Not too long ago I wrote an article on the debate in hockey between wood and composite hockey sticks. There is a similar debate in baseball that is raging even hotter as some organizations are considering removing the use of metal bats altogether because of the risk of injury that they pose.
This controversy has arisen before, but never to the magnitude that it has in 2007. There was a bill, that passed, put in front of the New York City council that removed metal bats from high school games. This law will result in higher costs to most youth baseball players in New York city, dramatically as 9 out of 10 batters uses metal bats that will need to be replaced. North Dakota, New Jersey, Oregon and Montana are also looking at similar legislation. Even coaches are taking a stand in the debate, but not necessarily from a safety perspective, but rather to say that the game will be purer, back to the origins of the game.
Of course, if you have ever watched a Major League baseball game, you have probable seen how wood bats can break and shatter. This introduces both its own safety concern as well as the added expense of having to replace the bats, which is reduced with metal bats. This means lower cost in youth programs using metal bats. Metal bats also create more offense, which, to many, means more excitement. Many organizations, such as Little League Baseball contend that there is no hard evidence to support that metal bats lead to more injuries than wood bats.
In a story on Oregon Live, players that participate in both wood and metal bat leagues see that in wood-bat leagues, batting averages reduce by 30 to 40 points.
There is also a coalition that was formed in response to the New York City ruling to challenge that ruling and toss out the new law that is set to take effect in September. The coalition is called “Don’t Take My Bat Away” and is comprised of bat makers, players, parents and coaches.
