Metal vs wood

Well, supposedly between the -3 weight drop and BSER rating, the aluminum bats used in college are supposed to be very close to wood bats. But I don't believe those two parameters are the whole story. I gotta believe the aluminum bats have a bigger sweet spot, and I've seen quite a few bloop hits off the handle drop in that would have been nothing but a broken bat out with wood.

I do remember several years ago the Divison II PSAC conference went to all wood bats one season.

If I remember correctly the batting averages of players fell and the pitching numbers of pitchers improved. I would say the same thing would happen in all of college baseball if the switch to all wood bats occurred.

Hackett Baseball

The sweet spot is the main difference I think. If you hit a shot in the sweet spot with wood, it may be 20' shorter (SWAG) than if it was hit with metal. It's the hits further down the barrel and on the handle where you'll see the difference.

Ruste,

Wood vs. metal - the entire game is different.

With metal - you can hit a ball 350 feet on a **** swing - or throw the bat at the ball and watch it fly into the gaps - the whole game changes.

The positioning of the defensive players - the pitchers approach toward each hitter - the importance of an error or a walk or a great play.

Totally different game.

All you need to do is watch a couple hundred games of each type - and if you cant see the difference - you aint watching close enough.

You don't have to tell Ruste -- I've seen his boy with a wood bat! One of the few with true, natural, effortless power.

Ruste, when he uses a metal bat, how far does it go?

I'm interested in itsinthegame's mention of the pitchers having a different approach to hitters with wood vs. metal. My son is pitching in a wood bat league for the first time this summer.

I'm not planning to give my son pitching advice though he might get some from his teammates and summer coach. But I'm interested to hear what to watch for in the wood bat games.

And I do LOVE hearing the crack of the bat (at least when our team is hitting) rather than a ping!

MidLo,

Ruste asked a question - and I gave my opinion.

If he didnt want someone's opinion - then why the hell did he ask in the first place?

More importantly - why did I even bother answering - LOL.

Un ******* believeable.

I pitched for the first time in a wood bat tournament couple weeks ago. Put it this way..when you know that guy has a wood bat it's a huge confidence booster. I was blowin it by people left and right and barely used my curve. It's so much easier. As a pitcher I'd like the game to go to wood at all levels of play.

Hands down there is no comparison... it has been said that the sweet spot on wood is the same as the sweet spot on metal, but that's yet to have been proved. But I am a pitcher, and since we started the summer wood bat season every single one of my numbers have gone down, including strikeouts and walks. Walks because I feel like I can challenge the hitters more and strikeouts for the same reason. With metal a good hitter gets up and I know he can yank one out easily so I work around him. With wood, it isn't necessarily that easy for him to hit it out. By challenging him more, he pits the ball into play

Wood makes the game better! Real hitters show up and the guys who hit it 400' off the handle with metal fall away with wood. Also Pitchers relearn to pitch inside to get in on the batters hands( cause ya ain't gonna hit it 400' off the handle with wood!) Theres also more and better fielding since the ball isn't travelling as fast through the infield most of the time.
I love wood!

I think that metal bats definitely are easier to hit with. Yes, you can get wood bats with a -3 drop, but they will break and go nowhere off the end of the bat or a handle. With metal, a handle shot or end, will possibly get through on a blooper. I think you can hit it just as far with wood bats, it just takes a better hitter to make solid contact. There is a guy on my HS team who hits with wood and metal at bp, and he hits the same distance when it goes out, just not as often, but he is also the best power hitter on our temam, so that says something.

Itsinthegame, I know what I asked, Iv'e seen several hundred of both. The question was how do you think the CWS would have been different if wood was used and not aluminum. What teams that sqeaked by with aluminum blooper hits that wouldn't of got through with wood. If you get that upset, you should read the full post before you respond...

Ruste,

I read your question the first time.
I gave my opinion.
Midlo told me not to tell you anything.

So, I take it back now - LOL

(This is like a comedy show)

LOL

Actually I was just paying a compliment to Ruste's boy, not insulting anyone. I think you misread what I wrote. You can have any discussion you want!

I think we all got sidetracked (myself included ) with the second post. It's not Style's fault though because Ruste made it pretty clear what he was asking.

To get back on the original topic (how would wood change the CWS) I think it's tough for me to say who would be there instead of the current field. I'd like to say the better hitting teams, top to bottom, would be there. But that would hold true using aluminum too. So I think it's really hard to answer.

Going forward, I think about the only thing I'd be sure of is that the scores would be lower and that the pitching staff that can be successful throwing inside heat would have the best chance to win it all.

quote:

how would wood change the CWS

We WOOD see REAL baseball...not games where a team is hitting 5 HR's on only 9 pitches