Coaching: Metal Bats Versus Wooden Bats

From 1991 to 2001 there were 8 deaths reported from balls being hit off metal bats compared to only 2 from wooden bats.  That is an alarming stat.  Amazingly there haven’t been a lot of scientific studies on this topic.  The only one I was able to locate was from 1977, which is quite outdated as technology in aluminum bats has come a long ways since then (it has come a long way in the last few years alone).  That study showed a ball batted off a metal bat travels speeds 5 miles per hour faster than a wooden bat.  Those that have played baseball or softball know 5 MPH is a big difference when it comes to reaction time.  I don’t need a study to know when I see and hear a ball hit off a metal bat versus a wooden bat that the ball jumps off the metal bat a lot faster than the wooden bat. 

I have children coming up through youth baseball and softball and I would like to see some more regulations or bans put in place on metal bats for the children’s safety.  They have done things in recent years, but I think more needs to be done to make sure our children are as safe as possible.  I don’t want to see any more serious injuries or deaths happen in order to prompt them to take a serious look at this issue.