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History of the Bat

Early Years

In the first years of baseball every player was responsible for bringing his own bat. All players got their bats from local wood makers. At this time there were no restrictions on length, size, or width. The first ever game that was recorded with Alexander Cartwright’s rules was played at Elysian Field in Hoboken, New Jersey. However, baseball players made their own bats and as a result many different sizes and shapes were used. During this time period players experimented with different kinds of wood for their bat to improve their hitting. They eventually realized that wagon tongue wood was the best for making baseball bats. Within the next few years the round bat became the most popular. Every team kept one flat bat which was only used by players for bunting. In 1859 the first restrictions were made to the length and size of bats. It was being figured out that the hitter had a clear advantage in the game because they were able to use any combination of size and weight to get the overall advantage. The restrictions were, the bat could be no longer then 2 ½ inches in diameter but, they could be as long as they wanted. During the Civil War year’s, players began to find it hard to grip the bat so wood makers started putting string or chord around the handle for better grip. In 1869 the first limitation was made on bat length and it is still in the current baseball rule book today. The bat could be no longer then 42 inches.

Louisville Slugger

In the Major Leagues players use either maple, ash, or bamboo wooden bats. The most famous brand of bats is the Louisville Slugger, which are made by a family-owned company in Louisville, Kentucky. It all started when 17 year old Bud Hillerich went to a baseball game playing hooky from his work at a wood shop. Louisville had a local legend named Pete Browning, and in that game Browning broke his bat. So Bud ran out on the field and told Mr. Browning to come to his wood shop and he would make him a new one. The next day Browning used his new bat and got three hits and the rest was history. Louisville Slugger had an advantage because there were very few people who made custom made bats at that time. Another unique thing they did was allow players to come in and try out the bats for size. Then the craftsman would make each bat exactly how they wanted it. The first Major League player to use one of their bats was Roger Hornsby (1915) who was the Michael Jordan of the time. By 1970 Louisville Slugger was making seven million bats a year! As the game evolved and aluminum bats came into play in High School and College, the company switched its focus to making one million wood bats and the majority aluminum. Now a day, Louisville Slugger makes a million and a half aluminum to a million woods per year.

Aluminum Bats

An aluminum bat can cost up to $200 and it can yield about 500 hits before it becomes “dead.” Aluminum bats have been used in the college game since 1972 and were officially approved throughout college baseball in 1974. For the first time in 1995 Louisville Slugger sold more aluminum bats then wood bats. Many people had concerns that the game of baseball was getting too boring and most players couldn’t hit even though they were getting paid more than the President of the United States. This is the first time the discussion of aluminum bats in the Major Leagues was brought up. (1989) Aluminum bats are legal in Little League, Babe Ruth, American Legion, High School, and College leagues around the United States. Although aluminum bats are still being used, they have made a lot of changes to the way the aluminum bat is constructed. Now the only legal bats that are allowed to be used are BBCOR which are composite bats made out of glass, carbon, and Kevlar fibers. BBCOR are the only legal aluminum bats now because of the continuous concerns that regular aluminum bats were too dangerous to the safety of High School and College players. In fact, some states have banned aluminum bats (BBCOR included) altogether. The main manufacturers of aluminum bats are Nike, DeMarini, Louisville Slugger, Easton, Nakona, and Rawlings.

Where Players Get Their Bats Now

Most major league players or at least the big name players get their bats from custom manufacturers. Albert Pujols, one of the best players in the game today goes to his manufacturer before every season to watch Marucci personally make his bats. Many other major leaguers have their bats personally made by custom manufacturers as well. Louisville slugger is still the leading manufacturer for major league players. They have over 300 pro models with the most famous one being the M I 10. Bats also have nicknames like Timber, Lumber, Willow, Black Death, Black Betsy, and Stick. There is no usual or common bat size or weight for major league players. Almost every player in the league has their own combination of size and weight that they like to use. Some players will even change the size or weight of their bat every few months.

Notable Players and Their Bats

Reggie Jackson: When he hit 3 consecutive home runs in the 1977 World Series vs. the Los Angeles Dodgers he used the Adirondack “Big Stick” bat. After this game players around the league started to use this bat which made it one of the top sellers of the time. George Brett: On July 24, 1983 he hit a home run against the New York Yankees in the 9th inning to give the Royals the lead 5-4. He was then called out after crossing home plate for having pine tar past the legal limit of 18 inches from the handle on his H&B bat. Later the game was protested and Brett was credited with a home run and the Royals ended up beating the Yankees 5-4. Babe Ruth: It is fitting that one of the most famous players in baseball history used one of the most famous bats. He is recorded for using a 36 in and 42 oz bat, the longest and heaviest combination in baseball history. He is also well-known for calling his own home run shot to center field while playing for the New York Yankees.

Maple Bats

Maple bats were first seen in baseball around the 1990’s and exploded onto the scene shortly after Barry Bonds 2001 season when he hit 73 home runs using a maple model 73 bat. Maple bats have become so popular today that they are made as often as the traditional ash bat. When maple baseball bats were first being made it was hard for manufacturers to make them with consistency because of the woods moisture content. At first it didn't appear possible to use the dense wood as a baseball bat until new technologies were introduced. If you watch a major league game today you will notice that most players use maple instead of ash.

Current Rules Regarding Bats in the Major Leagues

As of March 1, 2010 the MLB imposed a maple bat ban in the minors. There have been many concerns that when maple bats broke they were dangerous because they would break off in one clean break, leaving a sharp pointed edge that would fly out into the field or into the stands. Ash bats on the other hand would explode into many pieces making it a safer option. The minors were the testing ground for baseballs effort to improve bat safety. After testing for a year the bats that were banned were:

• ultra-light maple bats
• red maple and silver maple bats (eliminated entirely by bat-making companies)

This ban did not affect all Minor League players, only those not on 40-man rosters that have never played in the MLB.

Corked Bats

Corked bats started as early as the 1860’s when a Connecticut team cut out the core of the bat and replaced it with cork. A corked bat reduces bat weight which increases bat speed by as much as a mile per hour on a players swing. The cork itself doesn’t actually do anything but the extra bat speed can add up to 5 feet to the distance of your hit. The only problem with corked bats is that they have a greater chance of breaking. In recent history, players became obsessed with home runs so they started corking their bats which is illegal in the MLB. Albert Bell, Norm Cash, Lenny Dykstra, Dan Ford, Wilton Guerrero, Billy Hatcher, Howard Johnson, Greg Nettles, Amos Otis, Tony Phillips, Pete Rose, Chris Sabo, and Sammy Sosa have all been caught trying to use a corked bat during a Major League game.