The main difference between a wood bat and a metal bat is of course, the material used. Wood bats will use a variety of woods including maple, birch, ash and few other less popular woods.
Maple wood is by far the most popular wood, it is dense, durable and light enough to be used as a bat.
Birch is less popular to maple but has similar qualities, birch wood will get better over time as the wood fibres condense from hitting a baseball.
While Ash used to be the king of wood bats, it is far less popular today. It is still dense and hard but has a flexibility to it.
Less popular woods include Bamboo, known for its durability and flexibility, it lacks hardness, often used in composite bats. Beech wood, similar to ash in properties. Tamo wood, a unique wood native to Japan, has similarities to ash wood but is scarce.
Composite wood bats are an alternate to wood bats. Composite wood bats vary by construction and brand but will often have some form a wood in them. Different materials may be used such as fibreglass, carbon fibre, carbon foam and others. While composite bats cannot be used in the MLB they can be used in the Minors and other grades and must carry a BBCOR certification, for this reason composite bats are a true -3.
Wood bats also differ from metal bats in that they come in “turn models”, turn models will decide where the material is taken from on a wood lathe by the bat maker. Turn models across brand can be very similar as it is like a stencil that others can copy from. The most known turn models are based off old Louisville Slugger wood lathe configurations.
271 - Small barrel, thick handle, medium flare to knob. Best for contact hitters who want to control the barrel.
110 - Medium barrel, thick handle, small flare to knob. Good all round bat, great for contact and power hitters alike.
243 - Big barrel, thick handle, medium flare to knob. One of the more end weighted bats, great for power hitters.
I13 - Big barrel, medium handle, medium flare to knob. Power hitter bat, medium handle makes it feel “whippy” and flexible.
Most other wood bat models are “player models” where a manufacturer has changed a turn model to suit the individual player. They come in a vast array but a few of the most popular models include the RA13 (Ronald Acuna) MT27 (Mike Trout) CB35 (Cody Bellinger). The best way to know if a turn model will suit you is to swing it as they all feel different. Our staff can point you in the right direction, just let us know what you like in a bat and we can guide you through it.
Wood bats will vary in weight since they are a natural material, wood bats do not have a true drop weight unless they are composite. Good wood bat makers know by experience how to manipulate the wood to give the best weight. End cupping is a technique used by wood bat makers to manipulate the weight of a bat, the bigger the end cup the more balanced a bat will be.
Wood bats can and will break. Being a natural material with natural fibres it is hard to know when it will break. Some will last a few swings, some will last years. It is completely normal for a wood bat to break and is part of the learning experience of swinging wood, even in the big leagues they will break several wood bats per player every season. You can however limit breakages and wood bat companies have found ways to help. The ink dot on wood bats is a fairly new addition, since the popularity of maple (made famous by Barry Bonds) and birch, and is a way for wood bat makers to see the straightness of the grain. Once the ink dot is placed on the bat handle, it will “bleed” into the wood fibres and show the straightness, just 3 degrees of variation is allowed. By showing the ink dot you can be sure you are swinging across the grain of the wood, limiting breaks. Bat makers will almost always put the label of the bat on opposite sides of the ink dot, except in the case of ash bats, so you can safely swing with the label facing to the sky or to the ground as it comes through the strike zone. *You might notice in the MLB that players don’t really care about label up or label down, they will swing the bat how they like, they have deals with wood bat companies so they don’t need to worry as much.
Swinging with wood is a unique and rewarding experience in baseball. Nothing quite sounds like a wood bat making solid contact, and from experience I can tell you there is no better feeling than hitting a ball off a wood bat in the sweet spot. The sweet spot on a wood bat is quite small compared to metal bats, usually only a couple of inches in the middle of the barrel. Learning the sweet spot is one of the challenges of hitting with wood, and missing the sweet spot will give immediate feedback in the form of vibration. Severely missing the sweet spot will cause your bat to break, so stay away from inside or outside pitches as hitting off the handle or end will push the bat to the limit of its flexibility. *Also never hit waterlogged baseballs and stay away from rubber cage balls.
Q: It’s my first time using wood, what should I buy?
A: We always recommend using a composite wood bat as they are far more durable than regular wood and come with a warranty. You can always move onto to real wood in the future and use the composite as a backup or cage bat.
Q: How much should I spend on a wood bat?
A: A good wood bat will run upwards of $300aud. With wood bats you generally get what you pay for, but don’t feel pressured into buying the premium. The best wood bat in the wrong hands will break just as easily and the performance gain is minimal. Stay in the $150-$200 mark if you are new to wood or just want something decent. Spend the $250-$300+ if you want the best of the best.
Q: If wood bats break, should I buy multiple?
A: We recommend buying 2 wood bats that are the same or similar, just incase it does break mid game. Once you find a turn model you love you can stock up on 2 or 3 of them to have in rotation.
Q: What grip options are there?
A: Since wood bats come with a smooth finish there are multiple grip options. You can put a bat grip on, such as a Lizard Skin or Naked grip. We recommend 0.5mm thickness grips as wood bat handles are already quite thick, 1.0mm and 1.1mm can also work if you want a bit more cushion.
Pine tar is a sticky substance that players apply to the handle using a rag, it leaves behind a sticky brown residue which adds tack to hands. There are also multiple pine tar options, such as Rawlings Pine Tar and Pelican Grip Dip. *Pine tar can get over everything in your kit bag and can be quite messy.
Pine tar sticks, such as Pelican pine stick, Big Fly bat tack, or Ballplayers Balm bat tack, are a beeswax based stick that will have either rosin or pine tar in it for tack. They are a less messy option to pine tar and similarly will be applied to the handle of the bat.
Most players will also use batting gloves in addition to the above options.
Q: Do wood bats come with warranty?
A: Only some of the high end wood bats come with warranty. Usually between 30-60 days. Composite wood bats come with up to 1 year warranty.
Q: I broke my wood bat, what should I do?
A: Pursue the warranty if it has one. Otherwise if the break is minor you could use strapping tape or electrical tape to put it back together to use as a practice bat. Otherwise it’s as good as firewood unfortunately, some people like to hang them in their homes as a trophy of sorts.
Q: My bat has splinters taken out of the end cap, is it broken?
A: Splinters or chunks taken out of the end cap usually don’t matter to the bat and it will perform as normal. Similarly surface level marks such as cleat marks and scratches won’t matter to a wood bat.
Q: Should I use a wood bat in the cages at training?
A: We don’t recommend using any bat in the cages off a machine. Machine pitched balls often have high spin rate which changes the way a ball will impact the bat. Machines are also rarely maintained and can have a natural “swing” to the pitched ball making it hard to discern an inside or outside pitch. If you have to hit off a machine, make sure you are using real baseballs and not the rubber machine balls.
Q: What wood bat brands are the best?
A: The most popular bats in the MLB are Victus(~27%) and Marucci(~17%), followed by Louisville Slugger(~12%), Old Hickory(~13%) and Chandler(~8%) with dozens of other brands in the mix. In the composite space, Demarini and KR3 are both popular bats.
Q: Are the player models their actual bat?
A: Not quite, MLB player bats are usually a bit bigger and heavier than their retail counterparts.
Q: What is “big league” wood?
A: The best of the best wood is reserved for the players in the MLB. As maple and birch are an in-demand resource, the best wood is usually saved for the professionals, it is harder and straighter than what the retail market is allowed to buy. Other than the ink dot test, the wood bat market is unregulated, there are no other tests to make sure it is high quality wood. Only wood bat suppliers know from experience what the best wood is, which is why Red Stitches only stocks these brands.
Q: What is Pro Coating?
A: Known by a few different names depending on the brand, pro coating is a UV hardened resin finish on the bat. It helps add additional hardness to the bat and helps form a protective coating on the bat to prevent splintering. You might sometimes see micro cracks or “spiderwebbing” with a pro coated bat.
Q: What is steel press?
A: Also known by a few different names, depending on brand, steel pressing or bone rubbed is a way of hardening the wood. Wood hardness can affect the performance of the wood, and most high end bats use a form of steel pressing/bone rubbing/hardening.
Q: Do wood bats always come in -3?
A: No, only composite wood bats come in -3 weight. Most wood bats will vary between -3 to -1, with some even being + weighted. This is due to wood bats being a natural material.
