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Reply to "How much does using wood help?"

Stats4Gnats posted:

John MacDougall posted:

…When the new rule goes into effect, there won't really be any reason NOT to swing wood.

 

Sounds like what you’re saying is, since there’s no difference, swinging with wood won’t make anyone any better and swinging with a BBCOR non-wood bat won’t hold anyone back.

I was just reading the "Rap Session".  Fun stuff.  To your question, well, no, I wouldn't say that.  I'm not really sure what the heck kids are going to "feel" with the new bats as they are always all over the place.  The metal bat makers all use different methods of construction and weight the bats differently.  They all have different moment of inertia's  that can vary a LOT from one to the next.  MOI is the important thing, not "drop weight".  MOI is what you feel and is what determines bat speed.  Metal bats do so many thing to try and avoid "sting" that it is hard for a kid to get a "sense" of where they just made contact and have it filed in their learning memory.  Then they get a new metal bat that is made differently (because it has cool graphics on it) and it feels different yet.  Hitting is a thing learned over time from repetition and each time they hit their computer has a little more data.  It is all pretty much unconscious.  This is why Albert Pujols couldn't touch a Jenny Finch softball pitch.  He wasn't "programmed" for it.

There are a lot of variables that go into becoming a good hitter.  It is probably a good idea to remove as many of the variables as possible so you know the actual effects of any changes you make.  Derek Jeter swung the exact same P72 from the day he got there.  I'm not saying that is what made him a great hitter, but it probably helped.  Like they say, a stopped clock is at least right twice a day! :-)  With the metal bats, they tend to be different all the time because they make a "new year model" that you have to have.  Even when they have to perform the same as wood!  I'm sure it makes sense from a marketing stance. 

You might guess that I'm somewhat biased, being a wood bat maker.  That's probably true, but the reason I make a special wood bat is that is how I happen to think the game should be played.  Baseball is steeped in "Tradition" and that's a pretty important one.  I spent almost two years developing the bat because I wanted it to be a lot tougher but still be nothing but real wood - because of "tradition".  No fiberglass, no plastic, no metal rods.  Shoot, even the SOUND of real wood hitting a ball makes the game more fun.   I like real grass fields better too!

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