Composite bats have been banned from Highschool Play???

It is official.

http://www.nfhs.org/content.aspx?id=4052

I heard 2nd hand from at least one bat company that says this is a diaster. They are sitting on a mountain of composite bats they don't have a market for.

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I heard 2nd hand from at least one bat company that says this is a diaster. They are sitting on a mountain of composite bats they don't have a market for.

It's a little hard to feel sorry for them. That's a self inflicted gunshot wound.

Thoughts on composite barrels being banned next season in HS?

http://www.ihigh.com/IN/article_30499.html

And the backpedaling begins.

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"It has been said players are taking the bats and intentional hitting tree trunks to help the bat build the composite."

So long as a tree hugger is attached to the trunk I have no problem with this procedure.




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Originally posted by Wklink:
And the backpedaling begins.

I just told my son about the ban this morning and that we were going to have to get him a new bat for next season. He jumped on the Internet and noticed that all the composites were on sale...

On one hand they will have a bunch of bats that can only be used in the adult and rec leagues, but on the other hand they will have a bunch of new consumers who have to replace their composite bats.

We will wait until until just prior to the season as there is still a 50-50 chance that AB7 will pass in California and he can just use his wood bats and it will save me ~$300. This may give AB7 a boost since many will have to purchase new bats with the NFHS ruling and they might as well be wood and in the long run cost a lot less for consumers.

BOF,
Another way to think about it. If AB7 passes & other states adopt there own similiar laws, I bet the price of decent to high end wood bats goes up. A $150-200 in a brand new year old model Exo starts looking mighty attractive compared to the price of several wood bats.

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BOF,
Another way to think about it. If AB7 passes & other states adopt there own similar laws, I bet the price of decent to high end wood bats goes up. A $150-200 in a brand new year old model Exo starts looking mighty attractive compared to the price of several wood bats.

That is a great point. It's called the law of unintended consequences. I don't think anyone is being honest with themselves if they think they will end up spending less with all wood. The new metal Omaha is still $200.00. Great balanced bat at a decent (relatively speaking) price. In the end, it likely would be a wash as far as economics are concerned. Last years models of metal bats are also sold at greatly reduced prices because the newer model has different paint.

BTW, I took a look at that bill and I am not sure why anyone would be cheering for it. Again, it achieves a short term goal of banning anything but wood but the long term possibilities of "unintended consequences" are not pleasing at all. If it had specifically addressed composite's and the need to ban them in HS, I think it has merits but in all honesty, the bill is a bit of a joke. For justification, it uses the NCAA's decision to ban composite and then makes the leap to anything non wood.

AB7

If anything, this action by the NFHS proves bills like AB7 are not needed. The baseball community took care of the issue itself, without the need for outside legislation that at the end of the day, does nothing but give a politician something to stump on for his next election... "Look what I did for the kids"

As far as the bat manufactures being left with a pile of inventory they can't sell, shame on them if that is the case. They had to know this was coming and I don't feel sorry for them in the least.

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BTW, I took a look at that bill and I am not sure why anyone would be cheering for it. Again, it achieves a short term goal of banning anything but wood but the long term possibilities of "unintended consequences" are not pleasing at all. If it had specifically addressed composite's and the need to ban them in HS, I think it has merits but in all honesty, the bill is a bit of a joke. For justification, it uses the NCAA's decision to ban composite and then makes the leap to anything non wood.

Isn't the point of the bill to provide an outlet for research to be conducted? If I've read correctly, it's not intended to be a permanent thing, but instead a temporary solution to allow wood bats to be tested..

As the Dad of a pitcher I certainly welcome the move to wood bats, but there are also positives to this beyond pitcher safety. Our summer league, Valley Invitational Baseball moved to wood bats this summer...what a joy. Game lengths have been reduced by 1/3. Kids have to learn to bunt and move runners over. Game scores are low and most games are close. It's almost like real baseball...wait.....it IS real baseball!

Seriously, composite/aluminum bats are a tremendous advantage to hitters because the sweet-spot is so big. With wood, the outfielders play up. Grounders and fly balls that would have been missiles in the hole or in the gap are routinely fielded or caught. It becomes more more a game of skill then of luck and truly allows those players with real ability to separate themselves from those with less.

Although I can appreciate the high scoring affairs you often get when kids are armed with synthetic hitting tubes of the atomic power variety, the beauty and simplicity of the game truly emerges when you play the game with wood.

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Isn't the point of the bill to provide an outlet for research to be conducted? If I've read correctly, it's not intended to be a permanent thing, but instead a temporary solution to allow wood bats to be tested..

What good are tests that compare wood bats to metal bats that will already be illegal for play after next year, after the bill is scheduled to lapse?