Baseball season is about to see opening day and this year the game, at least for youth players, will be a little different as runs for bats have chanted. The National Federation of State High School Associations has adopted a new standard for baseball bats.
This switch involves bats that are less springy and will have a smaller “sweet spot,” and is a result of bats changing from aluminum to metal. This is part of the Batter-Ball Coefficient of Restitution, with the idea to create balls that come off the bats more slowly to reduce the potential for injury.
The rational for sticking to metal is also one of cost, while the BBCOR bats perform like wood they actually cost a lot less. So while more expensive, the BBCOR bats will be good for many, many seasons to come. Because the bats will perform like wood, players won’t be getting the benefits that the aluminum bats have given.
What this will also mean is that fewer baseball players should be pointing off to the distance ala Babe Ruth. When the NCAA adopted new standards last year the rate of home runs actually fell almost in half. So those looking to knock it out of the field with the new BBCOR bats might want to hit the batting cages a bit more!
[Via NPR: Swing And A Hitch: New Bats Safer, But Power Wanes]