Let's set the stage. You’re at the batting cages. You've just unboxed your brand-new wood baseball bat, and you're starting to get in the zone. Then, out of nowhere, you hear that all-too-familiar crack! Your wood bat just broke. The barrel ends up 60 feet in front of you and all you have left is a small handle in your batting gloves. We've tasked the Bat Experts at JustBats with devising the proper plan of action to help you avoid breaking your bat. While these methods are not guaranteed, they will minimize the likelihood of your wood bat breaking.
So, why do wood bats break and how can you prevent it from happening to your bat? While the engineering of baseball bats has come a long way, there is still a risk of a bat breaking regardless of the player's type, age, and strength. For any wood baseball bat to last longer, multiple factors come into play, such as the type of wood, how you’re hitting, where you're hitting, the quality of the wood, and even the weather.
Type of Wood:
Don’t believe for a second that some wood types will break while others will not. There is no exception when it comes to breaking wood bats. Whether using maple, ash, birch, bamboo, or even composite wood, your bat will eventually break with enough use. Here are the pros and cons of each type of wood when it comes to breaking:
- Maple wood bats: If you’re using a maple bat, while it is much harder and typically offers more pop than ash, it’s more likely to split into two pieces. This is because of maple's inability to flex when hit off the end. No flex results in the shock traveling down the barrel and breaking out of the weakest part of the bat (the handle). This is why you see the barrel flying out into the infield during MLB games.
- Ash wood bats: Ash bats are on the opposite end of the spectrum when compared to maple. While they do not give off as much pop as maple wood, they are more forgiving when hitting a baseball. Ash bats won't break in two like a maple bat but rather splinter or flake apart into a thousand little pieces (give or take a couple hundred). One way to prolong the life of your ash bat is to make sure you're not repeatedly hitting in the same spot over and over again.
- Birch wood bats: While birch offers the best of both worlds with maple-like pop and ash-like flex, the popularity of this wood type has still not completely caught on. More and more pros, minor league players, and amateurs are starting to lean towards birch wood as an alternative to maple or ash. This is a great choice for those first starting out with wood baseball bats.
- Bamboo wood bats: While bamboo isn't technically a wood (it's considered a grass), it is still used to create baseball bats. Bamboo is one of the strongest natural materials on the planet so these "wood bats" tend to offer the longest life. Their effectiveness may not be up to par in comparison to other wood types, but Bamboo baseball bats will usually come with pretty long warranty periods when compared to most other wood bats.
- Composite wood bats: Composite wood bats, such as the Baum Bat, tend to last much longer than other wood types. Typically, these composite wood bats have a core made of durable, composite material. That core is then enveloped by a wood shell. The composite core is going to make the bat extremely durable, and because of that, these bats should last the longest. Baum claims that their Baum bat is "indestructible"; a theory that has since been tested by JustBats.
Type of Ball:
Nothing other than a normal baseball should be used when swinging a wooden bat (the only exceptions being a tennis ball, Wiffle ball, or even pickleballs). Try to avoid waterlogged balls as they tend to be much heavier and much harder and will greatly increase the chances of breaking your bat. Also, keep in mind that rubber batting cage balls are just as bad, if not worse. Batting cages purchase these balls because of their long-lasting nature in comparison to real baseballs. However, they are ruthless when used with wood bats. JustBats recommends avoiding these rubber batting cage balls at all costs to prolong the life of your bat.
How You're Hitting:
Batting experience will increase the life of your wood bat, believe it or not. Hitting with a wood bat will drastically enhance your hitting mechanics and give you more confidence once you make the switch back to metal or composite. The number one tip we can give you is to make sure you're hitting the ball right in the sweet spot of the barrel. Wood bats do tend to have a smaller sweet spot in comparison to aluminum or composite bats.
If you miss that sweet spot, miss-hits can easily be the cause of a broken bat. Keep your contact with a baseball away from the end of a barrel and avoid hits toward the handle. Hits on the handle, or "getting jammed," will not only greatly increase the chances of your wood bat breaking, but it is going to sting your hands like never before. If a pitcher is trying to saw you off (pitch inside), choose your swings wisely. Have a good eye and wait for the right pitch. Getting jammed by a 90+ mph fastball that is inside will likely break your wood bat, regardless of how new it is.
Have you heard the phrase, “Hit with the label up?” What is the science behind this saying? What does this even mean? Is there any truth to it or is it all superstition? It's great advice so make sure you're pointing that label to the sky and here's why...
- For ash bats, manufacturers will always place their label on the face grain (i.e. the weakest hitting surface of an ash bat). If you keep the label up (or down), this ensures that a baseball will come into contact with the edge grain of your ash wood bat (i.e. the strongest part of your ash bat). For ash bats, you can think of them like a deck of cards. If you hit a deck of cards on the face, it will flex, but if you hit a deck of cards on the edge, it will be rock solid. For an ash bat: you want to make contact with the straight edge grain and avoid the face oval grain.
- This advice differs when swinging a maple or birch bat. For maple and birch bats: a hitter will experience the best durability when they hit the baseball on the face grain of the bat. Because of this, manufacturers will put their label on the edge grain of a maple or birch bat. In nearly all cases, you can still use the label as your guide on maple or birch bats and ensure that it is either facing label up (or down).
The Quality of the Wood:
The slope of the grain is a huge factor when determining the quality of a wood baseball bat. It will also have a huge impact on overall strength and durability. What is the slope of grain, you ask? Simply put, it is how straight, how parallel, and how spaced out the grains of a wood bat are. If your bat has a completely straight grain (0-degree angle) then it is more likely to last. If the wood is cut at any sort of angle, then it is more susceptible to breakage.
To measure the slope of grain, the MLB uses what is called an Ink Dot Test. In short, the ink dot is required to be present on maple and birch bats on the face grain. The MLB trusts that this ink dot signifies that the manufacturer measured the degrees of the slope of grain and that the measurement did not vary more than 3 degrees (+/-) away from the longitudinal axis of the bat. So, if you want your wood bat to last longer, look for one with an ink dot on the handle. If you are using an ink dot certified maple or birch baseball bat, always ensure that you are hitting baseballs on the ink-dotted (face grain) side of the bat to make sure you experience the best durability.
Another identifier of a high-quality, durable wood bat is whether or not its barrel comes bone-rubbed. This is when a wood bat company or an individual takes an animal bone, piece of steel, or porcelain surface and rubs it against a wood bat's barrel with as much pressure as possible in an attempt to smooth and harden the surface. You may have seen a bone in an MLB dugout or heard one of your favorite players talk about boning their bat. The art of boning wood bats has been around for a long time and for a good reason. As previously stated, boning helps harden the barrel, smooth it out, and compresses it to be denser. A denser barrel is more likely to rap out sharper and further hits.
.png)
Wood Bat Turn Models:
Wood bats are typically categorized by their turn model. Turn models can be thought of as a sort of blueprint for different characteristics that make up a wood bat. These characteristics affect both swing weight, overall feel, and durability. A turn model that includes a big barrel with a thin handle is more likely to break in comparison to a turn model with a thick handle. Here are the four main turn models and their specifications to help differentiate them:
- 110 Turn: With a 2 1/2 inch barrel diameter and a long taper down to a thick 1.00-inch handle, the 110 turn model is one of the best regarding breakage. The thick handle will add tremendously to the bat's durability, and a balanced swing weight helps keep the excess weight away from the end of the barrel. This is by and large the most popular turn model for players who are new to wood bats.
- 271 Turn: The 271 turn model is very similar to that of a 110. The handle thickness will be slightly smaller at 15/16 inches, but the barrel diameter remains the same. The difference in handle thickness leads to the bat feeling a little more barrel-heavy than the 110 (but still fairly easy to swing). This design has made it a beloved bat for power and contact hitters alike But, that thinner handle also means it is more susceptible to breakage in comparison to a 110 turn model.
- I-13 Turn: Used by some of the game's best players, the I-13 turn model is extremely popular. The big difference between an I-13 and the previous two is that the taper of the bat is more extreme. With a medium taper comes an end-loaded swing feel. An end-loaded swing feel is awesome for power hitters, but it also comes at a price.
- 243 Turn: With the largest barrel of the four at 2 5/8 inches, a 243 turn model will feature the most end-loaded swing weight of the bunch. Not only will a 243 turn model come with a huge barrel but the handle is smaller than all other turn models at 29/32 inches. This combination of a large barrel with an extra thin handle makes it a great choice for power hitters, but it is also a recipe for possible breakage.
Weather:
The weather has a serious impact on the life of your wood baseball bat. Moisture and extreme cold do not mix well with wood bats. At JustBats, we recommend limiting the use of any "gamer" bat in temperatures below 60 degrees Fahrenheit and avoiding use it in the rain (hopefully, your game gets rain-delayed before that happens). Furthermore, do not store it in your vehicle's trunk if it is outside and don't store it in a garage that is not climate-controlled. Take your bat indoors and avoid those environments at all costs. Always follow the JustBats bat care tips to help you keep your bat in the best condition possible for the longest time possible.
&url=http%3a%2f%2fwww.justbats.com%2fblog%2fpost%2fhow-to-keep-your-wood-bats-from-breaking%2f){kind=small}
