Wood baseball bats are great for practice and the pocketbook

If I had it my way, every league and age group would play with wood baseball bats. However, we all know that is not the case. Wood bats are used only in the professional ranks, and aluminum-composite bats are used in the majority of amateur baseball.

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That does not mean however, that you should never even consider purchasing a wood baseball bat unless you make it to the pros. They can be used for batting practice, because they are cheaper than aluminum-composite bats. They are also less tolerant to poor hitting technique, and can be used to find out how well you REALLY are making contact with the ball.

For instance a ball that is hit off the handle or tip of a wood bat, will not feel as solid as it would off of an aluminum bat. Basically, you’ll definitely know when you don’t hit it solid, when using wood baseball bats.

Most wood bats are made out of ash, but more and more are being made with maple, as they are more durable, and tend to last a bit longer. Bamboo and hickory are also used but they are not as popular as ash and maple, due to the fact that they are a bit heavier.

Grips usually do not come on wood bats, so the player is left with the options of tape and/or pine tar to use. Athletic grip tape can be wrapped around the handle, to help form a good grip. The more popular choice by most players is probably pine tar. It is an extremely sticky brown substance produced from pine wood, which is first applied to a rag, then the bat to increase the stickiness and grip of the bat handle.

There are many more manufacturers of wood baseball bats as opposed to aluminum bats, mainly due to the fact that the process is a little less technologically intensive. Of course, certain woods make better baseball bats than others, but in the grand scheme, wood is wood. There’s not much you can do to enhance them for the game of baseball.

Popular aluminum bat manufacturers such as Easton, Louisville Slugger, and Rawlings also make wood bats, but there are many others. These brands include XBats, Brett Brothers, Marucci, etc.

As stated earlier, most wood bats are cheaper than aluminum bats, because they are less technologically intensive, and cheaper to make. Typically for a wood bat you will pay anywhere from $150 for the most expensive models, to less than $50 for lower-end and youth bats.

Like any other bat, try swinging a few before you decide to purchase one. Find one that feels comfortable for you.

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