Louisville Wood Composite
Over the past decade, maple baseball bats have become very popular with pros and amateurs alike — especially after Barry Bonds set all his records using now famous Sam Bats composed exclusively of maple. The theory is that maple is harder than ash and it doesn’t flex and bend as much during the energy transfer to the ball the way ash does. In fact, discerning fans can hear the difference between balls hit with ash and maple. Maple has more of a dull popping sound. Ash has that classic CRACK sound that old-school fans revere.
But is maple better? It depends on whom you ask. According to officials with Louisville Slugger, the bats they make for Derek Jeter are all ash, while the bats they make for Alex Rodriguez are maple. Louisville Slugger says that the breakdown between the two woods in Major League Baseball is actually about 50:50.
For those who believe in maple, the idea is that it’s stronger and will therefore flex less and last longer. Ash proponents indicate that they think the flex and bend property of ash is actually beneficial to the hitter (this is also why strong hands are so important for hitters).
Maple is typically more expensive than ash. Some of this has to do with supply and demand, but some also simply has to do with the need to subject maple to more stringent drying processes so as to reduce moisture content. Raw maple lumber for bat makers will usually cost about 15-25% more than ash. Obviously, these costs are passed on to the customer.
Bats are also made out of other hard woods. Birch is gaining some popularity, as are hickory and oak now that drying kilns have become more advanced. Bamboo bats are also popular — especially in Southeast Asia. These bats are actually laminated strips of bamboo held together by a sophisticated adhesive technique. Many baseball junkies believe that birch and bamboo are actually a sort of middle ground between maple and ash. And some people swear by hickory (which is the wood Babe Ruth’s bats were made of).
Hybrid bats combining wood with metal, plastic, or bamboo are now being used by amateur players to help them make the switch from metal to wood.
In the end, it’s probably fair to say that each player is going to have to decide what type of bat he or she wants to use. Some young players will buy the exact same model bat from a bat maker in both maple and ash, then experiment. Others say they like to use ash in the summer and maple during colder months. Whatever the choice, maybe one of the more fun things about wood bats is that they keep hitters thinking and tinkering with the main tool of their trade.
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LOUISVILLE SLUGGER POWERIZED WOODEN BAT – NEW UNWRAPPED WITH PAPERWORK ENGRAVED! $15.00 |
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LOUISVILLE SLUGGER M9C271BHC 30 M9 MAPLE C271 WOOD BAT $54.95 |
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LOUISVILLE SLUGGER M9C271BHC 29 M9 MAPLE C271 WOOD BAT $54.95 |
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Louisville Slugger Bamboo Wood Baseball Bat BC243 32/29 $69.95 |
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LOUISVILLE SLUGGER M9M110C 29″ M9 MAPLE M110 WOOD BAT $54.95 |
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LOUISVILLE SLUGGER M9M110C 30″ M9 MAPLE M110 WOOD BAT $54.95 |
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LOUISVILLE SLUGGER M9M110C 31″ M9 MAPLE M110 WOOD BAT $67.39 |
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Louisville Slugger M9 T141 34 Inch Maple Wood Bat $65.00 |
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LOUISVILLE SLUGGER M9P72BC 32″ M9 MAPLE P72 WOOD BAT $21.51 |
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LOUISVILLE SLUGGER M9C271BHC 30″ M9 MAPLE C271 WOOD BAT $3.25 |
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Louisville Slugger MLB225YB Youth Wood Baseball Bat (31-Inch) $15.99 This 31″ Ash Wood bat has a Natural Finish with a standard bat end…. |
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Black Baseball Bat with White Perforated Baseball $19.99 Louisville Slugger, Black — Ultimate Bat and ball — is an Authentic Replica of the Genuine C271 Big League Pro Stock Bat with a plastic imitation 9-inch baseball that has holes and a stitch-like feel. It is 34 inches long, with a 2-3/4-inch barrel, closed end bat. This is the same bat used to carry the Ken Griffey Jr. signature, but does not anymore. This bat and ball are great for baseball game… |
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Louisville Slugger Pro Stock Ash Wood Baseball Bats $44.95 Louisville Slugger…Official Bat Of Major League Baseball! Louisville Slugger Pro Stock Ash Wood Baseball Bats: The same grade bat that is used in professional baseball Made from Pro Stock Northern White Ash Excellent for high school, college, adult senior league and minor league professional baseball Use for practice instead of your more expensive aluminum bat Medium barrel size (large barrel si… |
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Wii Louisville Slugger Baseball Bat $11.62 Swing like the Pros! Transform your Wii controller into a big league style bat. It’s designed to securely hold a Wii, allowing for full use of all buttons, straps and IR function. ?Wood? part of bat features foam construction. The handle is fully Wii Motion Plus and IR function compatible. Compatible with games like: Major League Baseball 2K9, The Bigs 2, MLB Power Pros.Features include: •S… |
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Louisville Slugger Bat – Move $14.99 The Louisville Slugger Baseball Bat designed for use with Playstation Move, is compatible with games like MLB 11 The Show and Little League World Series.Features include: •Swing like the Pros•Transform your Move controller into a big league style bat•Designed to securely hold a Move, allowing for full use of all buttons and straps•”Wood” part of bat features foam construction… |
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Louisville Slugger MLB225YB Youth Wood Baseball Bat $13.99 Louisville’s MLB225YB Baseball Bat helps your kids get ready for the major league with its tough wood design and single layer construction. Player name featured on barrel ships assorted from manufacturer, please allow us to ship the model/player currently in stock… |
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Louisville Slugger MLB180 Natural Wood Baseball Bat $19.99 Don’t make the mistake of thinking all wood bats are the same. They may look similar, but the quality of the wood is very different from one wood bat company to another. Louisville Slugger, however, sets itself apart from other bat makers with more than 120 years of bat-making experience, outstanding turning models, and access to the best-quality wood on the market. The MLB180 bat, for instance, i… |
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Louisville Slugger Hard Maple Baseball Bats, Black Handle/Hornsby Barrel LOUISVILLE HARD MAPLE HORNSBY… |