Little League Bans Composite Bats

[quincy]

This entire thing is still confusing. The keep updating their list of approved composite bats. CF4 is on the list.

Approved Composite Bats - (2 1/4 inch barrels)

 

[MTR]

This entire thing is still confusing. The keep updating their list of approved composite bats. CF4 is on the list.

Approved Composite Bats - (2 1/4 inch barrels)

Seems that would be an indication of the absurdity of their chicken little, knee jerk.

 

[shockcoach]

Seems that would be an indication of the absurdity of their chicken little, knee jerk.

How so? Please explain.

 

[obbay]

not to speak for MTR, but they ban these bats and then one by one allow the hottest bats back in.

it's like LL in my town- SR league 3B got a line drive in the face. next year LL requires a mask be worn at 3B and no fake bunt/ swing away/. They enact this in the Majors where there was never a problem and change nothing in the Sr league!

FWIW, after sitting out awhile, the girl went back into the game but refused to wear a mask. missed school the next day but fortunately no broken bones.

 

[InTheCrowd]

You generally can't tell, just by looking at the bat. Sometimes, there are pry marks on the end cap, though - or a sharpie has been used to repaint the pry marks.

I suspected my own teammates when these 65 YO females, used one specific Demarini and their weak half swings, were hitting lasers to the fence.

I know someone who clues me in on how a company determines if a bat has been doctored. It's from the inside of the bat. When the bat strikes the ball, it causes an inflection of the bat surface. From the outside, the metal returns to it's original form. On the inside, the fiberglass reinforcing partially fractures during the inflection and then also returns to place. The fractures aren't large but very small, almost microscopic. Over time as the bat is used, these fractures give the bat surface more spring on it's surface and thus the ball comes off faster. This is the break-in period for the bat. This fracturing slows down during the life of the bat but never completely stops but the spring effect maxes out.

Now, with each hit, the fiberglass for some reason discolors. It was explained to me as heat is actually generated by the impact and this causes the discoloration. This discoloring is the key. If for some reason you return a bat for being defective, the manufacturer can open or peel open the bat and see these marks. Basically they are a historical roadmap of the impacts (hits) the bat received. It should looked relatively speckled with the intensity varying from top to bottom. The most intense part being hopefully the sweet spot.

Doctoring of bats usually occurs on the interior of the bat and it usually involves the shaving away a portion of the fiberglass layer thus giving the bat far more spring then designed to have. To do this, a rotary tool with a metal brush tip is used to shave away. This causes heat and discolors the fiberglass. It's really obvious to a manufacturer because when they open the bat, the discoloration is solid and consistent from top to bottom.

It can be hidden on the outside but not on the interior of the bat. I was told there is a easy way to tell if the cap of he bat has been removed but I don't recall it right now.

The failure rate on doctored bats is quite a bit higher than normal bats but I don't have that stat. I have seen one fail in a game and it was pretty wild. I don't know if the ump checked the bat or not. It wasn't our game so I didn't stick around at the time.

 

[Damiansports]

Go with the Easton Omen XL. You wont look at another bat...