My 16yo has had wood bats in the past, but we've never taken the time to get educated on what to look for. Now that he's older and hitting with a wood bat is more important, I'd appreciate any pointers you might have. Thanks.
Original Post
Replies sorted oldest to newest
With any wooden bat, aside from the Stacked Handle baseball and softball bats, there is very little difference outside of the grain and weight distribution (the opposite ends in terms of distribution being between top-heavy and even) Big sluggers often, but not always, prefer top heave bats like the Louisville K-55 that Hank Aaron used.
The Majority of what is available to the public in stores is poor quality. The way you can spot it with ash is by the number of grain lines (i.e. - the more grain lines the poorer the quality). The best ash bats are very few grain lines along their length and go to the major leagues, as they get the first picks.
If you want the best wooden bat out though, you should check out www.stackedhandle.com; they have the only trulyunique patented wooden bat. Their bats not only is made out of birch which is a highly competitive wood (good hardness/flexibility ratios), but their handle has all kinds of excellent qualities because of its shape. It engages more muscles in your hand than a regular bat, and helps promote good technique. I hear that they actually perform better than the new BBCOR bats. I wouldn't be surprised if more and more high school baseball players begin choosing them over BBCOR bats to show that they can use wood. Why not? Right? they are both legal...and the Stacked Handle likely have more pop.
anyway. that's all i know.
The Majority of what is available to the public in stores is poor quality. The way you can spot it with ash is by the number of grain lines (i.e. - the more grain lines the poorer the quality). The best ash bats are very few grain lines along their length and go to the major leagues, as they get the first picks.
If you want the best wooden bat out though, you should check out www.stackedhandle.com; they have the only trulyunique patented wooden bat. Their bats not only is made out of birch which is a highly competitive wood (good hardness/flexibility ratios), but their handle has all kinds of excellent qualities because of its shape. It engages more muscles in your hand than a regular bat, and helps promote good technique. I hear that they actually perform better than the new BBCOR bats. I wouldn't be surprised if more and more high school baseball players begin choosing them over BBCOR bats to show that they can use wood. Why not? Right? they are both legal...and the Stacked Handle likely have more pop.
anyway. that's all i know.
Thanks, TC22, and welcome to the forum.
No problem. My Pleasure. 
You will get lots of different opinions on this one and like most bats it's personal. My son did not like the feel of the Bamboo bats and others swear by them. He liked the look of the Mizuno's, his favorite was a blem bat that I don't remember the make that he bought somewhere out of a bargan pile. The best bat he has used as far a longevity and feel is the Baum bat he got three years ago. They cost a bit more, but are nearly unbreakable, but he has got three years of extensive use out of it and he likes the feel of it...and BTW he says it has good pop. Who knows, but it makes him feel good which is 90% of the battle, the other half is physical.
Our experience leads us to only purchase maple bats. Lots of different manufacturers and types, but always maple. They simply take longer to break and have a bit more forgiveness ( on that occasional bad swing ) than regular wood.
twotex,
Here's a great site that will give you more info than you'll ever want to know...
woodbat.org.
Then, after you entertain yourself with all the technical mumbo jumbo, my very basic observations are...
Decent wood bats cost at least $75
If the weight and balance feel right and the barrel is visually appealing to the hitter, it's a great bat.
Here's a great site that will give you more info than you'll ever want to know...
woodbat.org.
Then, after you entertain yourself with all the technical mumbo jumbo, my very basic observations are...
Decent wood bats cost at least $75
If the weight and balance feel right and the barrel is visually appealing to the hitter, it's a great bat.
Thanks. This is all very helpful.
question: What to look for in a wood bat?
answer: The sweet spot!!
I agree with cabbagedad. Even more than aluminum bats a wood bat has to feel right. If you can, take a few swings with different types of bats, even with the same manufacturer, and see which one he likes. It should take too long for him to decide.
answer: The sweet spot!!
I agree with cabbagedad. Even more than aluminum bats a wood bat has to feel right. If you can, take a few swings with different types of bats, even with the same manufacturer, and see which one he likes. It should take too long for him to decide.
