How Much Do Metal Bats Matter?

[Outshined_One]

There's something I've wondered about for those of you in the know.

 

A lot of times, in evaluating potential draft picks, there are a number of concerns for certain players coming out because people wonder how well they will be able to transition from metal bats to wood bats. Some draft picks flop and various people will blame the fact that these picks did not handle the transition from wood to metal.

 

Now, I've never played high school or college baseball. I've handled both kinds of bats and I know the differences between them. However, I've always wondered whether there is something to that transition that can hold back otherwise talented baseball players or if instead scouts and other people focus too much on it.

 

Have there been studies done on the matter? What do you guys think?

[Mephistopheles]

Metal Bats matter a lot. Jamshots off the handle of a metal bat wind up as singles, but broken bats with a woody.

[RichHillIsABeast]

It's easier to go opposite field with power. It's really easy to get hits off inside pitches, instead of shattering lumber or getting handcuffed.

 

A lot of college pitchers don't know how to use the inside part of the plate b/c of this.

[CubinNY]

It's easier to go opposite field with power. It's really easy to get hits off inside pitches, instead of shattering lumber or getting handcuffed.

 

A lot of college pitchers don't know how to use the inside part of the plate b/c of this.

 

So they use which part of the plate then?

 

I watch a lot of college baseball, and they pitch inside plenty.

 

Nevertheless, two things make hitting with a metal bat important.

 

The first is the weight. In resent years high school and colleges have restricted the length to weight ratio to -3. That means if the batter is using a 34 inch bat it can only weigh a minimum of 31 ounces. Metal fabrication technology has progress to a point were Easton and Lousiville Slugger were making bats with ultra thin skins, creating both less weight (as much as -6 or-7) and more elasticity, meaning that balls fly faster and balls fly farther. In short, the less the bat weighs, the faster you can swing it. The faster you can swing it, the farther the ball will go.

 

The second thing is the diameter of the barrell. The barrell of an alluminium bat is bigger than that of a wood bat creating a bigger sweat spot. That's part of the reason why it's hard to jam a hitter using an aluminum bat (the other part being bat speed). High school and college now have new rules about diameter too. It's not so much about breaking wood but about a faster swing and a bigger sweat spot.

[Bruno7481]

You can cut a lot of corners with metal bats. As some others have mentioned, you can be jammed, or catch one off the end of the bat but still get a hit due to the power a metal bat generates.

 

In high school, I tried to take BP with a wood bat as much as possible. I felt it made me a better hitter. Wood doesn't lie, you have to hit the ball correctly.

 

I played in college and the conference in which I played was a wood bat conference. I realized form the first day I arrived on campus that I would have to get a lot stronger to improve as a hitter. Balls that I hit well in high school did not get the same result from a wooden bat.

 

I loved it. I prefer the wood bat, even with high school kids I now coach because I truly believe it helps them become better hitters.

[jaxxradio]

I tell any kid interested in becoming a professional baseball player to use a wooden bat as much as possible in practice. I also tell pitchers to continue to use the inside part of the plate.

 

There is a school of thought among scouts that drafting pitchers out of high school is better because they haven't been "shell shocked" in college.

 

IMO, Major League Baseball needs to come to an arrangement with the NCAA about banning aluminum bats and forcing the colleges to use wooden bats. Only then are the "experts" going to have a much better idea of who is good enough to go to the next level.

[Mephistopheles]

About college pitchers pitching inside. They pinch inside to get guys off the plate, they rarely pitch inside for strikes.

[UK1679666180]

There's something I've wondered about for those of you in the know.

 

A lot of times, in evaluating potential draft picks, there are a number of concerns for certain players coming out because people wonder how well they will be able to transition from metal bats to wood bats. Some draft picks flop and various people will blame the fact that these picks did not handle the transition from wood to metal.

 

Now, I've never played high school or college baseball. I've handled both kinds of bats and I know the differences between them. However, I've always wondered whether there is something to that transition that can hold back otherwise talented baseball players or if instead scouts and other people focus too much on it.

 

Have there been studies done on the matter? What do you guys think?

 

Sure it does, I'm sure this has already been mentioned but...

 

You're basically doubling the sweet spot from 4 to 8 inches with an aluminum bat.

 

The bat is several ounces lighter and combined with a material less willing to absorb an impact will generate more bat speed and greater velocity will be exerted at contact.

 

You can still effectively grade bat speed with an aluminum bat by how well he stays back and get out in front of an inside pitch without rolling over as well as their ability to let the outside pitches come to them.

 

I think amatuer baseball would be better off going with wood instead of these the state of the art 500.00 launching pads.

[NorthsideAvenger]

I think amatuer baseball would be better off going with wood instead of these the state of the art 500.00 launching pads.

 

I, too agree with this statement, but you also have to take into account the finanical obligations of the wood .v. alum bats. HS are not going to look at the how much safer a wooden bat is, compare to an alum bat, they are going to see the $$$ they can save by going with alum bats. Alum bats hardly breaks, meaning a HS can go yrs without having to get new bats, but wooden bats can break at anytime of any game.

 

So, as much as I like the idea of HSers using wooden bats, alot of HS/colleges just don't think it is finanically responsible. I would disagree---cause I've been hit in the face with a line drive off an alum bat---but that is what they think.

[UK1679666180]

There's no doubt that it's financially a greater burden to have wood over aluminum. Like you mentioned, the way these bats are going as well as the ball becoming harder, more and more it's becoming a safety issue.

[WrigleyField 22]

I think amatuer baseball would be better off going with wood instead of these the state of the art 500.00 launching pads.

 

I, too agree with this statement, but you also have to take into account the finanical obligations of the wood .v. alum bats. HS are not going to look at the how much safer a wooden bat is, compare to an alum bat, they are going to see the $$$ they can save by going with alum bats. Alum bats hardly breaks, meaning a HS can go yrs without having to get new bats, but wooden bats can break at anytime of any game.

 

So, as much as I like the idea of HSers using wooden bats, alot of HS/colleges just don't think it is finanically responsible. I would disagree---cause I've been hit in the face with a line drive off an alum bat---but that is what they think.

 

So many players have their own bats anyways I think it could work.

[biittner77]

This is a serious question: Are there really that many HS pitchers that throw hard enough to break a lot of wooden bats? I could see that being a big problem in college.

[CuseCubFan69]

I think amatuer baseball would be better off going with wood instead of these the state of the art 500.00 launching pads.

 

I, too agree with this statement, but you also have to take into account the finanical obligations of the wood .v. alum bats. HS are not going to look at the how much safer a wooden bat is, compare to an alum bat, they are going to see the $$$ they can save by going with alum bats. Alum bats hardly breaks, meaning a HS can go yrs without having to get new bats, but wooden bats can break at anytime of any game.

 

So, as much as I like the idea of HSers using wooden bats, alot of HS/colleges just don't think it is finanically responsible. I would disagree---cause I've been hit in the face with a line drive off an alum bat---but that is what they think.

 

I have yet to see a HS kid use the school bought alum bat in all my years of coaching. I use one as one of my fungo bats.

 

I love wooden bats and my kids always practice with them because of many of the points mentioned. The biggest fault I can find using a wooden bat to practice with is that a lot of kids get one that is too heavy and have to drag it into the zone thus throwing off their mechanics.

[illiniguy]

This is a serious question: Are there really that many HS pitchers that throw hard enough to break a lot of wooden bats? I could see that being a big problem in college.

Yes

[Bruno7481]

This is a serious question: Are there really that many HS pitchers that throw hard enough to break a lot of wooden bats? I could see that being a big problem in college.

 

Its not necessarilly a velocity issue, you can break a wooden bat on an offspeed pitch. Has more to do with where you hit the ball on the bat more than anything.

[Guest]

HS hitters are also not as good at keeping their hands in when they swing and expose the handle to a lot more pitches than college or pro hitters.

[UK1679666180]

I've seen aluminum bats split in half as well, that was interesting.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

This is a serious question: Are there really that many HS pitchers that throw hard enough to break a lot of wooden bats? I could see that being a big problem in college.

 

The opposite of that question is what I wondered. Are there really that many HS hitters that hit the ball hard enough for metal bats to be a safety hazard? I played mostly 3rd base in HS(2 years ago) at a reasonably high level of competition and I never saw anything that would give that indication

[UK1679666180]

A ball coming off an aluminum bat even from a HS hitter can do perm. damage, you can say that about wood as well, just less likely.

[goonys evil twin]

A ball coming off an aluminum bat even from a HS hitter can do perm. damage, you can say that about wood as well, just less likely.

 

I took a ball off the ankle at 3B, as a high school sophomore, that if it was at my face it would have been a killer. Granted, part of the problem was my fielding, but it was the hardest hit ball I ever fielded in high school. I wasn't that great of a hitter either, but I put one right by the ear of a pitcher that would have caused serious damage. There have to be countless high school hitters who could hit it harder than I could. It doesn't take much with the metal.

[Bruno7481]

I've seen aluminum bats split in half as well, that was interesting.

 

It is a freaky sight....

[Bruno7481]

This is a serious question: Are there really that many HS pitchers that throw hard enough to break a lot of wooden bats? I could see that being a big problem in college.

 

The opposite of that question is what I wondered. Are there really that many HS hitters that hit the ball hard enough for metal bats to be a safety hazard? I played mostly 3rd base in HS(2 years ago) at a reasonably high level of competition and I never saw anything that would give that indication

 

Not much more to add than others have already states, but most definitely.

 

I was a 1b/LHP throughout HS and College and had several balls that could have done some damage. Nothing makes your heart jump any faster than letting go of a pitch and have it immediately come right back at your head. I had several occasions were I just naturally reacted and caught the ball just before it nailed my face.

[Balsa]

I've heard that less power pitchers come out of college for this reason, and that pitchers coming from college generally have more pitches because they're more afraid to use the fastball.

[illiniguy]

I've seen aluminum bats split in half as well, that was interesting.

 

It is a freaky sight....

That one always hushs the crowd.

[fromthestretch]

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't there recent regulations about which types of bats can be used in high school and college play? I thought that bats that only allowed a maximum batted ball speed of x mph (only using "x" because I have no idea what the exact number is) could be used.

 

People have brought up valid points that:

 

1. It's easier to get a hit off the handle or the end of the bat when using aluminum, since the bat doesn't typically break.

 

2. The fact that it's easier to get a hit off the handle does tend to cause pitchers at that level to throw inside less often for strikes.

 

3. The cost of switching to wood bats at the high school level would be very high. If they did want to do something like this, they'd be better off using some type of composite bat that won't break as easily.

 

I pitched in high school (years ago), and I had a few line drives come back at me faster than I would have liked (I also witnessed a few kids get hit in the head by linedrives that came right back at them). I've also played the past five years in an amateur wood bat league, against a mix of players with high school, college, and even minor league experience. I can tell you that I'm much more comfortable pitching to those guys with wood bats than I was pitching in high school against 14-18 year olds with aluminum bats. Somewhat related, one thing that always shocked me when I was working in college athletics was the number of college pitchers I knew that openly admitted to not wearing a cup when they pitched because it was uncomfortable. I'd gladly take the lack of comfort from the cup than the excruciating pain of getting hit in stones by a screaming liner.

 

From a hitting perspective, swinging a wood bat takes some getting used to. The weight distribution is a bit different. If you've only used aluminum all your life, you can get into some bad habits with your swing. As Tim alluded to earlier, you have to do a better job of keeping your hands in. One thing that I've seen a lot of college coaches do is have their teams use wood bats during fall practices and scrimmages.