Are Professional Wood Bats Any Good?
Professional wood bats worked for the Babe, but maybe not for you
Professional wood bats have gone through quite a transformation. Once thought of as the only way to play baseball, professional wood bats are now being replaced with aluminum materials and other man made innovations. Are we losing something by tossing aside professional wood bats? Let’s see.
Back in the days
There was a time when professional wood bats could be compared to the size of a tree. They were heavy and weighed as much as five men could handle and could seemingly break through a brick wall.
It seemed that Babe Ruth and Ty Cobb were legends just for handling these professional wood bats.
But that was a different time. Players have changed, and so have pitchers.
Moving onto now
While it might seem that those old players made good use of their professional wood bats, realize that today’s pitchers are pitching at speeds of over a hundred miles per hour.
A large bat just can’t keep up with that kind of velocity.
Today’s professional wood bats now have thinner handles and are made with lighter woods in order to keep up with the pitches.
What makes up professional wood bats today is cup balance.
This technology removes about three-quarters of an ounce of wood out of the end of the barrel of professional wood bats, making them lighter.
Experts estimate that up to 30 percent of today's players use this kind of bat.
Today’s professional wood bats
Most of today’s professional wood bats are made from the white ash tree.
However, there are also maple professional wood bats available, though they tend to be more expensive and heavier to swing.
But some still believe that more weight equals harder hits.
When it all comes down to how many runs each team scores, it’s not the bats that hit the home runs. Professional wood bats are guided by the skills of the players that guide them and swing them to victory.