Bat rattle

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Latest news in TX about bat rattle:

To: All TASO Baseball Umpires

Subject: Bats:

Please be aware and make coaches and players aware that if a bat makes a rattling sound that it is considered a BROKEN BAT (1-3-5) and therefore, illegal for use in a game.

You should handle this situation in the following manner. If you hear a rattling sound as the player comes to bat, you should declare the bat illegal and apply 7-4-1a and 4-1-3 a-b. If you discover the bat after the bat has been used, you should only remove it from the game (1-3-4). The bat could have become broken after hitting the ball.

BBCOR bats have rings in the barrel that stiffen the barrel and they sometimes break. This results in the bat barrel becoming more flexible like the BESR bats.

Thank you,
Jay Evans, TASO Baseball Rules Interpreter