Wood vs. Aluminum/composite bats.

[trueblujr2]

Should college go to wooden bats? Just curious what people think. Obviously players would die if MLB used metal or composite. There’d be guys hitting 100+ Homers. Hands would be broken trying to make catches and heaven forbid a pitcher get hit. Anywho, would you see fewer football like scores if college went to wood?

How hard is it for guys to adjust from metal to wood. Is that part of the reason some guys take longer to develop?

 

[Comebakatz3]

Love college baseball as is. No lead is safe.

 

[maysvilleky]

I think there can be a happy medium. NCAA can regulate how “hot” a bat can be. I know cost is a factor in why college uses the composite bats. I just say “deaden” them some.

 

[vhcat70]

Love college baseball as is. No lead is safe.

True and agree. But the reason isn’t the bats imo. It’s because pitching is a precious commodity that gets scooped up the pros preferentially.

 

[trueblujr2]

Love college baseball as is. No lead is safe.

yeah, true, but games can be excruciatingly long too.

 

[The-Hack]

I love the sound of the ball hitting wooden bat, but leave each to their own!!

 

[TX-Wildcat]

Primary issue at the college level is cost to the lower budget DI, DII, DIII, NAIA, and JUCO teams. The BBCOR composite bats are said to perform at the same level of wood bats. The transition to wood bats today is not as extreme as it once was when they were using aluminum/composite (BESR standard) bats at the NCAA level.

Adjustments to the type of ball are way less these days too after the NCAA lowered the seam height of the balls (reducing drag) several years ago. There are still slight differences between the balls used at the NCAA level, the low-minors, and MLB. Minor League baseballs are known to be a little softer than MLB balls, and have different seams as well. In 2019, AAA teams started to use baseballs that are held to the same standard as MLB baseballs to aid in the transition from the Minor Leagues to the MLB. The MLB ball is said to be slicker, harder to grip, harder and wound tighter (aiding in higher exit velocities). Many MLB pitchers claim that once they get used to the seams/feel of the MLB balls their pitches are sharper and move more than MiLB and NCAA balls (making pitches harder to hit).

I think most of the difficulty in transitioning to the next level comes more from the talent pool improving (way better pitching), limited spots on MLB rosters/no time restriction on service, and the amount of games played (fatigue).

Had to search for and dust off this article that I read a few years ago, but it is still a good (albeit old) read demonstrating past and important changes to the college game:

Aluminum and Composite Bats: Performance Standards in College Baseball

 

[Killswitch24]

As someone who was hit with a line drive while pitching at 13 years old, I’m always in favor of wood. While those bats in the 90’s aren’t the same I still don’t like the sound of aluminum hitting the ball, I flinch up from the living room. Took a shot to the eye that shattered every eye bone and had emergency surgery to save my eye. Had to have plates put in under my eye to keep it up in the head. One of the nastiest hits you’ll find, I went into shock on the mound just from all the blood it produced.

Baseball is meant to be played with wood.

 

[trueblujr2]

Primary issue at the college level is cost to the lower budget DI, DII, DIII, NAIA, and JUCO teams. The BBCOR composite bats are said to perform at the same level of wood bats. The transition to wood bats today is not as extreme as it once was when they were using aluminum/composite (BESR standard) bats at the NCAA level.

Adjustments to the type of ball are way less these days too after the NCAA lowered the seam height of the balls (reducing drag) several years ago. There are still slight differences between the balls used at the NCAA level, the low-minors, and MLB. Minor League baseballs are known to be a little softer than MLB balls, and have different seams as well. In 2019, AAA teams started to use baseballs that are held to the same standard as MLB baseballs to aid in the transition from the Minor Leagues to the MLB. The MLB ball is said to be slicker, harder to grip, harder and wound tighter (aiding in higher exit velocities). Many MLB pitchers claim that once they get used to the seams/feel of the MLB balls their pitches are sharper and move more than MiLB and NCAA balls (making pitches harder to hit).

I think most of the difficulty in transitioning to the next level comes more from the talent pool improving (way better pitching), limited spots on MLB rosters/no time restriction on service, and the amount of games played (fatigue).

Had to search for and dust off this article that I read a few years ago, but it is still a good (albeit old) read demonstrating past and important changes to the college game:

Aluminum and Composite Bats: Performance Standards in College Baseball

Some of which begs the question, Is the MLB season too long? I know it's been that way forever, but 162 games is a grind. Would they be better off with 120-130 games and more days off between series?

 

[trueblujr2]

As someone who was hit with a line drive while pitching at 13 years old, I’m always in favor of wood. While those bats in the 90’s aren’t the same I still don’t like the sound of aluminum hitting the ball, I flinch up from the living room. Took a shot to the eye that shattered every eye bone and had emergency surgery to save my eye. Had to have plates put in under my eye to keep it up in the head. One of the nastiest hits you’ll find, I went into shock on the mound just from all the blood it produced.

Baseball is meant to be played with wood.

That had to be traumatic. Glad you're OK.

 

[Killswitch24]

That had to be traumatic. Glad you're OK.

Yea it was rough. I was really never the same on the mound. The sound of the bat to the ball caused me to flinch up from that point on. So naturally I wasn’t able to be in defensive position after that, just wasn’t a safe situation. I did get back out there for another few years and pitch. Managed to play baseball mainly from another position in college.

It was a wild time. My case was one of the evaluations they used in the state at the time to change the materials in the bats. I always laugh when baseball haters say there isn’t danger in playing baseball. Sure. We don’t get helmets the entire game.

 

[trueblujr2]

When you get to the higher levels, reaction time is key. as a fielder or a batter. just the other night I watched Blake Dunn takea 97 mph pitch to the head. fortunately it hit his helmet and he was able to get up and play on, but it definitely rattled him. Even with a helmet on that Thump doesn't feel good and is incredibly loud inside that helmet, and if it hits the wrong spot could cause a concussion.

 

[3632]

They’ve gotten aluminum to swing so light relative to the pop and with large sweet spots it’s time to make a change. They make composite woods now that don’t break but behave like wood with a smaller sweet spot…Baum Bat etc. not really a cost reason to not make a move. It’s nonsensical that perfect game and many summer hs tournaments are now all wood/wood composite then you go to college and hit with the crazy bats. College games are so long with the pitching changes etc.

 

[3632]

Primary issue at the college level is cost to the lower budget DI, DII, DIII, NAIA, and JUCO teams. The BBCOR composite bats are said to perform at the same level of wood bats. The transition to wood bats today is not as extreme as it once was when they were using aluminum/composite (BESR standard) bats at the NCAA level.

It’s true that BBCOR is much better than the spring of aluminum bats of the 80’s/90’s but like all other sports the technology developments by companies continues to make it easier and easier for players even within the guidelines. A good example is the Louisville Slugger PWR select bat you see many college players using. It measures the generic bbcor required response off the barrel in the testing mode but because of the weight allocation to the barrel because of a light composite handle so it gets carry. The sweet spot on these bats is also 2x the length of wood. It shows up on HR numbers but where it shows up often a few times a game in college is the end of bat flare or jam shots that still get out of the infield like normal singles or seeing eye ground balls that wouldn’t have enough steam with wood because hitting a ball down the barrel punishes the hitter more with wood. And bats just are easier to generate bat speed without having to be as accurate with the barrel because of it.

Think about golf. When they made drastic improvements with clubs courses had to go back and lengthen holes even though golf has golf ball response off the club face restrictions too.

 

[Cobb4uk]

If you've ever been hit by a 95 mph fast ball, only imagine being hit by a ball when hit off that 95 mph pitch. It's not pretty and happens more often than you think.

 

[Killswitch24]

If you've ever been hit by a 95 mph fast ball, only imagine being hit by a ball when hit off that 95 mph pitch. It's not pretty and happens more often than you think.

Yep, that’s what happened to me
Straight to the eye. Bat speed plus ball speed. Nearly killed me caused extreme damage.

 

[Lempface]

I've grown to like the ping of an aluminum bat, but I agree for safety they should probably switch to composite if the cost of wood is too prohibitive.

 

[Fox2monk]

Should college go to wooden bats? Just curious what people think. Obviously players would die if MLB used metal or composite. There’d be guys hitting 100+ Homers. Hands would be broken trying to make catches and heaven forbid a pitcher get hit. Anywho, would you see fewer football like scores if college went to wood?

How hard is it for guys to adjust from metal to wood. Is that part of the reason some guys take longer to develop?

With the new regulations they are moving toward wood MPH ratings especially with composites. May as well IMO. The Bats I played with in high school were the fastest ever. The old Easton Reflex C-Core was when aluminum bats really were super hot, still easier hitting overall with more power on miss hits but it would prepare them better for the pros.

 

[EliteBlue]

I personally think they should stay w the bbcor bats and the pros should also switch to the college bat.

If you need to deaden it slightly more or shrink the sweet spot on the barrel then ok but the safety argument is bogus imo. You’ve got college guys that are just as big and strong killing the ball in college and nobody is dying…. But if you want to make the game higher scoring and increase ratings then go to the composit bats in the pros.

If you do that, you can have a in season (or opening season) wooden bat tournament w every team in the league, single elimination; to keep some wooden back nostalgia in the game.

 

[3632]

I personally think they should stay w the bbcor bats and the pros should also switch to the college bat.

If you need to deaden it slightly more or shrink the sweet spot on the barrel then ok but the safety argument is bogus imo. You’ve got college guys that are just as big and strong killing the ball in college and nobody is dying…. But if you want to make the game higher scoring and increase ratings then go to the composit bats in the pros.

If you do that, you can have a in season (or opening season) wooden bat tournament w every team in the league, single elimination; to keep some wooden back nostalgia in the game.

I don’t think anybody is trying to get higher scoring games at this point. They are trying everything they can to shorten baseball games to keep fan attention. Scoring and resulting pitching changes is counter to that.

 

[EliteBlue]

I don’t think anybody is trying to get higher scoring games at this point. They are trying everything they can to shorten baseball games to keep fan attention. Scoring and resulting pitching changes is counter to that.

Yeah. I get that. But still… I’d rather them shorten games by doing Picture in Picture commercials or banner ads like European soccer does instead of giving a ‘less baseball’ product (also aware it’ll never happen here but I can dream). Fan interest would increase w 12-15 score, home run derby type games….commercials/tv timeouts is what has made football and baseball games longer than they should/use to be

The alternative if you want baseball action but a sped up game is to deaden the bats but make the regulation barrel a half size bigger to induce more contact. Small sweet spot in the center of the barrel but everywhere else it’s dead (think similar to when you get jammed and hit it off the hands)…. It would create more field action and quicker innings due to putting the ball in play

 

[3632]

Yeah. I get that. But still… I’d rather them shorten games by doing Picture in Picture commercials or banner ads like European soccer does instead of giving a ‘less baseball’ product (also aware it’ll never happen here but I can dream). Fan interest would increase w 12-15 score, home run derby type games….commercials/tv timeouts is what has made football and baseball games longer than they should/use to be

The alternative if you want baseball action but a sped up game is to deaden the bats but make the regulation barrel a half size bigger to induce more contact. Small sweet spot in the center of the barrel but everywhere else it’s dead (think similar to when you get jammed and hit it off the hands)…. It would create more field action and quicker innings due to putting the ball in play

If they shrink the sweet spot it would go a long way or have some sort of swing weight standard. But that would essentially be the wood composites that already exist.