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The baseball game has spanned over the years; the major sporting equipment used in baseball, the baseball bat, gloves, and hat. When the baseball game started, people used sticks to hit the balls, but as time progressed, innovations and changes were made until a bat just for baseball was made. The baseball bat is a smooth club used during the game of baseball to the ball after being thrown by the pitcher. The baseball game process will not be complete unless the bat is involved. Every baseball player adores and cherishes their baseball bat because of its significance to the game. They are sturdy and are weight so that it does not obstruct or become an added baggage to a player during the game. Before now, the batters made their baseball bats for the game, resulting in their different shape, size, and weight. Over the years and several trials later, baseball bats now have a uniformed design. In this article, we would be taking you into the different materials used to make a baseball bat, which is a bit wider than the material you might have always thought.
What is Baseball Bats made of
You might have attended various baseball games and seen baseball bats although similar, slightly different with the materials they are made. Traditionally, woods from Ash trees were the standard wood used to make the bat, but that has changed in recent times as you can have multiple choice of materials to make your baseball bats.
- WOOD: Baseball bats made of wood were the traditional and pacesetter bats, as people started hitting with the ball with sticks at the early stages until they were later made to make their bats which were often with size, shape, and weight variations. There are still the various types of woods a baseball bat is made. The first type of wood a baseball bat is made of is Ashwood; most players believe in the flexibility of bats made of Ashwood and are most intrigued with its ability to make the ball fly with speed when they hit it. The Ashwood is a ring-porous wood, and when a bat is made from it, it continues to dry out during its life span. Another type of wood a bat is made of is The Maple, and it came about much later after introducing the bats made of Ashwood. Maple wood is a dense wood that adds to the durability of the bats made from it. The high density of Maple makes the bats hold together during high-intensity impact. The next type of wood is the Birch; it is a softwood that makes it extra flexible for use and allows the player to make more whip during play. The more whip it adds for the player adds to the speed of the ball. the Birchwood is seen as a combination of the Ash and the Maple.
- Metal Alloy: The wooden bats have been said to break after some usage, making them not to be usable for a long time. With the frequent breakings of the wooden bats came the emergence of baseball bats made with aluminum but still maintaining the lightweight structure of a baseball bat. The Baseball bat made from Metal Alloy was first introduced in the middle of the 1970s and has still been around. The initial complete aluminum bats dented too quickly. So now they are coated with metal; they last much longer than the wooden bats but are not recognized by the Professional league because they are said to give the batter more advantage of the speed, which would be unfair. They are also more expensive than the Wooden bats because of their components.
- Composite material: Baseball Bats made from composite are a modern entry into what baseball bats are off, it became a part of it in the late 90s. Carbon fibers are bonded together to make the bats highly sturdy and advanced bats in the baseball sporting world. They are also not allowed in professional leagues because of the added advantage it gives its users because of the unique effect it gives the ball when it is hit. Before it is used in the match, it has to be stamped with the mark of BPF or Bat Performance Factor rating.
Conclusion
Baseball bats have evolved into what they are today, with more materials used to make up for the shortcomings of the already made bats. We already shared the three primary materials a baseball is made of; as technology and the human race advance, we might be getting more baseball bats made of other durable, flexible, and functional materials in the coming years. The bats made of woods are still the highly recognized and honored ones in the professional leagues. However, please keep your fingers crossed as we watch the baseball bats advance more.
For more baseball-related posts, check these out:
How to choose a baseball glove‘