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| SOFTBALL LINKS |
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Batting Around Some Bat Considerations
by Dave
Monday, April 03, 2006
Writing is like raw creation or, if you prefer, violent evolution. I sit here like a smelly stew of amino acids waiting for that electric spark to turn the lifeless lump of my existence into something living and breathing. I'm a dank puddle of chemicals looking for a mystical catalyst. Then something happens which causes my itchy fingers to start jumping over the worn keyboard and, maybe, if I'm lucky, a thought will come to me like the spark of a rocket and the synergy of spark and chemicals will cause a life-creating explosion.
My Little Wooden BatI grew up in a simpler time when the mating dance of the robins meant it was time to start practice only if the spring rains let up enough to make our swampy fields playable. We had no indoor facilities. Artificial turf was something found only in professional sports. There wasn't even a daylight savings time to completely mess with our minds while providing an extra hour of practice time. Everything was good and right in the universe, everything was in harmony.
I recall one rainy spring day when our first practice was cancelled and my father decided to spend our free time getting me a bat of my own. I was 13 and swinging a piece of 31 or 32 ounce lumber provided by the recreational department of our little town. So we ventured out to the sporting goods store where there were maybe two or three different models in a variety of weights and sizes. My father found a 33 ounce Louisville Slugger on the bargain side of the racks. I think it cost less than twenty dollars. I don't know the model but it didn't matter, it was mine.
We left the sporting goods store and found the sun had come out. Because the fields weren't yet playable, my father decided to take a drive to the closest batting cages, half an hour away, where the batters stood on blacktop and the soggy ground didn't make much difference. I couldn't get the bat around fast enough to hit much of anything so we went home where my father proceeded to drill an ounce or two out of the end to make it lighter. Then he painted the barrel end black to earn some style points. That was the state of bat technology of my playing days.
That bat and I enjoyed a good long-term relationship because as I got older, the pitching got better and faster, and I never needed anything heavier. It had a fat handle, probably too fat but the wood was very hard making balls jump on contact. I got to know that bat very well since we shared the same bed for perhaps a thousand nights. I gave all the credit for my success to that modified piece of cheap wood. It didn't nearly have the technology of today's bats. But it was my very own and I loved it. When my teammates starting showing up with the "new" "aluminum" bats, I never gave a thought to trying them.
Modern Technology and WeightToday things are more complex. Wood is only used in Major League Baseball in the interests, I suppose, of preserving the game's history. Even those wood bats are far more technologically advanced than the bats of my youth. All sorts of experiments with different wood types and kilning processes has resulted in Major Leaguers typically using bats no heavier than the one of my youth. Science has injected itself into the art of the game. Physicists (that's right, physicists) have used collision analysis to determine that the optimal weight for a baseball bat is something like 18 ounces. No bats are made anywhere near that weight because it just isn't possible to make one long enough. But wooden bat manufacturers have used technology to bring weights down to the lowest levels possible.
I suppose with metal science, it would be possible to make bats at the optimal length and weight the way it isn't using wood. But no manufacturers are producing 34 inch 18 ounce bats. That's because there are all sorts of sports governing bodies which would never allow the perfect weight/length combination to be used because it isn't safe for the players in the field. The most important of these bodies for us is the ASA, the national governing body of USA softball. They limit how fast a ball coming off a bat can be to 98 miles per hour. Their limits and testing results are used for a lot of play beyond what is sanctioned by the ASA including NCAA, most high school and even PONY play. The ASA initially tests bats, then, as I told you the other day, audits those previously approved. A discussion of the testing methodology in unimportant in the discussion at hand. But what is important is to note that in determining the optimal weight for your bat, less is more! If you are a player, get yourself the lightest bat you can provided that the length is acceptable.
Length to Weight
The business of making bats is heady engineering stuff since the manufacturers must not just make the most powerful bat they can dream up but rather must limit the hit ball speed to 98. Since bats change once they are used, they must consider the way metal alters after use when drawing up plans for a new model. The bottom line here is to create and manufacture a bat which comes as close as possible to the 98 mph limit without going over even after use. There are also restrictions on the ratio of weight to length. When speaking of softball bats, the key relationship is determined by taking the length in inches and subtracting the weight in ounces. Softball people speak of, for example, a "minus 10" bat as one which is 31 inches and 21 ounces or 34 inches and 24 ounces.
When trying to find the best length-weight relationship for you, there is some degree of personal preference. Some girls like a heavier bat despite what science says. They go with a minus 8 because they prefer it. But I think that if you go across the long list of top players, you will find more girls using minus 10s than anything else. Understand this is my observation only, not the results of a scientific poll. I just see more good hitters using minus 10.
Some Hot ModelsBefore I begin this section, I want to again tell you that nothing in this article qualifies as an "expert opinion" because I am not an expert in softball bats. I have not scientifically tested all the available bats on the market. What I have to say is opinion. But I want to share a few observations I have made with you. First let me say that hitting is a high percentage stroke mechanics with the remainder mental. Most likely very little of what makes a good hitter has to do with bat technology unless and until you are at high levels of competition where every slight edge can make the difference between winning and losing a basehit and a ground out. If your daughter is playing recreational ball, you probably don't need any more than I have already given you with respect to weight and length to weight considerations. Get a light weight bat and read no further regardless of your personal wealth. Don't spend much money on a bat until she has tried a few. As with weight, in dealing with price, less is more.
If your daughter is a serious competitor, you may want to take a look around and see what "all the good girls" are currently using. From what I have seen, in competitive softball the most popular models are, alphabetically, Anderson Rockettech (sometimes spelled "Rocket Tech"), Demarini Evo (short for evolution), Louisville Slugger Catalyst, and Miken Freak. In my humble opinion all of these and several others most likely have tested at or near the permissible upper speed limit. They all cost around 2 and a half sheets ($250). If you can do better, more power to you but my experience has been that if you buy at retail, you are probably going to pay the same price regardless of where you make your purchase. It is entirely possible if you are involved with an organization, that they may be able to get a particular model bat at a discount. Talk to your organization's officers. You can also find these bats on ebay.com but open bidding will often cause the price to rise near these levels.
As a final observation, at the beginning of this writing I suggested to you that when I write, I am in search of a catalyst. The thing which spurred the writing of this article was the Louisville Slugger FPC205 Catalyst. This bat is a minus ten, with lengths starting at 31 inches and is used by some of the best hitters in the world. There are a couple Catalyst models available but the "205" is the yellow one with the minus ten ratio. The FPC305 has been banned by the ASA. The FP72C is a new model replacing the "305" made especially to maintain ASA qualification while withstanding heavy use. It has a minus eight ratio.
Recently the "205" has become the hottest bat in travel ball around my area. Also I watched a very high level college game on TV the other day and almost every batter not using the "205" was using the "72C." The only exception was one or two girls who had the Anderson Rockettech which is a minus 9. That's what caused me to write this. I see the "205" now whenever I close my eyes. And my kid, for whom I just purchased an average bat on the cheap, has informed me that what she wants is the Catalyst -10. I wish my father was around to see this.
I have read comments on forums indicating that neither of these bats is particularly good for bunting or slapping but I have to disagree. I saw these college girls have no trouble at all performing either skill using the catalyst and the Rockettech. And reason tells me that technique in bunting and slapping far outpaces bat type. There's no way you should feel the need to use a different bat for small ball. If you don't bunt well using a the catalyst, get back to practice and work on your bunting technique.
The one valid complaint I have heard about the Catalyst and the Rockettech is they are not good cold weather bats. There is no way to obtain a metal bat which is going to be as effective at 40 degrees as it is at 90. Metal reacts to temperature so it is entirely understandable that bats perform differently at different temperatures. I do not have a good cold weather bat suggestion for you today. Maybe I'll get to that another time.
For now, I wish you good hitting regardless of which bat you use!
Permanent Link: Batting Around Some Bat Considerations
 
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