Bat Rolling

There are instruments and some visual cues to identify bat rolling. A wood bat can be corked to boost bat speed.

Most composite BBCOR bats have a break in period before the bat reaches optimum performance. Bat rolling accelerates the break in period more than anything else. And it’s usually not something that can be detected by the naked eye. But it’s also not something that drastically alters the performance of the bat. What does change the performance is when the end cap is taken off and the dampers are removed. That can make a bat dangerous. The telltale sign of a team using a hot bat is whenever you see half the lineup (or more) using the same bat. As far as comparing BBCOR to wood, almost every HS hitter will have lesser results if you put a wood bat in their hands.

Just had a flashback about bats. When I played LL we used wood. Drop number wasn’t term or discussion. I’ll guess they were minus two or three.

Our league had four teams with top pitchers on each team. The four of us went on to play Legion together. We were all conference pitchers in high school. When we were twelve it was normal for us to have 12-15 strikeouts per game. A less talented 10-12yo didn’t have a prayer swinging a -2, -3 bat against a kid throwing 70-72 from 46 feet. Any game we could get by each other and a couple of other hitters we had a shot at a no hitter.

It is wide spread in slow pitch softball.  Not as much in baseball because it greatly reduces the life expectancy of the bat.  A true rolled bat will break guaranteed and that is one reason the companies are wanting a lot of bats returned before they return the bat.  A true rolled bat can be detected by looking at the inside.  A normal bat that breaks will breakdown in one major spot but a rolled bat will break down all the way around because it has been rolled.  A true sign of a rolled bat normally is if the bat completely breaks in the sweet spot rather than just denting or spider marks.

On a related note - any ideas on how best to break in the new metal bat - legally?  Head to the cage?

@2017 Lefty Dad posted:

On a related note - any ideas on how best to break in the new metal bat - legally?  Head to the cage?

Slippery slope.. fastest way is to hit, hit, hit and let others hit, hit, hit.  The problem is that when that pattern continues, it also goes dead faster and it's harder to suddenly say no you can't use my bat any more after you've encouraged it.

You can use heavier balls, cage balls, etc. but that also can cause damage and any sign of dimple marks from cage balls negates warranty.

@Momball11 posted:

...Now that I know what it is, I think it explains why some individuals that I've observed have hit the ball the way they have as compared to when they play in a wood bat tournament. Is there a way to visually see that a bat has been rolled with just the naked eye?

This makes me want college and HS to be playing with wood bats. I'd hate to be purchasing wood bat replacements, but I sort of think in my area that bat rolling might be happening more frequently than most would suspect, especially after observing a few wood bat games of the same players.

Mom, you've got great info from others.  My 2 cents - In the long run, good hitters will excel.  Hot bats will not be what separates the good hitters from the mediocre.  You would be doing your son a disservice by giving this any more attention.  He can only become a good hitter by continuing to work hard on becoming a good hitter.

Rolling a composite BBCOR does nothing other than break it in 5 minutes instead of taking 300-400 swings. It only makes it hotter in the sense that a broken-in composite is hotter than when it's fresh out of the wrapper.

Rolling an alloy bat will do absolutely nothing, they require no break-in & what you get out of the wrapper is what you'll get after 400 swings.

Youth & softball bats don't have anywhere near the restrictions of BBCOR, and have ridiculous trampoline effect, so rolling could have some benefit. The big thing people are doing is drilling out those to make the barrel walls thinner, and the trampoline effect is off the charts. Any hollowed-out bat makes a noticeably different sound & is easy to identify.

@cabbagedad posted:

Mom, you've got great info from others.  My 2 cents - In the long run, good hitters will excel.  Hot bats will not be what separates the good hitters from the mediocre.  You would be doing your son a disservice by giving this any more attention.  He can only become a good hitter by continuing to work hard on becoming a good hitter.

And there is the best advice of all!

@Momball11

I don't know about others, but in D1 BB, bats are inspected before each game or series by the opposing team and a sticker placed on the bat, not to be removed until games are over.

cabbagedad is right on!

I'm not even going to mention it to my son. He's probably been well aware of it for years and never said anything to me. Just like a typical teenager...lol.

baseballbatbros had an episode where they had bought a bat off Ebay for a comparison test and it was crazy hot.  The batter was a college guy who used the same model bat in HS.  He could tell it was illegal by the sound and pop.

I think rolling is one thing that one might be able to justify (not saying it's ethical mind you!) by saying you are just accelerating the break-in period.  But taking the end cap off and removing the restrictor ring or shaving the composite down is a whole other level of cheating and dangerous to other players.

Do the teams compression test bats at D1 level or just inspect them? 

@Dadbelly2023

Yes,they test for compression and the ring has to slide over the bat.

I would imagine there would be some serious liability if a player was using a purposely altered bat that hit a ball that severely injured or killed another player due to excessive exit velo due to the modifications to the bat.