A recent debate has arisen (again) about the potential use of composite bats. Now, I have read a great deal on the composite materials and I can understand the exercise of caution in approving their use, but I feel as though there may be a disconnect in what types of bats are being discussed. What should not be considered are the metal-alloy composite bats that are creating all of the safety concerns (especially in the world of softball where pitchers and infielders are closer to the plate).
However, bamboo bats by nature are a composite material only because you aren't making a bat out of a single stalk of bamboo. The stalks must be heat-fused together and in some cases a bonding agent is used to maintain the durability of the bat. But no alloys/metals/ceramics/etc. are added to the bamboo so it's still a naturally occurring substance. The heat fusion of the bat-making process allows the bamboo to become more durable than bats made from a single billet of wood (be it ash, maple, birch, hickory, etc.). In most of the aggressive studies, bamboo had only a slightly higher BBS than standard wood bats and more conservative studies suggest there is no difference in BBS (which speaks directly to a player safety issue). The only real competitive advantage gained by the use of bamboo bats seems to be that less breakage would lead to more aggressive swings at inside pitches.
The "Composite" bats that people seem to be so hesitant to pass an approval on seem warranted, however I think that we may be miscategorizing an entire type of bat as composites and therefore are discounting. Perhaps we should discuss the approval of "HYBRID" bats which have an artificial material for a handle that is less likely to break and a natural wood barrel to maintain acceptable levels of BBS to ensure player safety. An example of a hybrid bat can be found here:
It seems as though these may be a viable alternative to bats that break more frequently and help keep costs down from year to year? Can anyone think of or know of any research out there that suggests there is a demonstrative competitive advantage to these hybrid bats or that they significantly reduce player safety?
Seems like a good debate to have...
-- Edited by The_Hurricane on Thursday 19th of February 2015 12:43:59 PM
What have been the results in the 45's? Do your players have safety concerns or feel that those who use these hybrid and bamboo bats have an unfair advantage?
The 33's are currently debating it but I was curious to know if anyone has any scientific data claiming that these bats provide a dramatic advantage or propose a serious threat to player safety. I think the managers may not have all the information out there because I have found a bunch of material that indicate they do not present an increase in performance that would bring integrity into question and that the BBS doesn't increase to the point where player safety would be compromised.
What have been the results in the 45's? Do your players have safety concerns or feel that those who use these hybrid and bamboo bats have an unfair advantage?
The 33's are currently debating it but I was curious to know if anyone has any scientific data claiming that these bats provide a dramatic advantage or propose a serious threat to player safety. I think the managers may not have all the information out there because I have found a bunch of material that indicate they do not present an increase in performance that would bring integrity into question and that the BBS doesn't increase to the point where player safety would be compromised.
Just looking for all the facts.
RC
To the best of my knowledge there have been no issues and i have not heard of any concerns. To be clear we allow bamboo and i believe wood composites (double check the rules) but no metals. I am not aware of any significant advantage but i think i have heard that bamboo bats may be less likely to break.
There is a website called google that you can use to search for scientific data
Put the info together and get it to your commissioner and managers.
