Bats and a multitude of changes for 2012 By: Me. A quick history of bats Wood – Early players used to make their own – 1884 saw Louisville Slugger make.

Bats and a multitude of changes for 2012

By: Me

A quick history of bats

• Wood– Early players used to make their own– 1884 saw Louisville Slugger make a wood bat

• Metal– First patent for a metal bat was 1924– First metal bat was made by Worth in 1970

A quick history of bats

• Titanium– 1993: Easton and Worth introduce them– This increased the sweet spot– Z core bats

• Composite– Made of carbon fiber composite materials– Further increased the sweet spot

The “Sweet Spot”

• Its all about energy and bat vibration:– The further away from the sweet spot you hit the

ball, the more vibration (sting) you have and less power

– If you hit the ball perfectly on the sweet spot, you will feel ZERO vibration• This is true for ALL BATS• All of the energy is directed from the bat to the ball

The “Sweet Spot”

• Wood Bat– About 3”

• Metal / Composite Bats– 6” or more

• BBCOR– Apparently is around 4”– Some claim it is 3”

Super Bat “Trampoline Effect”

• This only exists on a metal or composite bat– High end bats are made of double walled

construction

• The outer wall of the bat compresses as the ball hits it, and then trampoline’s the ball back– 5 to 7 mph is gained in ball exit speed– For every 1 mph of exit speed off the bat, the ball

travels about 4 or 5 feet

What was the old bat regulations?

• Ball Exit Speed Ratio (BESR)– June 2001– National Federation of State High School

Associations (NFHS)– All bats must have a BESR stamp on them to be

legal for use in high school starting in 2003

BESR– The maximum BESR limit was .728• They used a 70 mph pitch, hit it with a wood bat, 6”

from the end of the bat, and came up with the number• Huh?

– Ratio of the speed at which the ball exits the collision point with the bat, divided by the combined speed of the bat and ball before collision = BESR

– Bats also have to be -3 (i.e. 33” 30 oz.)

Quick visual of -3 bats

So why change from BESR to BBCOR?

• NCAA:– Average home runs per game were close to one

per game

The fix: BBCOR

• Batted Ball Coefficient of Restitution (BBCOR):– How its determined:

If the ball and bat are moving towards each other at a relative speed of 160 mph (80 mph pitch / 80 mph bat speed), it has to come off the bat after collision at 80 mph MAXIMUM (0.5)

– This is the Batted Ball Coefficient of Restitution

All bats for 2012 have to have this stamp

BBCOR• Batted Ball Coefficient of Restitution (BBCOR)– All non-wood bats have to meet BBCOR standard• They used to only have to meet the BESR standard

– Reasoning:• “Minimize risk, improve play and increase teaching

opportunities”

• Basically, the “Gorilla Ball” era is OVER

BBCOR v. BESR

• Example of BESR v. BBCOR bats:

– Jump up and down on a concrete floor (BBCOR)

– Jump up and down on a trampoline (BESR)

– Difference in height of the jumps is basically the difference in the design of the bats• “Trampoline Effect”

Independent Tee Test

• Batted ball speed off of a tee:– Wood = 75 mph average

– BBCOR = 84 mph average

– BESR = 92 mph average

– 1 mph = 4 – 5 feet, or so, of distance

Why are Composite bats banned?• Here is the problem:

– Even though they are designed to work like wood and metal bats, they do not

– Accelerated Break In (ABI) for these bats actually makes them “hotter” than anything on the market

– IF a composite bat can pass the BBCOR test, it could (key word) be subjected to debate for legal for use

Have the BBCOR bats changed the game?

• NCAA Division I Baseball 2010 and 2011:

– Home runs per game = .94 to .47 (exactly ½)

– Batting Average = .301 to .279

– ERA = 5.83 to 4.62

Offensive Explosion 2011

• Team Statistics– Average: .314– Hits: 212– 2B: 41– 3B: 5– HR: 24 (3rd Place for single season)

– 5 of 9 starters hit over .300