Montana? Really? MONTANA???

[Kevin Finnerty]

Originally Posted by Mrumpiresir

Wouldn't break my heart if aluminum bats were outlawed. We do wood bat tournaments in the fall and there are probably fewer dingers hit but otherwise the game is the same except for the sound of the ball striking the bat. This may also be the reason those bats cost $300.00 plus.

I do wood bat scout ball, wood bat 18U, wood bat 25U, wood bat college scrimmage games and intrasquad games, as well as all the regular H.S. and 18U and 25U metal. There are several major differences other than fewer homers.

Batters universally swing at fewer pitches, and fewer inside pitches especially. They're hesitant to swing at pitches they can't barrel up for certain, because wood is so unforgiving.

There are fewer poorly struck balls that make it over the infield. You don't see guys getting labeled or cued and still muscling it over the shortstop or second baseman with wood.

Pitchers challenge way more hitters. There are some pitchers that play with every batter when he's using metal against him. I see some of the same pitchers in scout ball as I see in H.S. And I see some of the same pitchers in Saturday wood bat that I see in Sunday metal bat. They pitch to metal and wood noticeably differently. My son pitches in college and he pitches to wood differently. He’s also a less aggressive batter in scout ball than in conference ball (metal).

Pitchers also pitch inside more. They're less concerned in there, because they jam more batters with wood.

Shortstops and third basemen don't play deep as often. The ball gets to them slower, and in the case of the third basemen, they’re also less fearful on bunt plays when they crash, or when they play up on a speedy batter.

Outfielders uniformly don't play as deep and fewer flares drop. Like the man said, the drives don’t go as far with wood.

There is noticeably more bunting. Fewer drives; fewer extra bases; fewer runs; more manufacturing of runs. It makes sense. Also, it’s easier to bunt accurately with a wood bat.

There are actually more, but I am tired and sore from all the running around I did today umpiring a wood bat intrasquad game.

P.S. I also hope metal bats are outlawed. A case of pro stock wood bats cost about the same money as an Easton Stealth ... and they last longer.


From the article: "The attorney said the family's victory will not likely change the way aluminum bats are used, but that it could help give momentum to efforts calling for a switch to wood bats in youth baseball."

And there will be an attorney who will someday say that the growers of this maple tree should have warned the bat company that made it into a bat that it might shatter when hit by a baseball and the shrapnel from the shattered bat that put out his client's eye would have had no chance to do so if the bat company had mandated the use of safety goggles when using the bat.

[Mrumpiresir]

Kevin, Everything you said is true. I guess what I was trying to say is that from the umpire's perspective, it really doesn't matter.

[Kevin Finnerty]

Gotcha'

But it was fun to get going with that. So ... thanks!