Wooden baseball bats are considered to be safer overall than metal, and all professional leagues use wooden models. But wood bats have one main drawback: they can break at any time. Companies have developed composite wooden bats to address this concern and make them last longer.
Composite Bats
A standard wooden baseball bat is made from one piece and type of continuous wood. Composite wooden bats are made differently, using multiple wood types and more pieces that are brought together. According to Baseball Rampage, composite wood bats are made from different blends and include more inner support than if they were made from a single piece off wood.
Purpose
Composite wooden bats were developed to last longer. A wooden bat will eventually break if you use it long enough, and regular wooden bats can break at any time. They are especially vulnerable to balls hit near the handle or toward the end. Composite bats address those vulnerabilities.
Materials
Composite wooden bats can be made from the same types of wood that are used to make standard bats. They are similar to other engineered wooden products in that materials are combined to make the bats stronger. Some bats even use the same wood product throughout but are engineered and crafted to provide more support. Wood used in composite bats includes ash, maple, bamboo, hickory and birch.
Usage
Composite wood bats are approved for use in some high school, college and even lower levels of professional baseball. Many players will use them as training tools or for practice bats so that they do not break, waste or burn through a lot of bats during practice. According to Hitting World, some composite bats even come with warranties or guarantees that protect against the bat breaking until they have been used for a certain time.
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