Initially played with wooden bats, various levels of softball and baseball allow the use of other materials in bat construction. One of the most popular materials besides wood is aluminum. There are several differences between wooden and aluminum bats and the debate rages on as to which one is best.
Construction
Aluminum bats are hollow and wooden bats are solid. Another difference lies in the taper of the bat. Aluminum bats have slimmer handles because a slim handle on a wooden bat would make it more prone to break. In addition, distribution of weight is more even and there is a larger "sweet spot" in an aluminum bat, which can result in an easier swing and more successful connection.
Physics
Balls respond differently when struck by a wooden or aluminum bat. Alan Nathan, in "Wood versus Aluminum Bats," states that an aluminum bat has a "trampoline" effect. That is, the thin shell compresses during the collision with the ball and springs back, much like a trampoline, resulting in less loss of energy and therefore a higher ball speed. A wooden bat is almost incompressible and produces little trampoline effect.
Injuries
Many leagues, coaches and parents have concerns about the safety of aluminum bats because of the higher speed of the ball. However, the National Consumer Product Safety Commission completed a study on this issue and concluded in 2002 that there is no evidence to suggest that non-wooden bats pose any greater risk than wooden bats.
Levels of Play
Wooden bats are not used in softball but there are many instances in baseball where wooden bats are used. The most prominent example is Major League Baseball, which requires that the bat be a smooth, round stick not more than 2-3/4 inches in diameter at the thickest part and not more than 42 inches in length. The bat shall be one piece of solid wood. About 90 percent of youth, high school, and college teams use aluminum bats, according to a story in the Boston Globe in 2007 titled On the Warning Track.
Cost
Cost vary greatly from one bat to another, with construction materials and durability being the two major components of the final price. David Himmelstein of the Baseball Coaches Association explains the cost in "Issues Regarding Wood v. Non-Wood Bats" as the average cost of a quality aluminum bat is about $300 whereas the average cost of a wooden bat is $100. Aluminum bats last much longer and are significantly less prone to breaking or shattering, a common occurrence with wooden bats.
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