Wooden bats always have been and probably always will be "the bat" in professional baseball. However, most of America's amateur baseball players--and its pro and amateur softball players as well--believe aluminum bats work better than wood bats. Among the reasons are that aluminum bats are easier to swing and control, they hit the ball harder and have a larger "sweet spot," and they last longer. "Aluminum bats have been designed to be easy to hit with," states X Bat--Professional Baseball Bats. "Wood bats are made of a natural material so the weight is where the wood is, at the end. A player who swings a 33-inch 30-ounce aluminum bat usually finds a 33-inch 30-oz. wood bat much heavier."
Function
According to Daniel A. Russell of Kettering University, the fact the "balance point" of an aluminum bat is more than an inch closer to the handle, it is easier to swing than a wooden bat. "Because the barrel of an aluminum bat is hollow, the distribution of mass along the length of a metal bat is considerably different than it is for a solid wood bat," Russell writes. "The difference shows up in the location of the center-of-mass--otherwise known as the balance point. An end-loaded bat can have the same weight as a normal bat, but will feel heavier because more of the mass is distributed towards the barrel end of the bat."
Control
This balance point and its lighter weight make it easier for the player to control an aluminum bat. He can wait slightly longer on a pitch before committing to a swing, and even after committing, he has a greater chance of adjusting or perhaps even halting it altogether than he would have with the heavier wooden bat. "Pick up a wood bat and swing it," states X Bat. "Now hold it by the barrel end and swing it again. It feels much lighter, right? Same length, same weight, same bat but it 'feels' lighter to swing because the weight is closer to you."
The Trampoline Effect
The thin walls of an aluminum bat provide a "trampoline effect" in which the pitched ball is launched much like a ball from a tennis racket--or a body propelled upward by a trampoline. According to Daniel Russell, when a ball strikes a wooden bat, it is compressed by almost half its original diameter and loses "up to 75 percent of its initial energy to internal friction forces." But in a hollow aluminum bat, the "barrel compresses somewhat like a spring when the ball impacts it" and "most of the energy temporarily stored in the barrel is returned to the ball." As a result, the ball departs faster than it would have from a bat made of wood.
The Sweet Spot
The "sweet spot" is the place on the bat where the ball departs with uncommon ease and its force sends the ball further. According to Physics Central, this occurs when energy from impact that normally goes to into making the bat vibrate is transferred into the ball. Both wooden and aluminum bats have sweet spots--but due to its metal alloys and hollow barrel, that of the aluminum bat is larger.
Durability
Whereas wooden bats are naturally prone to cracking, splintering or shattering at any time, technological advances in the manufacture of aluminum bats have made them virtually indestructible. In fact, an Associated Press survey in June 2010 showed that 17 of 24 baseball coaches whose college programs have won 1,000 or more games in the last 25 years preferred aluminum bats to wood. The coaches said that in addition to adding excitement to the college game, "a $300 aluminum bat can last an entire 56-game season while $100 wooden bats can break at any time."
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