Baseball’s rules for equipment are simple: bats are made of wood. A bat weighs around 1 kg, has a 7 cm diameter at its thickest point, and is no longer than 1.067 m (42 inches). While birch and ash are common woods for baseball bats, maple is the most popular. It makes up about 75-80% of bats in the majors. Maple is favored for its density and hardness, which are advantageous in baseball. Maple is therefore the best wood overall.
Why Maple: Because it’s dense and durable
The hardness and density of maple allow the ball to come off the bat more easily. While this rebound doesn’t make a huge difference, it’s enough for most Major League players to prefer maple bats over other types of wood.
Another factor linked to the durability of maple bats is their tight grain. Unlike other woods, maple has diffuse porosity, which allows it to hold up well even under high-impact hits. Consequently, the grains press together when you hit with the bat, preventing flaking and splintering unlike birch or ash. However, if you hit hard enough, your bat can break. Sometimes the wood splits completely, and the bat ends up in two or three pieces on the infield. But sometimes, the sound the bat makes at impact is enough to tell you it’s cracked but not yet broken. Watching the video above, you can see why the bat breaks depending on the ball’s speed, but especially where the ball hits the bat.
In the French championship, four main bat brands are used:
- The famous Canadian B45 bat distributed by 417feet here
- The Eastern European Yaya bat and the gold series here
- The Pro Grade bats distributed by Hot Hitters here
- And most recently, the Mine Baseball bats used by the Boucaniers de la Rochelle thanks to Dirtbacbaseballnation: here
