Are Metal Bats on the Way out?

Some people are finally getting smart. Hopefully more will follow and Chicago will start the path back to wood for the entire country.

With wood bats the game is safer, and in my opionion real baseball. Leave the aluminum to the old guys on the softball diamonds.

hacker:

quote:

Originally posted by hacker:
Leave the aluminum to the old guys on the softball diamonds.

I agree...that's where this economy effort started and that's where it should end!

I'm glad to see Chicago Public School's move, but they haven't been the first to step up. Others have started down the path.

I believe there were attempts in both Minnesota and Massachusetts to shift from aluminum back to wood...the Massachusetts effort was for Little League if I recall correctly and the Minnesota plan I don't remember the details.

Can anyone help me with my memory?

I'm not 100% sure but I thought the attempt in Mass was for high schools and happened a couple years ago. If I recall correctly it only lasted a year and they went back to aluminum due to the lack of scoring with wood bats.

The attempt at using wood in Mass failed miserably and I read where one coach called it the biggest professional disaster he has ever been part of. It made it through one season. I thought the Public League was having finacial problems. Do they know this will increase their costs? Wood breaks frequently, Metal bats do not.

Gamer:

You are probably right. Maybe it was in Minnesota where they were considering using wood in Little League.

It's a shame that low scores may have prevented this effort in Massachusetts to return to wood.

Personally, I enjoy low scoring games. The tension is greater and the coaching decisions, in my opinion, are much more crucial. Every touch of the ball is potentially a game winner or loser...lots of drama...lots of excitement.

ripcord51:

That's the tradeoff...safety and sanctity vs. economy.

It would be interesting to talk with that coach...was he miffed at his budget being busted or mad that his coaching style would have to change?

BTW...welcome to the HSBBW!

Everyone keeps throwing out there the cost to the school but do the schools really by the bats. Aren’t the players the one’s (or should I say their parents) that are buying the bats? For the price of 2 BESR certified bats you could but about 10 wooden bats. That would last a pretty long time. And remember that wood does not become dead after a year, that so many of the High price bats do. Every year players are plopping down $250 to $350 for the latest and greatest bats on the market. I would love to see wood bats back into the mix at the High School level and above. Then the stats would not be so elevated.

Agree wholeheartedly with you Dragonbaseball.

Here's a little wood bat story you might enjoy.

While watching my son play in the Kalamazoo Maroons tournament last summer I got to talking with some local dads whose kids played for the Maroons. We were playing our game on the same high school field that Jeter played on and these dads were sharing the Jeter stories with me. Beautiful field, I might add...thanks in large part to Jeter's very generous donation just after he was drafted.

The dads told me about Jeter playing in high school...used wood his entire HS career...batted near or over .500 for the whole time.

The house that Jeter lived in when he was a youngster was in sight of the HS field and when the family moved the new owners of the house discovered some writing on the wall in a basement room...Derek Jeter...shortstop...New York Yankees. Talk about fulfilling your childhood dream...and honing that dream by using wood for your entire HS baseball career.

He is one class guy...and good for the game!

Metal bats are not designed for use when the temperatures are under 50 degrees. With the high school season in Illinois starting in the middle of March, temps are rarely above 50. My son played a game this year with the temperature at the start at 32 degrees (and a stiff 20 mph wind). It was too cold to play.

When the temperatures are below 50, the metal bats can crack. Last year, opening game against Mt. Carmel, my son hit a ball and the bat EXPLODED into shrapnel--sharp pieces of metal all over the field. Thank God no one got hurt.

Besides, I don't know that I want to buy more than one bat per season--at the current cost of metal bats.

Using wood bats in Illinois certainly makes sense to me--at least for the first month that they play.

gotwood....great post!

I want my guy's to emulate Jeter, Ozzie, Enos (Slaughter), Nellie and the like.

Not......Bonds,Giambi,Sosa etc.

I agree with some things being said in this thread. It is false economy to a degree.....and it is the player and his family that are paying anyway. At $200 or more you can buy 8 wood bats for the same price.


As far as a team, conference or state switching over, you are putting the hitters at a disadvantage recruiting wise compared to other kids who are hitting with metal. It could also hurt the pitchers as scout may rationalize that pitcher ought to have better numbers pitching agaisnt wood.

Just a few ideas.

Soxnole....any chance Thome belongs on that list with Bonds, Giambi and Sosa?

Fast...Where can you buy 8 wooden bats for $200? Have to be rejects!

Re the Public League considering wood bats...

An already poor League with 4-5 competitive programs will become even less competitive.

If the entire State adopted the wooden bat rules, that would be fine, but the Public League?

Been,

No, I don't think this will work, but that is most unfortunate. You're correct in pointing out that an already weak league will probably have a harder time competing against their opponents.

Boy, even if you buy 8 blems for $200 they are only going to be ash bats, not maple, and they will become kindling in a hurry.

I think this changeover, if it can every succeed, must be led by the big conferences and begin in the college ranks. If the big boys continue to hit with metal, the HS's will not change. JMO.

FB....I really don't see Thome as a roids guy.

Btw, he and Thomas are tied in HR's after 1 game!

Thomas looked great at the plate last night, smoking the ball several times.

quote:

Soxnole....any chance Thome belongs on that list with Bonds, Giambi and Sosa?

Jim Thome would be the last guy I would suspect on roids. He has always been a very big man even when he first came up from the minors. Right now, he does appear a bit over weight though.

I have seen the old pictures of Bonds and McGwire when they were young and they were both toothpicks compared to Jim at the same age. He just has always seemed like the naturally strong country boy type to me.

Kevin Lee really likes metal bats he would die if he had to use a wood bat

I would love to see wooden bats. I still don't think it would work well for the HS level because of the cost. I don't know about many - but I let the school buy the metal bats for my son....I can't afford those things. Division 1 level - I don't understand at all why they use metel. Don't most of them want to be Pro players?

I'm sure that the metal bat companies could make a metal bat that performs similar to a wooden bat if the market wanted one. If more school districts or state school associations adopted a wooden bat rule, I'm sure you'd see the bat companies quickly show up with a bat that performs like a wooden bat, but obviously has the durability of metal.

BatDad:

Welcome to the HSBBW!

I like your moniker...are you just a grown up BatBoy? There has to be a story ...

I'm with you in regards to the metal bat manufacturers being able to engineer their bats downward to perform similarly to wood bats.

When metal bats were first introduced I'd sure be surprised to find out if they were much different, performance wise, from wood bats.

I still have a metal softball bat from the '70's and it isn't much different from the post you'd find on a chainlink fence!

Two Thumbs up for Chicago. Especially if it passes thru the legislation!

i actually wouldnt mind using wooden bats in conference play...

not only do metal bats let you get away with alot of bad habbits, but they also as everyone knows, add a risk of injury.

By using wooden bats in all of our confernce games, it would make us have good mechanics, and try to get that "Perfect Swing"

even going to nonconference games, or state playoffs, youd hit the ball better with metal, because of having to fix your swing for wooden.

i think if it passes in chicago, everyone else will start to pass it.

CuBBuM22:

I'm with you kid...you've made some very good points!

DOO ITTTT

TPBulldogs35:

DOO ITTTT...you must be a Nike guy!

While wooden bats wood be authentic and would certainly decrease the chance for injury, many of us have been around long enough to understand that money is usually the deciding factor especially in high schools. Therefore, I think that the aluminum bats will stay for the most part

Gotwood,

If we can get our hands on a good used lathe… fire it up in your garage…. The possibilities are endless…..

“I swing big and I miss big.” ~ Babe Ruth

i dont think wood bats will ever be a success in high school until the college teams go to wood bats... there is no good reason for a high school kid to swing a wood bat during his season if everybody else is using aluminum and expecially if he will be playing college ball and they are using aluminum it just doesnt make sense