Baseball Bats

The Evolution of Baseball Bats

Rounders, Caddy, Flyball and of course, Town ball - Town ball being one of the oldest games from which the current "national game" of baseball is thought to have been evolved as early as the late 18th century. The ball was hit by a four-inch flat bat with a tapered handle that could be firmly gripped for control and leverage. By the mid-1800’s numerous changes in all aspects of the game had been made and the players were each responsible for selecting baseball bats for themselves. One of the first documented accounts of a baseball game played in June of 1846 in Hoboken, New Jersey included 9 innings, 9 players on each team, and 3 outs per side. However, because players made their own bats, many different styles and sizes of bats were used. Right around this time wagon tongue wood was predominately used, and players were realizing that a round piece hit a ball much more solidly. The first bat limitation was not voted on until 1859 when bat size was determined to be no larger than 2 ½ inches in diameter. From there the bat length rule was adopted in 1869 (no more than 42 inches) and over the next century and a half the baseball bat has been reshaped, reconstructed, restricted and re-certified [Bat Standards -- BBCOR references: NCAA, ASTM; a great BBCOR bat is the 2018 Louisville Slugger Omaha 518].

What are the differences between a softball bat and a baseball bat? Why shouldn’t you use a softball bat to play baseball, or a baseball bat to play softball?

The most obvious difference between youth bats, softball bats, and baseball bats is the bat's length.The same make and model bat as used for adult baseball, adult slow-pitch softball, and youth baseball/softball will vary in length (baseball - 33", softball - 34", youth - 30”). The next significant difference is the bat weight.

The primary reason for the range of available baseball bats' weights is that the speed with which a player can swing a bat is somewhat related to weight. However, not all bats that weigh the same swing the same. This has to do with something called the moment-of-inertia, which is the physics of a bat swing, taking into account the center-of-mass and the rotation of the bat which together strongly determine the bat swing speed.

Bat profiles, or barrel diameters differ between baseball, softball and youth bats.The barrels of baseball bats are fatter than those of softball bats. Adult softball bats (both slow-pitch and fast-pitch) are narrower, with diameters of only 2-1/4". Youth bats have the same diameter as adult slow-pitch bats.

Understanding the differences between baseball bats, deciding on the right kind of bat and buying the right bat for yourself or your child might  seem a  daunting task if you are very new to this game. 

There are so many different bats on the market – which piece of baseball equipment will be best for you and your baseball games? Which one might be a dud? Is this one right for your league? What makes that one worth the price?

You surely don’t want to make a poor decision and waste your money on a bat that doesn’t serve your purpose. That is exactly why you should purchase your baseball bats and gear from real humans who love the game as much as you do.