Metal vs. Wood

[nolanryan5714]

In order to keep from further hijacking a certain thread in this forum, I am starting this one.

I am against metal bats. If you are growing up and intend to use the "tool of the trade," why not start early? WOOD is the way to go.

My only exception would be to buy a metal bat for the cages. Those hard rubber balls murder wood bats faster than you can get a paycheck to replace them.


Thoughts? :D

[wogdoggy]

funny we work the other way around ..practice with wood ,,and when gametime comes we use the BEST weapon we can...metal..

your theory is BUNK because only a fraction of people make it to college ball.
as in the previous thread compete on level playing fields and you'll be able to compete...
grooming yourself for beyond college ball seems just a TAD bit stupid.Especially when your chance of high school ball are so slim

[nolanryan5714]

My theory is not bunk, as you say, because ballplayers need to use the right tool - regardless of how many make it to the college level or above.
I never did.


You shouldn't use a Crescent wrench for something that regular pliers can handle.

Don't use a mallet when only a claw hammer is necessary.

Kids should use wooden bats today as much as ever. I grew up using both, but my first was made of wood.

[wogdoggy]

no,,use the tool that performs the best...and that my friend is METAL. :waving

[wogdoggy]

now if we were in a wood bat league i'd use wood.you are not helping anybody by not leveling the playing field..you are preparing for a future that 99.9999 percent will never happen.they still use metal in college so you are PREPARING for your pro career?,train with the WOOD it forces you to hit sweet and tells you when you don't..but when game time comes take use of every advantage you have.

[nolanryan5714]

MLB authorities would disagree with you on that one, man. ;)

[wogdoggy]

disagree on what? I watched frank thomas take BP with a metal bat..IT WAS UNBELEVABLE.

[pads4ever]

Wood all the way baby.....we don't need no stinkin aluminum...... :grouchy

[G-Force717]

An alluminum bat can hit the ball harder, faster, and further to increase your game but that is sort of like steriods so its like cheating in a way that is not illegal. :noidea :confused:

There was a story on ESPN that a pitcher was killed by a ball hit back at him and now the kid's team refuse to use alluminum or metal bats.

Personally i like wood bats better but i dont like the fact that you lose power.

[wogdoggy]

An alluminum bat can hit the ball harder, faster, and further to increase your game but that is sort of like steriods so its like cheating in a way that is not illegal.


what does this statement mean? cheating? how?

[MPAAshortstop23]

how can it be classified as cheating if everyone in that particular league uses it? theres no one-up because everyone is using the metal bat, how can it be cheating? if youre in a league where they dont care either way, i suppose it could be cheating, but yes, its not illegal.

[baseball_in_hel*]

funny we work the other way around ..practice with wood ,,and when gametime comes we use the BEST weapon we can...metal..

your theory is BUNK because only a fraction of people make it to college ball.
as in the previous thread compete on level playing fields and you'll be able to compete...
grooming yourself for beyond college ball seems just a TAD bit stupid.Especially when your chance of high school ball are so slim

About the college part....

Doesn't college and university baseball use aluminum/metal bats??? I know that the UBC Thunderbirds use aluminum, and they play against all the top teams in the USA!!

~~Tyler~~
~~Peace~~

[echy88]

I would use wood with no problem if my league banned metal. If they didn't, I would stick to metal. There would be no reason to use wood while everyone in your league is using metal, because it basically would be like giving them the unfair advantage. Like giving them steroids. I would love to see my league change over to wood only though, and hopefully it happens soon.

[WonderMonkey]

funny we work the other way around ..practice with wood ,,and when gametime comes we use the BEST weapon we can...metal..


This is exactly what we do. I feel it prepares you for college, if you are fortunate enough to go, because the number of swings you are taking with metal are minimal -vs- the number of swings you take with wood. Sure, not in a game, but it's still a comfortable bat to you.

We use the MetalWood bats.

[Wickensie]

does any body know how to throw a screwball????


Lets go blue jays:gt

[DunninLA]

When kids are 9 or 10 age range, a wood bat is pretty heavy, and makes it harder for average strength kids to learn good mechanics.

A 29" wood bat that cost $25 probably weighs 23 ounces. A Demarini Vexxum alumnimum barrel composite handle bat 29" weighs 16.5 ounces (and costs $170).

My 10 yr. old uses the wood bat to build up strength, and the Demarini for games and for learning bat speed while keeping form.

[Wickensie]

is your kid getting good hits???

[CanadianKid]

we can't use wood in our league, once you get to Midget(16 and older) you have to use wood. We have some teams that are Bantam aged (15 yr old) that use metal but we still have to use wood, a bit unfair since they hit homeruns with metal even they would be fly outs with wood.

[chesspirate]

You shouldn't use a Crescent wrench for something that regular pliers can handle.

Don't use a mallet when only a claw hammer is necessary.

Your analogy is bunk though. It's like using a wood driver, a metal driver, and a titanium driver... Same tool, better technology.

Like using a wood handled hammer or a reinforced fiberglass handled hammer, same tool, better technology.

A car made in the 1950's or a brand new one, same tool, better technology.

The main point is that since everyone else is using aluminum bats, a child using wood is at a disadvantage, and don't think that coaches on the way up are going to be able to compare stats and say "well he uses a wood bat y'know" they'll more than likely take the kid that is hitting the ball farther than him because he uses the metal.

[Hawaii]

If the other team has metal, I want metal. Metal bats outperform wood bats--there is no debate about that.

If I controlled which bats everyone uses, I'd vote wood, but not because that's what the pros use and I want my kid to get to the pros. I'd vote wood because:

1. It may be safer. You'd be surprised how many pitchers get seriously injured by line drives. The bat industry says it would happen just as much with wood bats too, but I doubt that. If there is any real chance of saving a kid's life or eyesight by moving to wood, let's do it. A number of high school and youth leagues are switching to wood, and I bet and hope that trend continues.

2. It sounds better. There is no sound sweeter than a wood bat hitting a ball hard.

3. The cost of metal bats is so high that you can now break a lot of wood bats for the same price.

4. You need to be a better hitter to hit well with wood. Maybe a bad analogy, but I don't play basketball on courts with 7-foot hoops so I can dunk behind my head. I play 10-foot hoops because that's the real game.

[PullFactor]

If I controlled which bats everyone uses, I'd vote wood, but not because that's what the pros use and I want my kid to get to the pros.



4. You need to be a better hitter to hit well with wood. Maybe a bad analogy, but I don't play basketball on courts with 7-foot hoops so I can dunk behind my head. I play 10-foot hoops because that's the real game.
How come with baseball you don't care about how things are in the pros, but with basketball, you do?


1. It may be safer. You'd be surprised how many pitchers get seriously injured by line drives. The bat industry says it would happen just as much with wood bats too, but I doubt that. If there is any real chance of saving a kid's life or eyesight by moving to wood, let's do it. A number of high school and youth leagues are switching to wood, and I bet and hope that trend continues.

How about broken bats flying? You might say this is rare, but so is someone becoming seriously injured due to a batter using a metal bat.

2. It sounds better. There is no sound sweeter than a wood bat hitting a ball hard.

Agreed here.


3. The cost of metal bats is so high that you can now break a lot of wood bats for the same price.

I think the price a top notch metal bat will cost you is close to the amount you'd spend using a top notch wood bat in the same timeframe.

If anything in my post sounded offensive, please pardon me, I did not mean to come across that way.

[Hawaii]

Dear PullFactor:

hey, no worries, no offense taken.

1. The basketball analogy is still appropriate in my mind. Not only the pros use 10-foot hoops. Everyone uses 10-foot hoops except when you are 6-8 years old and they lower the hoops for you. In my mind, using metal bats is like using 7 foot hoops because it "makes" you a better player, but artificially. You can have fun, sure, but it's not the real sport. Having said that, I'm wondering why metal/carbonite racquets are OK in tennis. For some reason metal racquets in tennis don't bother me. Maybe it's as simple as I grew up with wood bats, and have a lot of fond childhood memories of wood bats, and therefore wood bats evoke an emotional response for me. Would be interesting to see if the older guys who grew up using wood like wood, and the younger guys like metal because metal is what they grew up with . . .

2. Broken (wood) bat is dangerous, but you have a lot more time to get out of the way of it because it's moving much slower.

3. I can buy a very serviceable wood bat for $29.00. Metal is more like $180.00. Would I break 6 wood bats? Dunno, but willing to try it.

[Billybob622]

Like using a wood handled hammer or a reinforced fiberglass handled hammer, same tool, better technology.


That is not true. Wood handled hammers are the best to use. Fiberglass gives splinters that cant be taken out, metal handled hammers cause too much vibration in the arm which leads to arthritus in the elbows and wrists. Trust me i know this, my dad was a carpenter for 45 yrs.

I believe it is idealy the same with wood and metal bats. Wood is dense which deadens vibration, metal is hallow with foam but still causes too much vibration. Thats why you hear a loud "bing" sound when using a metal bat.

As for speed, im prolly wrong, but i think the difference in speed is none. I have a 32oz wood and aluminum bat and i hit the same, deep into left-center field, but i foul more balls with the aluminum bats.

I always like the Louisville Slugger 180, i use 33in. and it weighs 30oz. Has a nice feel to me.
And for the person who asked how 2 throw a screwball, i can throw one (one of my best pitches)

[CanadianKid]

I can buy a very serviceable wood bat for $29.00.


I bought 2 bats when I was in California. I bought a Louisville Slugger for $20(US) and a Rawlings Big Stick for $20(US) and they've lasted me about 2 months so far, you can't even buy a decent metal bat for $50 but you can get 2 wood bats for less.

[apbaseball12]

Wood bats all the way!!

oh and the bats you buy at wall mart for $20 arent good quality bats, they are just crap. They might be ok for 6-10 yr olds, and you could get lucky with one lasting a while, but after that you should buy real, good quality bats.