Wooden Versus Aluminum Bats
Wooden Versus Aluminum Bats What happened to the old fashioned crack of the bat? The wooden bat has been used since the game’s establishment in 1864. An aluminum bat is more dangerous that a wooden bat due to the advanced technology. However, I believe that a wooden bat is better than a aluminum bat. The baseball bat controversy has been lingering over amateur baseball since the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) allowed the use of aluminum bats for the first time in 1974 (Adelson). Every year there is another injury to pitcher as a result of the aluminum bat due to its exit velocity. The exit velocity of a ball plays a key role in determining the level of risk of injury. It is defined as the speed of the ball off the bat. The standard exit velocity of an aluminum bat at the sweet spot is nearly 105 mph. That is nearly fifteen times faster than any wooden bat. “Last year, Andrew Sanchez, a Cal State Northridge pitcher had his skull fractured by a ball hit by an aluminum bat” (Adelson5). Sanchez later sued the NCAA and Louisville Slugger, one of the two makers of the high powered aluminum bat. Louisville Slugger remarked, “Sanchez should have known that the high powered bats increased the risk of injuries of injuries to pitchers” (Adelson 5). Although the aluminum bat increases the risk of injury, all sports have some level of risk. In an observation by Baum Bat research, within the lapsed time of .1332 seconds, a pitcher could not move fast enough to duck one inch, raise his glove four inches, or even move his shoulder four inches. This pitcher only suffered a broken jaw and a concussion (Research 16). Baum research also shows that sixty percent of balls hit by aluminum bats arrive in less that .375 seconds, while only five percent of balls hit by wooden bats get to the pitcher’s mound in the same amount of time. There are two key factors that contribute to a more powerful bat; balance point and weight. Obviously, the lighter the bat, the
Bibliography: Feb.8, 2000 There is a tremendous amount of physics and engineering that goes into the design of a baseball or softball bat, especially the new high-tech aluminum and composite bats which are currently dominating the market 8 Nov. 2001 It 's a harder sell to colleges