Bat question
 

I attended one of our league's captains' meeting last evening.

There was a proposal that their league (an intramural, co-ed, modified w/ several bylaws amending ASA rules) go to a wooden bat league.

Some discussion centered on safety. They were using the modified ball.

There was a concern that the bats with the 2013 ASA stamp were "hotter" than previous approved bats. I'm not a bat guru by any means, so couldn't offer much in that regard.

As you might expect, a lot of folks weren't willing to give up their relatively new metal/composite bats which cost $200 to $400 each. This, in addition to having to spend additional monies on wooden bats.

They decided to keep the metal bats and start using the slow-pitch balls. This would be assuming the cost difference between the modified and slow pitch balls was minimal.

My question to those of you more in the know is: are the 2013 bats really "hotter"?

Thanx.

I don't know if I'm "in the know" but YES! That bat standard (2013) was made to comply with the 52/300 slow pitch ball, so a harder bat against a "softer" ball does not exceed the maximum batted ball speed limit. It is not allowed to be used in the ASA Women's Fast Pitch or JO Fast pitch (or NFHS fast pitch) since the ball they use is more lively (harder) than the 52/300 ball used in slow pitch. So it is looked at as a system, bat + ball <98MPH batted ball speed.

The 2013 bats are allowed in Men's (and Boy's JO) fastpitch. Does that combination (2013 bat + 0.47/375# ball) exceed the standard? If "yes", why is it allowed? If "no", why is it not allowed in the other fastpitch games?

The rationale for the 2013 ASA stamp
 

The exit speed threshold for bats to be approved by ASA is 98MPH.

To calculate that number, a formula was developed that measured several different variables about the bat, the ball, and the swing speed of the bat itself.
The swing speed was calculated to be an "average" of all players and set at a certain number to be used in the exit speed calculation.

In 2012, several field studies were done around the slow pitch game and it was discovered that the number being used as an "average" swing speed in the calculation was higher than what was being discovered in the field. As a result the swing speed number in the bat exit speed calculation was replaced with the number from the field studies. This allowed bats that would not meet the 98 mph standard with the higher number to now meet the standard. These are the bats with the 2013 ASA stamp.

So the "hotness" of the bat depends on how hard the batter swings and how solid the contact is between the bat and ball.

As a side note, I have learned that a Men's FP league in my area has decided to only allow wood bats in their league this year.

The reason the bats with the 2013 stamp are allowed in the male FP game is that field studies were done and with the average swing speed in that game, the bat still meets the exit speed standard of 98 mph.

It was my understanding that similar studies were to be done in the female FP game to determine if the 2013 bats would be allowed. To the best of my knowledge those studies have not been done or the data is still being analyzed.

That is correct and the answer to Crabby Bob's question. they had the data to show swing speeds and batted ball speeds were acceptable in the men's game. They are working on getting the data to prove it's acceptable in the Women's and JO girls game before allowing it. They are very data driven in making changes to bats and balls!!

While "they" may be very data driven, doesn't logic presume that the females' average swing speed would be slower than the males? And averages being what they are, there are undoubtedly some females that have a higher swing speed than some males.

Also concerning averages, if you're knocked silly by a batter with lower than average swing speed, it's not going to hurt any less. (Although I think that's why the new ball was introduced - less damaging when contacting a human head.)

If data driven to safety concerns, why not use the upper 2, 5, or 10 percent of swing speed to derive the "average".

Favorite piece of knowledge shared by my statistics professor: Statistics is a lot like a pretty girl in a skimpy bikini... You may see a lot, but you could be missing the most important parts.

Off topic: Andy, there's still MFP around here? Can you PM/email me if there are games available?

On topic: Good to know this forum (and my area) has people knowledgeable about bats & balls news. I just show up and work and make sure the equipment is legal and reasonably round.

Back off topic: The orange 2015 Easton Mako bats are the hottest bats I've seen in a long time (comparable to the doublewall Miken bats that were legal around 2002 but banned after 2004 or so). I saw a check-swing slap hit home run over a 220 ft fence last week...with poor contact on a changeup out of the strike zone. The batter ran to first base and over-ran it, thinking it was an outfield single, and knowing she barely swung.

By logic, yes. By process of science, no. Extrapolation outside of the data range is a sin.

You know, many have never seen a ball at 98 mph. Fast is fast and we think of bats as "hot" or "hotter", but totally based on what one has experienced.

98mph is the maximum exit speed and if you see the max, IMO it is more likely in a SP game as FP is more about contact then power, in general.