Not a lot of baseball talk going on, and we're about to get hit with some cold weather in the northeast, so I'm posting this PSA.
If you live where winter weather means cold weather, don't leave your expensive wood bats in the garage all winter. Cold air is typically dry air. Maple wood bats are ideally around 10-15% moisture content. Less than 10% starts to make them brittle (relatively). Additionally, extreme swings in moisture content aren't good for wood fibers. Where I live, the garage is the perfect place for that. Damp and humid during August, and bitter cold and dry in February and March.
If you live where winter weather means cold weather, don't leave your expensive wood bats in the garage all winter. Cold air is typically dry air. Maple wood bats are ideally around 10-15% moisture content. Less than 10% starts to make them brittle (relatively). Additionally, extreme swings in moisture content aren't good for wood fibers. Where I live, the garage is the perfect place for that. Damp and humid during August, and bitter cold and dry in February and March.
Store your wood bat inside the house or in a temperature controlled basement this winter. Also, stand it in a corner, don't lay in down unsupported. And don't stand it on bare concrete since the barrel will draw moisture from the concrete.
My son used 2 Chandlers for 3+ summers (2 collegiate). High quality bats, properly cared for by a kid who doesn't get jammed often... plus a good dose of luck.
