Week One Observations

In 88 varsity scores that were posted here during week one, the winning team averaged a whopping 9.7 runs per game.
I wonder if there is some point where wooden bats should be considered as an option to restore the strategy of the game ?

 

Maybe the winners were "more prepared" than the losers . . . or it's early and mistakes will come in bunches. Lots of reasons. Wooden bats would discourage so many "average" high schoolers from playing that nobody would be on this board, because the interest in HS baseball would be minimal. Just an opinion.

 

I would imagine that there were maybe some defensive jitters that caused some errors/miscues early in week 1 that upped the scoring. Also, some coaches are probably still tinkering with the lineup. I think wood bats should be used in college. High school is fine the way it is. Just my .

 

It would be great to see wood bats back at the High School and College level...However, due to the $$$$ involved with the metal bat industry I don't think we will ever see it happen.

 

The current group of juniors and seniors is the first wave of the "travel ball era" in NC. These kids have played alot tougher competition than their predecessors, who were mainly playing rec ball at the same ages. Many travel teams also play 3 or 4 times as many games in a year as a rec team. The hitters in particular have benefited by seeing "allstar-caliber" pitching every game. The advantage for pitchers playing travel ball was offset in many cases by overuse injuries by the time they reached HS. The pitchers who survived the gauntlet of 9 month seasons are better for it, but many live arms have fallen by the wayside.

Strength training is another new trend that definitely helps hitters more than pitchers.

Hitters also benefit by getting more practice reps than pitchers, but that's nothing new.
A hitter can take hundreds of swings per day, but there's only so many throws in a pitcher's arm.

Wooden bats would bring things back into balance.

 

I think the answer

is to FORCE metal bat makers to meet guidelines that limit the velocity with which a ball leaves the bat. Currently, batmakers spend gazillions finding that next limit at the other extreme so they can have new models every year. Take away that ability. I know it can be done. All that is keeping that from happening is the money the bat industry throws around. I saw a UNCP pitcher just about get kiiled yesterday by a line drive up the middle. It missed his head about a quarter inch. If the powers that be don't do something quick someone is going to die on a ballfield.

 

Dbacks you're all over it.


I would be very much in favor of some deadening of the aluminum bat in high school to somewhere in between current models and the wooden bats. But the wood piles would be huge if we mandated wooden bats in high school.

 

Bat companies were making composite wooden bats that were extremely durable before the maple bat craze hit. They have the technology.

Believe it or not, but using wood actually helps hitters become better hitters in the long run.

Wooden bat hitting is bonafide. Aluminum bat swings are always suspect.

High school baseball in NC is moving in the direction of slow pitch softball.

 

Back in the day when we were in High School and used wooden bats there were not that many broken bats....kids today have never been taught to hit with them for the most part.

I still say with the money involved you want see the wood bats back....the injury possiblity continues to be talked about but that is about as far as it goes.

 

The price of wood bats would fall dramatically if the bat makers could produce them in high volumes. Right now they cannot due to the lack of use. We sure got a lot of trees up here in the mountains that are just standing around. Some would make some awful nice bats.