Baseball chose wood for its first bat, most likely in some form of a stick. And even though wood long ago yielded most of the bat marketplace to aluminum, metal and various composites, its enduring prominence is secured by the Official Rules of Major League Baseball. "The bat shall be once piece of solid wood," specifies Rule 1.10. "No laminated or experimental bats shall be used in a professional game (either championship season or exhibition games) until the manufacturer has secured approval from the Rules Committee of his design and methods of manufacture."
History
After Alexander Cartwright invented baseball on Manhattan island in 1845, players began making their own bats--first from wagon tongue, then from hickory. No specifications were required until a bat's diameter was limited to 2 1/2 inches in 1859 and its length to 42 inches in 1869. The first custom-made bat debuted in 1884 when Bud Hillerich, the 17-year-old son of a wood worker, tailored one from scratch to the specifications of Pete Browning, a star Louisville player whose favorite bat had been broken during a Professional American Association game.
Change
The 1890s produced several changes that affected baseball's bats. In 1893 the rules committee declared illegal any bats sawed off at the end, as well as flat bats that up to then had been used for bunting. Another change dramatically affected the very art of swinging a bat: the distance between home plate and the pitcher's mound was increased from 50 feet to 60 feet, 6 inches. Two years later the maximum diameter of a bat was expanded from 2 1/2 inches to 2 3/4 inches.
Types of Wood
Eventually white ash--harder, stronger and lighter than hickory--became baseball's preferred wood. According to Baseball-Bats, most white ash for today's bats comes from Pennsylvania and upstate New York where it is "often 50 years old" and gleaned from the "top 10 percent" of each harvest. But ever since 2001, when San Francisco's Barry Bonds used maple bats to hit an all-time record 73 home runs, maple has challenged white ash as baseball's wood of choice. "Maple is a very hard, dense wood," declares All-About-Wood-Bats. "The surface hardness is about 20 percent greater than ash. The harder the surface, the faster the ball will jump off the bat."
Manufacturing
With the niche he had created in the custom market, young Bud Hillerich and his father capitalized upon the individual preferences of Pete Browning, his teammates and opponents to launch the J.F. Hillerich & Son company in Louisville. By the turn of the century its legendary Louisville Slugger trademark adorned the bats of such stars as Browning, Willie Keeler, John McGraw and Honus Wagner. As more joined in the competition, the quality of bats improved. "Although bats have continued to develop over the years, wood baseball bats today look similar to the bats of 100 years ago," states All-About-Wood-Bats. "The biggest differences are that bats today are much lighter and have thinner handles."
Selection
Among the factors in choosing a bat are the individual's skill level, experience, physical and mental characteristics. Does he hit for power? Average? Both? According to manufacturer X-Bat, bat selection combines "the shape that feels best in your hands with the balance that suits your swing and experience. Wood bats make your swing shorter, more direct to the ball and more efficient." Certain is the fact that any youth harboring dreams of a career in professional baseball must become proficient swinging what all the pros do--wooden bats.
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