BBCOR Bats in Cold Weather??

If someone can hit it out with either, it's not gonna make a difference. If the person can't hit, then it won't make a difference.

Hope you see where I'm going with this.

I think the bigger issue is damage to aluminum and composite bats in cold temperatures. Most warranties are a little vague on this topic… probably because this kind of damage would be difficult to detect. I’d stick with wood.

Also, these manufacturers all say that the ball temperature is the issue, not the bat. So bat warmers probably don’t help.

http://www.easton.com/support/...ervice/product-faqs/
http://www.slugger.com/tips/batcare.html
http://www.demarini.com/en-us/forms/customer-service

Good point MidAtlanticDad ....

I think you at least gave me something else to consider.

The reason for my post was in response to mine and my son's "suspicion" that when we do BP outside in the cold weather in the pre-season the ball seems to travel not quite as far than when it's warmer.

Of course that begs the next question ... Do warm baseballs travel farther than cold baseballs?? Certainly as you pointed out there is an increase in risk of bat damage, and that alone might warrant him using a wood bat at the beginning of the season until temps get over 60 degrees.

Just looking for some validity to my suspicions or is it just in my head. Unfortunately there are other variables I can't rule out either - this is Seattle rain and moisture are an issue certainly wet baseballs are heavier; this is pre-season batting performance will be different than from the end of last season;

just trying to figure things out ....

So many variables. Warm air is less dense than cold air, so the ball should carry farther in warm weather. The ball is harder and less springy in cold weather. Muscles may be tighter and less flexible in the cold.

Since you're interested, try hitting the same small bucket of balls several times with both bats. Mark the longest flyers. See if the data tells you anything. :-)

quote:

Originally posted by BaseballBuddha:

I think you at least gave me something else to consider.

The reason for my post was in response to mine and my son's "suspicion" that when we do BP outside in the cold weather in the pre-season the ball seems to travel not quite as far than when it's warmer.

Of course that begs the next question ... Do warm baseballs travel farther than cold baseballs?? Certainly as you pointed out there is an increase in risk of bat damage, and that alone might warrant him using a wood bat at the beginning of the season until temps get over 60 degrees.

The simple answer is YES. . .warm bats (whether metal or wood) will produce higher exit velocities off the surface of the bat than those of cold bats. It's just physics and the reason is similar to what one gets with those high performance composite BESR bats . . .the "trampoline effect" is greater on warm bats.

Ever wonder why it's illegal in college baseball to warm bats???

It's also illegal per NFHS rules (Rule 1, Section 3, Article 5).  'No artificial or intentional means shall be used to control the temperature of the bat.'  Unless the rule has changed from 2012, which I doubt, be very careful with bat warmers.