Should College Baseball do away with Aluminum Bats?
PoppaJ
Posts: 2,818 ✭
For years, those that oppose the use of wooden bats in College Baseball argued saying that college budgets were the main reason because wooden bats would cost them more in the long run due to breakage, even though wooden bats are cheaper in price than aluminum ones.
Others commented that players could hit the ball further and easier due to the lighter weight of the aluminum bat, thus giving scouts a false illusion of better hitting. But, nowadays most major league bats are made of ash wood, which is in most cases lighter than its' aluminum counterpart.
Consider this point ... do college pitchers have a distinct advantage over batters once both are in the majors? The ball hasn't changed. The pitches are consistent with the majors.
Is it just economics? ... or is there more?
Just wanted to get a few opinions or more points on the subject.
PoppaJ
Others commented that players could hit the ball further and easier due to the lighter weight of the aluminum bat, thus giving scouts a false illusion of better hitting. But, nowadays most major league bats are made of ash wood, which is in most cases lighter than its' aluminum counterpart.
Consider this point ... do college pitchers have a distinct advantage over batters once both are in the majors? The ball hasn't changed. The pitches are consistent with the majors.
Is it just economics? ... or is there more?
Just wanted to get a few opinions or more points on the subject.
PoppaJ
0
Comments
I love hearing that ping as I sit in the stands at the College World Series.
A childhood memory that I think should never go away.
<< <i>NO!!!
I love hearing that ping as I sit in the stands at the College World Series.
A childhood memory that I think should never go away. >>
The "ping" is great but I personally think that wooden bats should be used starting at the college level.
I'm gong to try to make the College World Series next year. I've never been but now that I live in Kansas City it's really not that far of a drive.
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<< <i>YES! Make the college kids use wood and then give all the aluminum bats to the big leaguers!!!
I'd like to see them make the HR Derby an aluminum bat event. Now THAT would be entertaining!
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but, here's an issue that plagues my mind, because it is a concern with the way that ball comes back at you, just look at what happened to Kuroda a few weeks ago, and then add velocity......but, the college game will continue to defend the position of economics by choosing the metals/composites over wood.....perhaps, we should consider sending our guys out there in body armor and football helmets.
ironically, i received a boiler room phone call last night from my very own son, who was seeking donations for his team, but i doubt they need anymore bats.
they want lights. and home games at night.
The Home Run Derby would be great if they allowed a few swings with an aluminum bat. The weight is not the issue, but the increased size of the sweet spot that makes it easier to hit. Game Used packs would be easier to find than ever. Just get out your metal detector.
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<< <i>I believe that the biggest reason they do not allow aluminum bats is that companies like Easton give alot of money to the NCAA. At one point in the mid 90's there was a rumor that they were switching all college to wood bats. My college even switched to composite during the spring. I believe that Easton raised a fit and the NCAA backed down. I personally love the wood bat idea and think it levels the playing field drastically in college, but as long as companies like Easton pump money into programs it will never happen.
The Home Run Derby would be great if they allowed a few swings with an aluminum bat. The weight is not the issue, but the increased size of the sweet spot that makes it easier to hit. Game Used packs would be easier to find than ever. Just get out your metal detector. >>
Maybe when the players get to 9 outs they can switch to an aluminum bat. I would pay to see that.
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Jim Rome did a very funny aluminum bat / pitcher in the nads take awhile back, about 7-8 years I think.......PING.....AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH
<< <i>NO!!!
I love hearing that ping as I sit in the stands at the College World Series.
A childhood memory that I think should never go away. >>
...you can still hear it at little league games! I think the ncaa should do away with them, also helps players transition easier.
The primary question should be of safety, which means they probably should go to wood
get hurt playing organized baseball; plenty did get hurt.
Baseball is DANGEROUS, no matter what the bat is made of.
Thrown balls will always hurt more players than will hit balls.
The difference is, obviously, that hit-ball injuries can be more
catastrophic.
More than a dozen utes in Japan have been killed by balls
launched off metal bats. (Maybe many more than a dozen;
folks in Japan don't litigate much so we don't know much
about such injuries.)
Metal bats are fun, but common sense says they might be
more "dangerous" than wood bats.
.......................
Dingbat parents want to see their kids hit the ball and hit
it a long way.
Dingbat society wants ALL kids to be able to hit the ball, so
that all kids will "feel good about themselves."
In the 50s, I knew kids who played organized ball for several
years and NEVER got a hit in a game. They were better at
other apsects of the game; none was psychologically damaged
because their batting-skills stunk.
The expanded "sweet spot" on metal bats allows ALL but the
least coordinated players to hit the ball OFTEN.
...................
The math of the collision between the metal bat and ball says
the ball will fly further AND faster than it will off of a wood bat.
Both bats are "dangerous." The metal bat appears to be more
"dangerous."
I have not busted open any metal bats in the past several years.
The last one I saw the inside of had "science foam" and was
gas filled. That is a trampoline that puts the pitcher at extreme
risk of injury.
............................................
It is fun to note that some of the best pro-hitters in the 30s, 40s,
50s, learned their skill by hitting a tiny ball with a mop-handle.
....................................
Lobby gangs play fast/loose with the science of the issue.
The most popular LIES actually include carp like:
"Metal bats do not propel the ball any faster than wood bats."
Am I going to believe my lying-eyes OR that nonsense?
............................
Typical spin-gang propaganda designed to keep makers of
metal bats in biznez.
lobbylobbylobby
........................................................
I well understand the notion that a product that is inherently
dangerous when used as directed, creates some theoretical/
actual liability for its maker/seller.
BUT, since the "danger" seems so obvious, maybe parents
should make the choice. If you let your kid play and he gets
hurt, it is your problem; you assumed the risk.
OTOH, since the govt worries about a little lead paint on a toy
bat, maybe the same govt should ban the use of metal bats.
I dunno.
<< <i>The expanded "sweet spot" on metal bats allows ALL but the
least coordiated players to hit the ball OFTEN. >>
this is true, but you must expand on this theory also, by realizing that what might be a swing and a miss with a wood stick, is likely to be a foul ball with aluminum.....if you kept an eye on the CWS the past couple years, you should recall that MANY balls found their way into the foul line communities, and this didn't happen by accident.....most college baseball players can't catch up to an even mediocre fastball, which is why they graduate and move on to a desk job.
so, now we're back to question of economics.....is it better for aluminum bats to continue spraying finances into the hands of ball hawks, or should they hand back the wood and let the ball rest in the glove of a catcher?
the balls ARE alot cheaper to use.
and i'll give you a mulligan on coordinated.
Kind of interesting article.
I believe that most players in college can hit fast. What players have trouble with is pitch location and movement. Most high school players are used to pulling everything and therefore never learn to hit the outside pitch the opposite way. The better control that college pitchers has the easier it is to get outs. Players will put the ball in play, but pulling an outside fastball is nothing but a weak grounder to short. That outside is a matter of inches and in high school very few pitchers have control like that. In college they all do.
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<< <i>I believe that the biggest reason they do not allow aluminum bats is that companies like Easton give alot of money to the NCAA. At one point in the mid 90's there was a rumor that they were switching all college to wood bats. My college even switched to composite during the spring. I believe that Easton raised a fit and the NCAA backed down. I personally love the wood bat idea and think it levels the playing field drastically in college, but as long as companies like Easton pump money into programs it will never happen.
The Home Run Derby would be great if they allowed a few swings with an aluminum bat. The weight is not the issue, but the increased size of the sweet spot that makes it easier to hit. Game Used packs would be easier to find than ever. Just get out your metal detector. >>
//////////////////////////////
The sweet spot theory seems to be correct according to The wood vs. metal baseball bat test
PoppaJ
<< <i>NO!!!
I love hearing that ping as I sit in the stands at the College World Series.
A childhood memory that I think should never go away. >>
My childhood memory was the crack of the wooden bat ! ! !
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much reuse the same aluminum bats for years?
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<< <i>Probably a cost effective move then anything. Colleges have to buy alot more wood bats because of breaks vs can pretty much reuse the same aluminum bats for years? >>
That used to be the case, but it doesn't hold up anymore. Aluminum bats break and lose their pop after a season.
College saved itself by mandating a -3 differential. That prevents unnatural bat speed for most players and has made D1 baseball watchable again for me.
Kids baseball is the wild west. They basically have open differentials and it is scary. We would be better served and get better ball players if kids had to use wood up until at least high school. Cheaper for parents as well.
<< <i>Wood at all levels - my opinion only >>
I agree
Are you listening?
Bamboo.
<< <i>I just want to say one word to you.
Are you listening?
Bamboo. >>
You may be on to something ....
The average major league ash bats lasts 7 days.
The average major league maple bat lasts 30 days.
The average major league "bamboo" bat is projected to last around 100 days.
PoppaJ
Wood cost too much! Especially nowdays... SAM Bats, etc.
$30-$50 ea. for average... $100-$150+ for good ones.... No College Player is going to use a $25 wooden bat.
I played College ball back in the early 80's (we used the old green Eastons). This College still had a ton of wooden bats from the late 70's in storage and we would pull them out and mess around with them sometimes. It seemed like we broke one every 8-10 times we made contact in batting practice.
You need to know how to use a wooden bat (label down) and never swing at an inside fastball (especially in BP).
I pitched against wooden bats only about 2 years and easily broke 50+. I pitched against aluminum bats 10+ years and only broke 2 (I threw a 2 seemer heavy fastball topping out at 96)
If your Benito Santiago you could afford to break 3-5 bats a game, but most colleges cant afford to let kids do it.
The newer Composite bat in more likely in College...
What about Minor Leagues using Aluminum?? NEVER!
Back in College I threw BP to Rob Deer a few times when he used an aluminum bat, and I remember WELL saying they should never let a Major Leaguer use aluminum EVER. The ball just exploded off his bat and the sweet spot is like 1 foot long. I was scared to death and I even had an "L" screen.