Are Softball Bats to Hot?

[TheSoftballZone]

I got in a discussion about Softball Bats being to hot and dangerous.

The father was explaining that his daughter has been to the hospital 3x in over the last 48 game after being hit by a line drive. She plays third-base lucky her injuries have been minor cuts and bruising and yes she wears a face mask.

So are we putting are players at risk with all these new hot bat?

 

[DanMaz]

hard to say Ricky. Maybe ask the question are the bats hotter today than they have been over the last 10-15 years? or are the younger athletes just getting bigger stronger and perfecting their hitting at earlier ages? The sports does seem to get better over the years... no? but is it the equipment or the athlete? Most importantly is the smart pitchers wear masks. www.pleasewearamask.com

 

[DLamb]

Masks have probably saved lives. I know a Jr high kid that took a liner off the mask, at jaw line. It rattled her, she did leave after an attending medical professional seen her twice. She was back playing soon after. No mask , probably broken jaw or worse. I’d share a clip of it but not going to out of privacy for the player involved......Also talking to a pitching instructor once, played college ball..was recruited D1 but mask had to go...she played elsewhere where mask was ok to use. Starting to see more D1/ national TV games where masks are being worn . I’d say it makes its way to baseball in next 20 years or so too.

 

[daboss]

There are inherent risks in this game. Injuries can happen. With all due respect; if my 3rd baseman was getting hurt by the ball on a regular basis I'd be looking for someone else to play the position. They call it the "suicide corner" for a reason. I've always ranked it the 3rd most important position on the field. It takes a special person to stand over there play after play.

It's not the equipment's fault. Again, there are risks in the game. Bats and balls meet stringent testing. If people cheat and a player is injured because of it, I believe a life time ban from the sport would be in order. A standard is set that regulates performance for the equipment but the human element is always going to be an unknown factor. You can't be willing to dummy down the bats because some girls can hit the ball harder than others. The standard takes in to consideration the average player. The home run element of the game is a large part of the game's popularity. With that you are going to get sharp hit line drives and ground balls. Teach the kids how to catch and keep them in a level of competition they are comfortable with. Not every girl is capable of playing at an elite level.

Just the facts.....

 

[Heavy Hitter]

Simple answer yes, bats are hotter today. I have always said if you really want to talk about safety then go back to the old aluminium barrel bats from about 25 years ago. But, it not about safety it is about a multi billion dollar bat industry. So what do they do? Lets regulate it with exit speed test and all that other bs to look like they are doing something so they can maintain their billion dollar industry. Heck every little Susie and Billy has to get their new $350.00 bat each year. To honestly and truly talk about safety then you need to take the technology out of the bats.

 

[DanMaz]

I like your points hitter but the 2005 Rochetech is hot and I still carry one in my bag for hitting practice especially to the outfielders. I barely have to swing this thing and it still pops off and even better than my DD's new prism that we spent $350 on.... yes new bats are very hot but there are some old school bats out there that are not composite that have just as much if not more pop. IMO

Daboss.. agree with all your points too. If she is getting hit with balls at 3rd that she cannot field and cant handle the speed of the game at 3rd... she should try second base or if she is quick enough and athletic enough throw her at SS. I want an animal, nasty, no fear, aggressive beast at 3rd who is nothing but a ball hog!!!

 

[tjsmize3]

If you are truly concerned about the player's safety there are a multitude of factors that determine exit velocity of the ball:
Bat specs (compression, end load, flex)
Ball specs (compression, core)
Bat speed (determined by player mechanics, strength, swing efficiency)
Pitch speed
Ambient temperature
Wind direction and speed

In this era of sports science and data based practices, are we sure that it's the "hotness" of the bat that is responsible for any perceived increase in exit velo or is it much more correlated to kids who have focused their training to improve their bat speeds and pitch speeds?

Wouldn't it also just be a lot easier to change the specs on the ball used in game play then try to regulate everyone's choice of bat? I'm not advocating illegal bats by any means, but isn't it easier to regulate 1 ball vs. 18 bats???

Without any real data to prove my point, I have always felt it is the bat speed that is increasing the most and responsible for the perception that the ball is coming off the bat faster in today's game.