What Does Hot Out Of The Wrapper Mean?

When it comes to breaking in baseball bats and softball bats, you may have heard them being described as hot out of the wrapper from time to time. Is this a good thing? A bad thing? What does being hot out of the wrapper mean?

These are all questions JustBats.com Bat Experts have received, so we're going to answer them once and for all.  In short, being hot out of the wrapper is a good feature to have.

That term is synonymous with pre-broken in or game ready. They are all one in the same. All alloy bats are hot out of the wrapper from the start since they do not require a break-in period, while composite bats tend to be less frequent. But, in today's sports world, more and more composite bats are arriving hot out of the wrapper and do not require much of a break-in period because of the advancements being made to the material used during construction. 

Knowing all aluminum alloy bats arrive hot out of the wrapper, let's focus on composite bats only. Just because your bat arrives hot out of the wrapper does not mean you should forego the break-in process altogether. It is always beneficial to break-in your bat, regardless if you were told it needs it or not. And, if  your bat does not come "hot out of the wrapper," have no fear. The JustBats.com team has broken in our fair share of composite bats, and we're here to help you out. 

Watch a two-time All American discuss how to break in a composite bat.

To summarize, here are the steps you should follow to ensure a proper break-in:

• Start with 100-200 hits off of a tee.
• Rotate your barrel 1/4 turn after each hit.
• Take 50-100 hits from soft toss or front toss with a partner.
• Finish with 50-100 real time batting practice swings either with your pitcher or at the batting cages.

Need more help breaking in your composite bat?

If you quickly need to break-in a bat, keep in mind that your bat may not perform as well as you'd like right off the bat (pun intended). And, using a bat in-game before a proper break-in may also increase the chances of it becoming defective later down the road. Whatever you do, make sure that you're avoiding tactics such as bat shaving and bat rolling as those may void your manufacturer's warranty and deem your bat illegal for play. Always follow proper bat care to help keep your bat in the best condition possible for the longest time possible. 

Are you aware of any other proper break-in techniques that we may have missed? Have you ever swung a bat that didn't require a break-in period and was hot out of the wrapper? Leave your comments below so that we can keep the discussion going and help others who may not know.

Remember, if you ever have any baseball bat or softball bat related questions, our friendly Bat Experts are available. You may reach them via phone at 866-321-2287, email at experts@justbats.com, or click here to live chat! Don't forget, we're here for you from click to hit!