Which bat hits the farthest

But there's an, ahem, aluminum lining to this story: The process used to manufacture metal bats can be tightly controlled. By fine-tuning their alloy selection and manufacturing processes, companies like Rawlings and Louisville Slugger can produce metal bats that perform more like wood bats.

Since , when the NCAA implemented a new standard effectively requiring non-wood bats to produce batted ball speeds no greater than wood, batting averages, home runs per game and earned-run averages are the lowest they've been in more than 30 years [source: Russell ].

One of the arguments for aluminum bats is that they cost less to own, primarily because they don't break.

But what about environmental costs? I wonder which bat-making process has a lower carbon footprint? Might make an interesting sidebar to the controversy.

Sign up for our Newsletter! Mobile Newsletter banner close. Mobile Newsletter chat close. Mobile Newsletter chat dots. Mobile Newsletter chat avatar. Mobile Newsletter chat subscribe. The Basics. Which hit farther: wood bats or aluminum bats?

By: William Harris. The Penguin aka Ron Cey poses with what appears to be an aluminum bat during his Dodger days in See more sports pictures.

It's Not Just Weight: Aluminum vs. Wood Aluminum and wooden bats behave quite differently when they strike a ball. Author's Note One of the arguments for aluminum bats is that they cost less to own, primarily because they don't break. Related Articles Does a corked bat really hit farther? Bat weight is measured by the minus or drop weight. Drop weight is the difference between the length and weight of the bat, so a bat that is 30 inches long and has a drop weight of will weigh 20 ounces.

The bigger the drop weight is, the lighter the bat will weigh. We discuss a lot about wood bats legality in our USA Bats pages. But, in short, bamboo is not automatically approved for Little League play. Wood bats are Ash, Maple, Birch but bamboo is not technically a wood but a grass. Do USA Bats have less pop? Compared to previous year's BPF 1. Weight Drop: A weight drop is a figure you'll often see describing a bat's size.

It refers to the difference between the length of the bat in inches and the weight of the bat in ounces. The producers of one of the most popular baseball bats of the major leagues also make one of the best softball bats available. Instead of being made from one piece of wood, this bat is made in three parts with composite material ready for fastpitch softball.

Unlike alloy bats that are ready to use straight out of the wrapper, composite bats need a little warming up. Composite baseball bats are never recommended for use when playing in temperatures that fall below 60 degrees. This is because the performance problems and possibility of cracking increases. Thus lighter in weight USA balls are easier to swing resulting in a higher batting average, but the hit ball speed is not high as compared to the BBCOR bats.

Ash wood bats do not pop as much as maple, but they are more forgiving and less likely to break. And when they do break, it basically just splinters and flakes apart into many pieces. Wood bats and softball may seem like an unnatural fit, but the truth is that wood bats can improve any softball player's game.

Can you roll an aluminum bat? Rolling an Aluminum Bat Only composite barrel bats could use rolling. Aluminum bats have no resin and need no loosing of the fibers in the barrel to perform. In fact, compressing an aluminum bat would simply make its structure less effective. Can MLB use aluminum bats? Aluminum bats are used in college, high school and little league ball, but they're illegal in the major leagues where hitters must use wooden bats.

The issue is the velocity with which balls come off the bat, otherwise known as bat-exit speed. Why do MLB players use wooden bats instead of aluminum? The barrels are bigger, and because they are lighter, they can be swung faster than a wooden bat. The primary reason that wooden bats are required in the pros is due to this performance difference. What bat did Babe Ruth use? Babe Ruth was once said to have used a ounce hickory bat.

Bryce Harper has experimented with using a inch, ounce Marucci bat in the batting cage before games. Do wood bats go dead? This has been an ongoing argument for quite some time. People make claims that wooden baseball bats do lose their pop over time. Why do pros use wooden bats? Wood bats are intentional in major league baseball because they are not good choices to hit a baseball.

Because of this, it is much much easier to hit a ball hard with a metal bat, and switching to metal or really anything more structurally sound than wood would be an unfair advantage to the hitter. Do baseball players pay for their bats?