If you want to save money on bats, buy a Baum bat. Very durable. Son has used his for 2 years. Since the HS season is so short, we just bought him a $100 BBCOR for the HS season the last 2 years. It worked just fine. After using wood for 9 months, even a cheap BBCOR makes the ball pop.
Originally Posted by bballman:
Originally Posted by rynoattack:
Originally Posted by bballman:
Not to speak for PG and some of the other showcase providers, but I believe part of the reason PG has the kids use wood bats is for 2 reasons. One is because they have pro scouts that are looking at kids and want to see how they hit with wood. Totally different than metal. The other is even college coaches get a better idea of how kids can really hit by seeing them hit with wood. If a kid can jack it with wood, they certainly will do much better than with metal. I don't think PG or these other showcase providers are making much, if any money from the sale of wood bats. Maybe I'm wrong, but I think it has a lot more to do with scouting than money making.
I understand the concept you mention, just don't feel it is as necessary as we are made to believe. the BBCOR bats have changed things some. I also don't think the showcases are making money on the bats, i think they have more events because of them.
BBCOR bats have changed the game A LOT. HRs down by 1/2 after they were introduced in college. Runs down as well. It's well documented. Not sure what you mean by there being more events because of wood bats. I think the tournaments would be held whether the players used wood or metal.
You are correct that they would be held. My point is that having both makes it necessary to attend more events, i.e. say son attends 2 - 3 events, which is cost prohibitive for some, he should be good right? No, because now you have to attend some wood bat tourneys too, and purchase a few wood bats. Is it really necessary, well of course it is. If you don't you might get left behind a,d not get enough exposure. the whole wood bat phenomenon has created the necessity to spend more money or be left behind. Not entirely necessary IMHO. i contend that most scouts know who can hit whether they are hitting with Wood or BBCOR, so why do we have to have the Wood Bat Tournaments? Easy. More opportunities for bat sales and other opportunities to market tournaments and showcases.
There is no question, we do create a market for wood bats.
However, It is what the scouts want, and it appears to be what the majority of top players and teams want. Those are the most important things to us.
Most of the best prospects use wood to practice with. Some of the Wood bat tournaments are the biggest and most popular tournaments in all of baseball. We also run metal bat tournaments, but they are nowhere near as popular.
Originally Posted by PGStaff:
There is no question, we do create a market for wood bats.
However, It is what the scouts want, and it appears to be what the majority of top players and teams want. Those are the most important things to us.
Most of the best prospects use wood to practice with. Some of the Wood bat tournaments are the biggest and most popular tournaments in all of baseball. We also run metal bat tournaments, but they are nowhere near as popular.
I was ridiculed on another baseball forum for remarking that I have my son swing wood bat exclusively in league play (14U) and will try to convince the HS coach to let him swing wood bat.
I hear all the disadvantages for a HS kid to swing wood bat (cost, not helping team, selfish, etc.) but in the end it's about setting a kid up for success.
PGStaff's wood bat tournaments call for all participants to swing wood. It seems to me that that's quite a bit different from a player deciding to use a wood bat when all other players are hitting with metal.
Use wood all you want in batting practice and play in as many wood bat tournaments as possible; but, if I'm the coach of a high school-aged team that's playing in a metal bat environment, all of my players are hitting with metal. It's in my team's best interest, and it's my responsibility to make decisions that are in the team's best interest.
I have to agree with Prepster here. While my son typically uses wood all winter and during summer/fall league play, the HS uses BBCOR so that is what he will swing.
There were a couple of local kids that swung wood last year during HS. The coach of that particular HS team was not happy.
And if we're talking about setting a kid up for success, I agree. They swing BBCOR in college and that is where I'd love for my son to play. Anything after that is conjecture.
Originally Posted by Prepster:
PGStaff's wood bat tournaments call for all participants to swing wood. It seems to me that that's quite a bit different from a player deciding to use a wood bat when all other players are hitting with metal.
Use wood all you want in batting practice and play in as many wood bat tournaments as possible; but, if I'm the coach of a high school-aged team that's playing in a metal bat environment, all of my players are hitting with metal. It's in my team's best interest, and it's my responsibility to make decisions that are in the team's best interest.
With the onset of BBCOR I hope it has helped a little to convince some coaches that it is the indian and not the arrow.
If my kid has success swinging a wood bat why would a coach care? Because the argument is always "if he hits it that well with wood just think what he could do with a metal bat".
At least my son's American Legion coach finally admitted after the regionals tournament that my son hits better with wood. 
Flat seam ball approved by D1 coaches for 2015, NCAA has sent to D2 and D3 coaches for vote:
That answers the questions I had. Thanks like2rake.
Originally Posted by baseballmania:
With the onset of BBCOR I hope it has helped a little to convince some coaches that it is the indian and not the arrow.
If my kid has success swinging a wood bat why would a coach care? Because the argument is always "if he hits it that well with wood just think what he could do with a metal bat".
At least my son's American Legion coach finally admitted after the regionals tournament that my son hits better with wood.
It's always been the Indian, but the BESR bats made everyone look like one.
Personally, I agree with you. My son definitely hits wood better as well. Probably because he's used it every winter for the last 3 or 4 years.
But he's not looking to get on the wrong side of the coach, so he will happily swing BBCOR. There's plenty of AB's waiting for him in the summer and fall anyway.
Originally Posted by PGStaff:
There is no question, we do create a market for wood bats.
However, It is what the scouts want, and it appears to be what the majority of top players and teams want. Those are the most important things to us.
Most of the best prospects use wood to practice with. Some of the Wood bat tournaments are the biggest and most popular tournaments in all of baseball. We also run metal bat tournaments, but they are nowhere near as popular.
My son is one of the boys you mention. He loves the wood bat, and as I mentioned earlier, he was seen by the staff he has ultimately committed to at the WWBA in East Cobb. We had a great time there, and we enjoyed it as a family. Son also went to a PG event in Arizona that used wood bats. I am not saying wood bats are bad, they are just not good on my pocket book.
Any word on the D2/D3 vote?