a 17 year old boy by the name of John Hillerich watched Louisville player Pete Browning shatter his bat during a game. After the game, young John approached Browning and invited him back to his fathers woodworking shop. After carefully selecting a prime piece of white ash, under the close supervision of Browning, John and his father began to construct the new bat. The next day Browning had an outstanding three for three performance in his game and talk of the new bat began to spread. This was the beginning of the most famous baseball bat manufacturer in history, Louisville Slugger. In the 1890’s the next big bat regulation was adopted. This new rule states that bats can no longer be flat on one side and can not be sawed off at the end. The new rule also increased the maximum bat width to two and three quarters inches at its widest point. Around the early nineteen hundreds the modern wooden bat began to take its shape. Excluding minor changes in order to designate uniqueness, modern wood bats look extremely similar to those used over one hundred years ago.

== The Rise of Aluminum Bats == The first patent for a metal baseball bat was issued to a Mr. William Shroyer in 1924. Despite Shroyer’s breakthrough, metal baseball bats were not seen in the game of baseball until the 1970’s when Worth introduced the games first aluminum bat. In 1978 Louisville Slugger began to manufacture their own aluminum bats. In 1971 Little League Baseball approved the use of aluminum bats. In response to the rapidly growing popularity of aluminum bats, NCAA Baseball approved their use in 1974. From 1975 until the mid 90’s aluminum bats evolved almost unsupervised. It wasn't until 1996 that all bats were required to meet a certain BESR ; or ball exit speed ratio, standard. This rule was implemented because a great increase in injuries were being observed because balls were being hit too hard for players to react in time to protect themselves. In the early 2000’s many leagues including NCAA adopted weight drop limits in order to limit bat speed. These new limits stated that a bats weight had to be 3 ounces smaller than the length in inches of the bat. In 2009 fully composite bats were banned completely because it was found that they break in with use and no longer meet league specifications. The next big change was not seen until 2012 when the BBCOR restrictions were universally implemented. BBCOR stands for the “ball bat coefficient of restitution”. One big long boring math equation later, the BBCOR standard basically states that a bat can not generate an exit speed of more than 97 miles per hour from a 70 mile per hour pitch. These new standards have dramatically decreased the performance gap between metal and wood bats. While metal bats still outperform wood bats, many experts are expecting a full return of only wood bats in the near future.

Bwiley12 (talk) 06:10, 28 January 2015 (UTC)
 * Red information icon with gradient background.svg Not done: please establish a consensus for this alteration before using the template. —   14:57, 28 January 2015 (UTC)

External links modified
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 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20081210051151/http://www.ncaa.org:80/wps/ncaa?ContentID=38459 to http://www.ncaa.org/wps/ncaa?ContentID=38459
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20080524002833/http://www.nfhs.org:80/web/2003/06/baseball_rules_committee_focuses_on_clarification_of_bat_standar.aspx to http://www.nfhs.org/web/2003/06/baseball_rules_committee_focuses_on_clarification_of_bat_standar.aspx
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20100706020131/https://www.nchsaa.org/intranet/downloadManagerControl.php?mode=getFile&elementID=4047&type=5&atomID=7181 to http://www.nchsaa.org/intranet/downloadManagerControl.php?mode=getFile&elementID=4047&type=5&atomID=7181
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20080926002453/http://www.littleleague.org:80/Learn_More/rules/2007rulechanges.htm to http://www.littleleague.org/Learn_More/rules/2007rulechanges.htm
 * Corrected formatting/usage for http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/bbw/2001-03-07/2001-03-07-equipment.htm
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20070920190241/http://www.kettering.edu:80/~drussell/bats.html to http://www.kettering.edu/~drussell/bats.html

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MythBusters
Is it relevant and appropriate to cite the MythBusters as a source in the "corked bat" section? They're an entertainment channel, not a legitimate authority. It would be better to use the citation but say "some have challenged this idea.[1]" instead of "but the MythBusters tested this." - 69.38.189.130 (talk) 23:55, 25 January 2017 (UTC)

External links modified
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 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20140813034018/http://www.baseballexplained.com/ to http://www.baseballexplained.com/
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Little League bat rules
This page indicates Little League bats are max 2 1/4". This is no longer true as of 2018. LL now allows so-called "big barrel" bats for all divisions above tee-ball. (Some kids still choose 2 1/4" bats because they are lighter for the same length.) — Preceding unsigned comment added by Jonogibbs (talk • contribs) 16:18, 22 April 2018 (UTC)

Edit Request from HamiltonRonald99, 11 February 2019
Under "As a weapon", I would like to add a sentence corroborating the bat's portrayal of this purpose in media, with links to Negan on [| The Walking Dead] (more specifically, the "Television series" subheading where it talks about his barbed wire-wrapped bat named "Lucille") and Harley Quinn in [| Suicide Squad].--HamiltonRonald99 (talk) 15:23, 11 February 2019 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request (withdrawn): Metal bats
The article now says unconditionally: Bats are not allowed to be hollowed...

According to the first source linked under "external links", metal baseball bats are indeed hollow (which they would have to be, since aluminum is significantly denser than wood).

At least the wording should change to "Wooden bats are not allowed to be hollowed". Better would be to introduce a proper description of the specifications that apply to metal bats where they are used. --76.69.116.4 (talk) 00:58, 9 October 2019 (UTC)


 * Request withdrawn. I missed seeing that this was in the context of MLB rules, until I went back to read it again after posting the request.


 * I do think that the article should address metal bats more fully. --76.69.116.4 (talk) 01:00, 9 October 2019 (UTC)