The wooden bat has been an essential part of the game of baseball from its early beginnings onward. While many baseball bats are now made of metal or composite materials, such as Kevlar or carbon fiber, the wooden bat is the mainstay of the sport and is the only type of bat sanctioned for use in Major League Baseball.
Early Bats
In the 1850s, when baseball was young, players made their own bats. There were no rules concerning the shape, size or materials used for bats, Steve O's Baseball Umpire Resources website explains. Players tried different designs --- flat surfaces, curved surfaces, and long, short, wide and narrow barrels. They also tried different woods. Eventually, players found that a straight, round barrel made of wood for wagon tongues provided the most consistent results.
Rules
In 1859, the first baseball bat rule was introduced, stating that a bat could be no larger than 2 1/2 inches in diameter. This rule saw many players turn to woodworkers to manufacture their bats, Steve O's Baseball Umpire Resources notes. In 1869, another rule set the maximum length of the bat to 42 inches, a measurement that, as of 2010, Major League Baseball still follows. Two more rules, established between 1893 and 1895, prohibited flat bats and bats sawed off at the end. The legal diameter of bats was also changed to 2 3/4 inches. As of 2010, rules also control modifications to bats, including the use of grip adhesives, such as pine tar, and prohibiting corking or loading bats to change their weight.
Design
As the sport evolved through the 1860s and '70s, the form of the bat became more standardized, with a wide end tapering to a narrow handle. The knob on the handle, which provided greater control, also became a standard in the design. This simple and efficient style has remained relatively unchanged to the modern game.
Louisville Slugger
During a Professional American Association game in Louisville, Kentucky, in 1884, player Pete "The Gladiator" Browning broke his bat. John Hillerich, a local woodworker watching the game, offered to make Browning a new bat. Working throughout the night, they produced the bat from a piece of white ash. Browning used the bat so successfully during the next day's game that many players approached Hillerich to make them bats, and the "Louisville Slugger" was born, the company's website explains. This bat became the gold standard by which all other bats were measured at that time.
Branding
The Louisville Slugger trademark emblazoned on the side of baseball bats led to other manufacturers branding the barrels of their bats with their trademarks. In 1905, Honus Wagner, a Pittsburgh Pirates star destined for the Hall of Fame, signed a contract with the manufacturers of the Louisville Slugger to burn his signature into the side of the bat. This, the company website notes, began a trend among manufacturers of using names of famous players in the design of their wooden bats to improve the marketing appeal, which continues in the modern game.
Modern Bats
As of 2010, other than slightly thinner handles, modern wooden baseball bats look very similar to those used more than a century ago. Various factors continue to influence the production of baseball bats --- different types of wood, such as maple; scientific evaluation of bat taper; and other legal modifications. As the sport of baseball continues to evolve, the wooden baseball bat will likely follow suit.
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