WHAT’S MY BAT?

• Posted on 7 October 2022
• By Carl Lemelin
• 0

Just like learning how to hit, selecting the wood bat that suits you is an art. All you need are a few simple tips to choose the right masterpiece.

Choosing the right bat for yourself is considered by many to be an art. At Baseball Town, we definitely subscribe to that rationale.

When we first launched our Bat Buying Guide, our main focus was helping parents understand the methodology behind finding the right type of bat for their kids. Consequently, even if we did mention wood, BBCOR and Slowpitch bats in the Guide, we failed to elaborate on what players 15 and over should look for in a perfectly suited bat.

Going forward, when you consult the Baseball Town Bat Buying Guide, you’ll find 4 added sections that cover technical bat fitting information on:

• Wood Bats
• Softball Bats
• Maintenance Tips
• How to find THE bat for you

This blog will focus on assisting teenage and adult players in choosing a bat, since generally from age 15, conventional bat fitting (using arm length and strength tests) should go out the window. Hitting style, batter’s box positioning, strengths and weaknesses assessment and feel preferences are the factors to consider from that age group through adulthood.

Since Fastpitch bat fitting considerations are the same as for baseball, we’ll cover the other three adult bat categories: wood bats (this blog), BBCOR bats and Slowpitch bats (in the next blog).

WOOD BATS

Wood bats are mostly made of: Maple (or Hard Maple), Birch (or Yellow Birch) or Ash. Maple is the hardest type of wood, birch and ash being less dense, therefore considered medium hardness wood species.

Our Guide elaborates on the technical aspects of wood bats, but how does one find their ideal piece of lumber?

First, you must make an honest assessment of the type of hitter you are, and I don’t mean good or bad. If you’re a mediocre hitter, no bat can help you, sorry. Hit the cages at Coup Sûr! and get a hitting coach!!!

I mean are you more of a contact hitter, a power hitter, or somewhere in the middle of that spectrum? In most cases the answer to that question will start the process of elimination we need to use to considerably shrink your options among the ever-growing jungle of bats you’ll encounter in our shops.

Power hitters will gravitate more toward big barrel maple bats (harder wood species), while contact hitters are most likely to prefer birch or ash bats (renowned for their feel) with more of a gradual taper from handle to barrel, which results in a more balanced swing weight.

Secondly, what goes into choosing your bat length?

Two factors: your usual positioning within the batter’s box in relation to your swing path, and bat weight.

Here we’ll mix in the third consideration, because your batter’s box stance should be influenced by your hitting strengths and weaknesses. If you’re having trouble getting around on inside corner pitches, you’ll want to stand further away from the plate, so the inner half pitch doesn’t jam you every time.

That may mean you’ll also want a longer bat to cover the outside corner when needed.

Inversely, if the outside corner is your bugaboo, you may want to stand closer to the plate with a shorter bat. But no matter where you stand in the box, the main concern should always be to give yourself the best chance of getting the sweet spot of the barrel through the middle of the hitting zone to ensure you don’t miss those middle-middle mistakes opposing pitchers will inevitably make.

So, when you take dry swings in the store, take your regular approach and stop where you would normally make contact (hands near the front hip). Then, envision where the middle of the plate would be (or put a plate replica on the floor) and see if the area of the bat from an inch off the end of the barrel to 5 or 5.5 inches off the end (commonly referred to as the sweet spot) hovers over the very middle of the plate.

If so, the length is perfect. If the sweet spot is more toward the outer part of the dish, drop down an inch, and go up an inch if the sweet spot falls on the inner part.

Just don’t forget that adding one inch to your bat also adds approximately an ounce of total weight. But there is way to troubleshoot an issue with the weight, whether you feel the bat is a bit too heavy or too light.

This brings us to the fourth factor influencing wood bat selection – feel.

Unlike metal or composite bats, wood bats are offered in many different models with a wider variety of profiles, to fit individual batter preferences. Knob shape, handle profile, swing weight (balanced or end-loaded), look and finish are all feel related considerations.

Knobs can be standard, flared, extra flared, tapered, or axe handled (latest tendency). And the variations keep coming. Recently noticed in the MLB are the elongated knob (like the one NL MVP favorite Paul Goldschmidt uses), and knob-less (see Jeff McNeil) bats.

The handle profile has a huge influence on how the bat will feel. Some prefer a thinner handle, which can make the bat feel whippier. Others will like the controlled feel of a thicker handle. Bigger handles are also said to lighten grip pressure, thus relaxing the arms.

A smoother taper from handle to barrel will make for more a balanced swing weight. Big-barreled wood bats are easy to spot on the racks. Their taper is much more dramatic and results in a longer barrel with a wider sweet spot, and a more end-loaded feel.

Another spec that plays on swing weight is the cup (or lack there of) at the very end of the barrel. To balance out the weight of a bat, manufacturers create a concave cup at the tip of the barrel. The less wood there is at the tip, the more balanced the swing weight. Inversely, a cup-less bat will result in an extremely end-loaded feel.

Once you’ve felt the bat, waggling it in your hands, taking a few shortened swings to feel the swing weight, then by taking some full dry swings to get a proper feel for your potential new toy, you can get your options down to 2 or 3 finalists.

Then, and only then, should aesthetics become a significant criterion. Looks can be deceiving, and the prettiest bat on the rack may not be the one for you.

Note that the glossy finish on some of the bats we carry doesn’t have a strictly cosmetic function. Among the bats we offer, Marucci, Victus, Mark Lumber and Louisville Slugger all use a lacquer finishing coat that acts as a hardening agent on select models.

There you go! Now you know what to look for next time you need a new wood bat and visit a Baseball Town shop near you (or shop on our website). Did you get all that? We’ll quiz you on it in our bat section!

Come back for our next blog, which will point all the BBCOR and Slowpitch hitters out there in the right direction.