A Wood Bat “Education”

MAPLE BIRCH ASH

“SOLIDNESS' strongest, most dense, Close to maple but with some Less dense/strong allowing not much give flex like the ash wood to flex more

GRAINS Less visible Similar to maple Very visible

PROS Most “pop” Close to maple’s “pop” Longest sweet spot Best inside pitch protection Best with “mis-hits” Forgiving off mis-hits off the end Used my more pros Good choice if new to wood of the bat

CONS Does not do well with balls hit off Must hit with the bat for awhile to Least forgiving the end of the bat. Can “sting” if get the maximum “pop” Not as durable against inside ball is mis-hit (gets harder as it’s used) pitches Can flake

PROS OF MAPLE BATS Maple wood has less give; more energy is transferred to propel the ball versus being absorbed by the bat. When contact is made hitters seem to literally crush the ball, adding 10-15 feet versus less dense woods. The sound of the ball coming off a maple bat is unmistakeable: crisp and loud. You can tell how dense maple is by just by looking at a maple bat. They seem as smooth as a brand new batting helmet. Run your hand over a maple bat and you can feel how tight the wood structure is. Also, the grains are less visible, leaving a trophy shine. This fact is why maple bats are often used as an engraved keepsake or as a more stylish stick for those fashionable hitters who want to look good at the plate. But no matter how you look swinging it, you will look better on your home trot after a new maple bat gives you the extra power you've been looking for.

CONS OF MAPLE BATS Maple bats may not be the best choice for a novice hitter. Maple bats tend to come in at very specific weights by model type and have a smaller sweet spot. The hitter that doesn't like to crowd the plate or who drives more balls off the end of the barrel might want to explore other options. Maple is strong, but that lack of "give" (aka flex) is the prime suspect when a maple bat breaks from a ball mishit off the end of the barrel. PROS OF BIRCH BATS If you are just now starting to swing a wooden stick, a birch bat is a good choice. Birch falls in between maple and ash for wood density. So you get a wood bat that is closer in strength to a rock maple bat, for a nice amount of pop and for better protection on the inside pitch than an ash bat. But, you still get some of the flex found in a northern white ash wood bat, to give you some protection against the cue-ball-of-the-end-of-the-bat mishit. Consider birch your best insurance policy when you just don't have the discipline yet on where to hit on a wood bat.

CONS OF BIRCH BATS While birch bats provide a nice solution for the player who mishits all over the place on his bat, it doesn't deliver all the benefits associated with a maple bat or with an ash bat. If you are the type of hitter who predominantly gets "jammed" when mishitting, taking the ball further down the barrel towards the logo, nothing beats a maple bat for strength. Conversely, if you are prone to mishitting off the end of the barrel, no bat will flex like an ash bat. As birch is closer in wood density to maple, weights for birch bats tend to be very similar to that of maple bats, eliminating it as a viable option on some youth bats and for those who want increased bat speed, while not giving up a big barrel. Birch bats also must be hit for a little bit to "firm up" and reach their maximum hardness, at which point they will approach, but not equal, the pop of a maple bat. All that said, we believe our Yellow Birch is an up-and-comer and should be a strong consideration for any player.

PROS OF ASH BATS The game is gravitating back towards its roots and more and more wooden bat leagues are popping up. With it have come new requirements for heavier bats than players are used to with their super-light metal bats. An ash wood bat is the lightest of the three pro-approved woods, which translates in to more bat speed for the hitters that are trying to fight off fastballs with bigger bats. Ash bats are naturally porous and have the beautiful grains that make wooden bats look so natural. There are many people who don't like to associate the word porous with the art of hitting but it can make a bat very forgiving. The give and flexibility in ash bats creates a super sized sweet spot that is ideal for hitters that tend to spray the ball all over the field. A trampoline effect will seem like the ball is jumping off your bat.

CONS OF ASH BATS Ash bats have two negative aspects that are ironically also associated with longevity. Hundreds of major leaguers have switched to maple, as maple is stronger than ash, propelling the ball further. Ash bats, being not as hard, tend to break in the handle when a hitter gets "jammed" by inside pitches that they hit down the handle, away from the barrel of the bat. Plus, ash flexes well in one direction, but not so much when hit on the side of the engraving or the side opposite the engraving.