What is a composite baseball bat?

Composite baseball bats are here to stay, so know them, live them and love them.

Stronger and lighter than high-grade aluminum, composite baseball bats are made of a graphite fiber composite material or have a graphite-clad aluminum core.

The main advantage of the composite is that it is lighter than aluminum and therefore provides a larger barrel and sweet spot within the designated drop ratio. Composite bats provide much more forgiveness for the imperfect swing and have the potential to turn the average hitter into a cleanup hitter.

compound beats they have been used and accepted in softball for the last ten years. They were introduced to baseball around the same time, but were shunned in the baseball community for two reasons. First, the earliest bats were much more susceptible to breaking and were considered brittle. Second, and surprisingly more important, was that they didn’t produce the characteristic “ping” of an aluminum bat. We’ve all gotten so used to hearing the ping that we think a bat has no pop when we don’t hear it. I remember a high school player telling me they were terrible because they sound like a wooden bat. Because of this, manufacturers gave up on composite baseball bats.

Fast forward to 2008 and things have changed dramatically. Composite bats were reintroduced to baseball a few years ago and have finally been embraced by the community. They are becoming very popular in baseball and will undoubtedly dominate the bat industry in the future.

There are a few differences you’ll need to understand about composite bats. For starters, composite bats have a much longer break-in period than aluminum bats. You will need to hit 100-150 baseballs to properly break the bat (baseballs are not batting cage balls). At first the ball will sound like it’s coming out of a wooden bat, but with the right effort and care, you can break it to the point where it sounds more like a rifle shot.

Then you will have to realize that you are no longer swinging a piece of metal. Composite bats need loving care and are a bit more susceptible to cold weather. Pounding them against concrete and fence posts is not a good idea.

Finally, you have to understand that the most expensive bats on the market are composite. So if you want one, you’ll have to pay top dollar in most cases. Manufacturers have started offering some lower-priced options, like the Louisville Omaha Comp, and I’m sure more are on the way.

Composite bats are an excellent choice for today’s baseball players, from youth to college. As mentioned, they are here to stay so get to know them, live them and love them.