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Aluminum vs. Wood
Area amateur baseball teams are switching to wood, but the extra costs of the traditional bat spur some opposition
Published: 04/29/05 1:55 am
When South Dakota State's baseball team hosted the University of Minnesota at Sioux Falls Stadium last week, it was a dream come true for baseball fans.
SDSU's promising Division I newcomers valiantly stuck with a Big Ten power before a midafternoon crowd of more than 1,000.It all seemed great except for one sound: Ping!
That sound echoed through the stadium all day, as high-end aluminum bats produced 32 runs, 33 hits and 12 pitching changes in the Gophers' 19-13 win.Those kinds of numbers are one of many reasons that the aluminum vs. wood bat debate rages on.
The debate is often framed as safety versus cost, but the ever-improving technology of the aluminum bats changes the way baseball is played, purists challenge.Overall, wood bats seem to be gaining ground, but their metal counterparts aren't going away anytime soon.
Invading the market
Aluminum bats first became popular in the early 1970s, and their appeal was clear - players didn't have to worry about breaking them.
At the time, that was the only real reason for buying one. The bats were often heavy and dented easily, but a parent could buy one for $30 and count on their kids using it for a few years.This was true for organized baseball as well, where teams that previously worried about breaking dozens of bats during a season could now just buy three or four aluminums.
In 1999, the NCAA made its first significant rulings toward aluminum bats, regulating that no bats could have a diameter of more than 22/3 inches (21/2 had been the standard) and that the bat's weight could be no more than three ounces less than it's length in inches .
Saving money
Amateur baseball thrives in South Dakota, but budgets for the adult teams are modest.
Fielding an squad can cost anywhere from $3,000 to $5,000 for a season, which includes a half dozen or so aluminum bats that cost on average between $200-400 each.It's possible that a team could need from 50 to 100 wood bats for a season and that money adds up quickly.
Individual wood bats range from $40 to $100, depending on whether they are ash or the stronger but more expensive maple.
For major college teams like the Gophers, bat cost isn't an issue.Bat manufacturers are more than happy to pay them to use the bats. When the Gophers, or Nebraska Cornhuskers, or Texas Longhorns use an Easton ZCore 888, or a Louisville TPS Omaha Series, it's free advertising.
The loudest argument against aluminum bats is that they are not safe.
While early aluminum bats were simply intended to be durable, it didn't take long for manufacturers to look for ways to add new dimensions and make a hitter better simply by the equipment he or she uses. Of course, that puts pitchers and infielders at risk.Today's aluminum bats are made from a variety of high-tech alloys to make them more aerodynamic and create a "trampoline effect" when the ball leaves the bat. The bats are lighter and have a larger sweet spot (hitting area) than wood bats, accounting for a faster swing and more solid contact with the ball. They turn, as Gophers head coach John Anderson says, "Average hitters into dangerous ones."
The NCAA claims they've done that by adhering to the exit speed standards set forth by major league baseball.
Researchers at the University of Massachusetts at Lowell were commissioned by the NCAA to figure the average exit speed in miles per hour that the ball leaves the bat for major league baseball. Then, no aluminum bat would be allowed to exceed that rating.The NCAA declared 97 mph to be the average exit speed from a wood bat in major league baseball and set their own bat rules accordingly. However, the tests were conducted with a pitch speed of just 70 mph. Nearly every college pitcher and most high school pitchers throw harder than that.
"I'm no genius," says Anderson, "but if you have a ball that's pitched 90 mph, I would think the exit speed would increase."Anderson's biggest worry isn't for his Big Ten players but rather for pre-teens, where different kids are often at different stages of physical development.
A different game
While safety is the loudest argument against aluminum, it isn't the only one.
Players and coaches say that the casual observer isn't tuned in to the enormous amount of subtle effects aluminum bats have had."The bat is lighter so you can wait longer, and foul more pitches off," Anderson said. "So that means the pitcher throws more pitches, which lengthens the game, and gives the hitters more chances to get a pitch to hit. It really takes its toll on the pitching staff. I prefer a game with situational stuff - bunting, stealing, and the hit and run. There's not as much of an emphasis on power (with wood)."
Political world
Anderson says that aluminum bats aren't going anywhere at the NCAA level.
It is well known that coaches of major universities such as Anderson are often paid five-figure numbers to use certain bats.Money is part of the issue, but Anderson suggests the bureaucracy may run deeper than people think.
Here are some of the main points made in the story:
Aluminum vs. Wood
Area amateur baseball teams are switching to wood, but the extra costs of the traditional bat spur some opposition
Published: 04/29/05 1:55 am
When South Dakota State's baseball team hosted the University of Minnesota at Sioux Falls Stadium last week, it was a dream come true for baseball fans.
SDSU's promising Division I newcomers valiantly stuck with a Big Ten power before a midafternoon crowd of more than 1,000.It all seemed great except for one sound: Ping!
That sound echoed through the stadium all day, as high-end aluminum bats produced 32 runs, 33 hits and 12 pitching changes in the Gophers' 19-13 win.Those kinds of numbers are one of many reasons that the aluminum vs. wood bat debate rages on.
The debate is often framed as safety versus cost, but the ever-improving technology of the aluminum bats changes the way baseball is played, purists challenge.Overall, wood bats seem to be gaining ground, but their metal counterparts aren't going away anytime soon.
Invading the market
Aluminum bats first became popular in the early 1970s, and their appeal was clear - players didn't have to worry about breaking them.
At the time, that was the only real reason for buying one. The bats were often heavy and dented easily, but a parent could buy one for $30 and count on their kids using it for a few years.This was true for organized baseball as well, where teams that previously worried about breaking dozens of bats during a season could now just buy three or four aluminums.
In 1999, the NCAA made its first significant rulings toward aluminum bats, regulating that no bats could have a diameter of more than 22/3 inches (21/2 had been the standard) and that the bat's weight could be no more than three ounces less than it's length in inches .
Saving money
Amateur baseball thrives in South Dakota, but budgets for the adult teams are modest.
Fielding an squad can cost anywhere from $3,000 to $5,000 for a season, which includes a half dozen or so aluminum bats that cost on average between $200-400 each.It's possible that a team could need from 50 to 100 wood bats for a season and that money adds up quickly.
Individual wood bats range from $40 to $100, depending on whether they are ash or the stronger but more expensive maple.
For major college teams like the Gophers, bat cost isn't an issue.Bat manufacturers are more than happy to pay them to use the bats. When the Gophers, or Nebraska Cornhuskers, or Texas Longhorns use an Easton ZCore 888, or a Louisville TPS Omaha Series, it's free advertising.
The loudest argument against aluminum bats is that they are not safe.
While early aluminum bats were simply intended to be durable, it didn't take long for manufacturers to look for ways to add new dimensions and make a hitter better simply by the equipment he or she uses. Of course, that puts pitchers and infielders at risk.Today's aluminum bats are made from a variety of high-tech alloys to make them more aerodynamic and create a "trampoline effect" when the ball leaves the bat. The bats are lighter and have a larger sweet spot (hitting area) than wood bats, accounting for a faster swing and more solid contact with the ball. They turn, as Gophers head coach John Anderson says, "Average hitters into dangerous ones."
The NCAA claims they've done that by adhering to the exit speed standards set forth by major league baseball.
Researchers at the University of Massachusetts at Lowell were commissioned by the NCAA to figure the average exit speed in miles per hour that the ball leaves the bat for major league baseball. Then, no aluminum bat would be allowed to exceed that rating.The NCAA declared 97 mph to be the average exit speed from a wood bat in major league baseball and set their own bat rules accordingly. However, the tests were conducted with a pitch speed of just 70 mph. Nearly every college pitcher and most high school pitchers throw harder than that.
"I'm no genius," says Anderson, "but if you have a ball that's pitched 90 mph, I would think the exit speed would increase."Anderson's biggest worry isn't for his Big Ten players but rather for pre-teens, where different kids are often at different stages of physical development.
A different game
While safety is the loudest argument against aluminum, it isn't the only one.
Players and coaches say that the casual observer isn't tuned in to the enormous amount of subtle effects aluminum bats have had."The bat is lighter so you can wait longer, and foul more pitches off," Anderson said. "So that means the pitcher throws more pitches, which lengthens the game, and gives the hitters more chances to get a pitch to hit. It really takes its toll on the pitching staff. I prefer a game with situational stuff - bunting, stealing, and the hit and run. There's not as much of an emphasis on power (with wood)."
Political world
Anderson says that aluminum bats aren't going anywhere at the NCAA level.
It is well known that coaches of major universities such as Anderson are often paid five-figure numbers to use certain bats.Money is part of the issue, but Anderson suggests the bureaucracy may run deeper than people think.
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