do you think college baseball should switch to wooden bats?

Question

isnt it a little dangerous?

my bad isnt it a little dangerous with aluminum bats is what i meant

Answer 1

Without question Division I baseball should. Yes there is an expense to it but at the very least wooden composite bats should be used which last much longer than wood and perform closer to wood than aluminum. MLB should be behind this 100% as the signing bonuses of these guys gets higher and higher and the biggest unknown is whether or not they can hit with wooden bats. As a former college baseball player myself I know plenty of guys personally who signed and got decent to good bonuses who where out of the game or only still in it because of the signing bonus they got but could not hit in the minors because they were not hitting with aluminum. I am amazed that in the year 2000, I believe, Div 3 colleges were to use composite or wood, which was later changed before the season started, but Division I players which obviously have the best chance of getting drafted are still using metal bats. Granted I know some of these guys are playing in wooden bat leagues in the summer but at best they get seen for a few weeks and that is after the draft. Also if you look at the numbers from those leagues hitting stats are way below season numbers for all those guys.

Answer 2

I think aluminum bats should not only be removed from the college game, but the high school level as well. One reason for this is the danger factor involved. A ball comes off an aluminum bat quicker then it does a wood bat. It gets to the fielders quicker, and I think it's only a matter of time before someone, probably a pitcher or third baseman, gets killed by a batted ball. The other problem with aluminum bats is that it is easier to hit the inside pitch. I played with both in my time in baseball (wood bats when I started at 7 years old, aluminum from about age 9 through high school, and bacj to wood for a few years of semi-pro) and found that there was no reward for a pitcher who jammed a hitter when he was using an aluminum bat. Pitches that normally would break a wood bat at the handle turn into hits. I think that is why so many of the younger pitchers don't know how to work the inside part of the plate. With a wooden bat, that inner half of the plate belongs to the pitcher, but with an aluminum bat, you have to work away from the hitter 90% of the time.
Yes, over the long run, wooden bats are more expensive to use. Perhaps the solution would be for the bat manufacturers to try to deaden the aluminum bats to a point where they perform more like wood. Golf already has done this to some degree - the United States Golf Association has a machine called an "Iron Byron" that actually tests how far a club can hit a ball. If a driver hits the ball too far, it is not allowed to be used for tournaments sanctioned by the USGA or the PGA. Perhaps there should be a similiar program put in place for baseball.

Answer 3

Yes, Aluminum bats are the reason I don't watch college baseball. The main reason the schools don't want to switch is monetary. Aluminum bats are more expensive initally, but they last alot longer. I don't know if any studies have been done about saftey, but I can't see how a wooden bat would be more dangerous.

Answer 4

I was gonna say yes but if you think about it they get plenty of time in the minors to play with a wooden bat and they should at least be good at an aluminum bat before they master hitting with a wooden bat.

Answer 5

Thats what seperates colelge sports from pro sports. The metal bats, the fact that these guys play for the love of the game and not money. The "ping" is the greatest sound in the world b/c u know college baseball is on its way. Besides a lot of these college guys play summer league games that use wood bats and hell they probably use them in practice and b.p. for the fun of it. I know its dangerous but if u eliminate everything that was dangerous in sports then we would have no sports. just go to a college baseball game and hear the ping...thats all u need folks

Answer 6

Yes, by all means. I certainly agree w\ the other post that if they are looking to get to the next step, the wooden bats are what they'll be using anyway.

I just couldn't imagine how hard someone like Pujols, Howard, A-Rod or any of these guys would hit a ball w\ an aluminum bat.

I hit a teammate in the eye during BP in high school and it gave him permanent vision damage, so even at that level it's borderline.

Answer 7

It would be great... the "ping" of the aluminum bat pales in comparison to the "crack" of the wooden bat.

BUT... it is NOT financially feasible for colleges and universities to provide bats that break, crack, splinter and otherwise deteriorate more rapidly than metal bats.

A batted ball can be deadly with ANY type of bat used.

Answer 8

Yes because the hitters at the college level are talented enough that aluminum bats give them an unfair advantage over the pitchers.

Answer 9

Yes Plus not only that but wooden bats are what are used in the MLB and if they want to make it to the majors then thney should use what the Majors use

Answer 10

Yes, because when they get drafted they are gonna be using wooden bats so it would be good practice for when they get drafted.