Players want to hit the ball farther and harder in baseball. That is why aluminum bats are the most popular choice among youth and collegiate players. The composition and design of aluminum bats enable players to smack screaming line drives and long soaring drives due to a large sweet spot. Aluminum bats can be dangerous to defensive players and are under scrutiny from some leagues.
Composition
Aluminum bats are a majority aluminum but other materials like zinc, magnesium, scandium and nickel are also included, according to The Batter's Box website. The makeup of most aluminum bats are similar, with small differences in how the ball bounces off the bat. The website states that the difference in many models is the thickness of the bat's walls, the durability and the trampoline effect that results when the ball flies off the bat.
Weight Distribution
Aluminum bats have thin shells and therefore the weight can be distributed more evenly, according to Alan M. Nathan at the University of Illinois. With the center of weight close to the hitter's hands, he has more ease in getting the bat through the strike zone when compared to wood or composite bats. That increase in bat speed gives hitters a strong advantage when putting balls in play, as it comes off faster and goes farther.
Cost and Availability
Aluminum bats are generally priced from $30 to $300 and can be purchased through thousands of online retailers, according to the Baseball-Bats website. Aluminum bats are so common that nearly all sporting goods stores in communities carry some as well. Players who use aluminum bats will have to pay up front for their bat but should have their bat for many years, as aluminum bats are lauded for their durability. The more a player spends on a bat, the better quality he gets. Also, Little League bats cost less than high school bats because they are much shorter.
Rules
Aluminum bats are subject to certain rules regarding the difference between weight and length. Page 5 of the NCAA Standard for Testing Baseball Bat Performance states that in order to be legal for college play, aluminum bats must have a moment of inertia near 6 inches from the base of the knob. For Little League and high school competition, the length of the bat in inches may not be three larger than the weight in ounces.
Safety Concerns
Because aluminum bats send the ball into the field of play at a high rate of speed, there are concerns for the safety of pitchers, who stand 60 feet, 6 inches away and are often vulnerable. A teenager from Marin Catholic High School in California named Gunnar Sandberg was struck in the head by a line drive in March 2010 after he delivered a pitch. That situation has started dialogue in the California legislature about a possible ban on all metal bats due to safety concerns.
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