Ever since they burst on the scene in the early 1970s, aluminum bats have been the choice of amateur baseball and softball leagues across the United States. Every spring, another wave of aluminum bats hits the dugout racks, with each new model and design proclaiming superiority to the previous year's. Hardly heard across the land anymore, except in professional ballparks, is the crack of a wooden bat.
History
Wooden baseball bats date to 1859, when it was ruled they could not exceed 2-1/2 inches in diameter. Wood went on to serve baseball and softball for more than a century, until 1968, when Anthony Merola, who manufactured aluminum pool cues in Easton, Pennsylvania, decided to make aluminum bats. By 1971, aluminum giants such as Alcoa, Kaiser and Reynolds were doing the same. In 1974, aluminum bats were approved for Little League play, and a year later the NCAA followed suit. By 1980, aluminum had seized the bat market from wood.
The Aluminum Bat
Because an aluminum bat is lighter and easier to control than a bat made of wood, its users have more hitting success. And because it is hollow inside, an aluminum bat also creates the "trampoline effect." It initially absorbs the force of a pitch before instantly expanding to propel the ball faster and farther than wood. Aluminum bats are more durable, although they do accumulate dents and nicks that can affect its performance.
The Wooden Bat
Heavier, and with a solid core, a wooden bat generates less bat speed than aluminum and is less forgiving of marginally hit balls. And with its center of gravity farther out on the barrel, a wooden bat demands more strength and coordination from a hitter's hands, wrists and forearms. As far as durability, the lifetime of a wood bat is always subject to abrupt termination by splintering and shattering.
Batter's Choice
Selecting the correct bat is up to the individual. Metal or wood? Eventually, the decision depends on whether the batter envisions a future in professional baseball. Weight? Too much reduces bat speed, but too little inhibits the speed with which the ball leaves the bat and how far it travels. Length? Too much or too little can adversely affect the form of the batter's swing. Specifications? The bat must conform to the rules of the league in which it is used.
Pro Baseball's Bat Rule
According to the rules of Major League Baseball: "The bat shall be a smooth, round stick . . . (and) one piece of solid wood. No laminated or experimental bats shall be used in a professional game." It is unlikely that professional baseball will approve aluminum bats. Among the reasons are centuries-old batting records, skill requirements of wooden bats, safety, costs and job losses of change, development of future pro players and tradition.
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