Bat Facts

Over the years, the technology of making baseball bats has changed significantly. The Steel Bat made its debut in the early 1900’s. Aluminum Bats popped up in the 70’s, while Graphite and Carbon Bats came into the picture in the late 80’s. It wasn’t until the early 90’s that the Titanium Bats first made their debut. These bats were short-lived on the marketplace as they were soon declared illegal because it was found that they actually performed too well and were also considered dangerous. After this moratorium on Titanium Bats, bat manufactures chased down the dream of making a bat that could not only perform well, but also maintain the desired durability of the Titanium Bat.

About this same time bat manufacturers developed the Double Wall Aluminum Bat. The idea was that this concept/design would maintain the durability and at the same time provide good bounce. In the last three years we have seen a significant advancement in Carbon Fiber Bats. Initially, these bats developed a reputation for cracking or splitting. However, with the new cross thread technology and the ability to make some parts of the bat stronger (most notably the handle), and other parts softer (for the ball to bounce) these bats have quickly gained fame for being able to withstand as much punishment as the Double Walled Aluminum Bats.

Historically speaking, baseball bat technology has not seen much change from year to year but has experienced technological explosions in between long periods of time. It is only NOW that bat companies have found a way to create durable bats and still maintain their performance level. Baseball Bat Exchange went out and asked a few questions to experts in the baseball bat engineering world about the possibilities of using “used” or “recycled” bats and the following is the response we got. These experts are Professors for major universities that test bats year after year for “major” organizations.

Please note: These experts have requested that we keep their names anonymous in order for them to remain unbiased. We respected their wishes.

Question:
What are the differences between baseball bats from year to year?

Answer:
Usually there is little difference - often there is no difference.

Question:
Does a used Carbon or aluminum bat perform less than a new one?

Answer:
The performance of metal bats is relatively constant until they dent, where performance can increase.

The performance of most composite bats increases with use. Generally, the performance change is greater in a composite bat than in a metal bat.

Question:
Do aluminum or Carbon bats lose their “pop” over time?

Answer:
Some lose their pop and some gain more pop over time.

As you can see by an expert’s opinion, baseball bats do not “wear out” over time like they used to, some actually improve in performance. Because of this hypothesis it is logical to deduct that if one wants to increase their performance at the plate, it does not necessarily take more money. Instead, it takes hard work, dedication, and sound fundamentals with your swing, which, unfortunately, we can’t help you with. But what we can help you with is information about how to select a bat and a forum for parents and players alike to actually find and acquire the bat of their choice at an affordable price.

Physics has proven that there is an optimum weight for every bat user to maximize his or her swing. The key is to find that optimum weight. This weight may change as you gain or sometimes loose strength (based on weight loss, weight gain or just normal physical development). You can swing broomstick fast (a lot of speed but not much weight) and still not hit home runs and you could also swing a steel sledgehammer (a lot of weight but not much speed) and not realize the results you want. What you are looking for is probably somewhere in between. For more on this subject, check out this website: http://uanews.org/node/2845. There are many physics articles that would explain this in more depth but for the sake of clarity and simplicity I have found this to be the best layman’s explanation.

Bat exchange is here to give you an affordable way to find a bat suited for your ideal swing. As your swing changes, for any of the above stated reasons, you can post your old bat on this site and purchase a different one for a fraction of the cost of a “new” one. We, here at www.baseballbatexchange.com feel that the time is right to bring better equipment such as Easton, Demarini, Louisville Slugger etc., to kids across America by making it more affordable. Based on our research, the concept of reselling used bats is very viable and with today’s technology you can consider the first user of the bat to simply be breaking it in for you!! The market is there, let us help you take advantage of it!!