Proper Manufacturing of Bats and Its Restriction

The hottest trend in baseball bats at the Little League and high school levels are the bbcor baseball bats, composite bats that meet the new batted ball coefficient of restitution (bbcor) regulations that have recently been required by the National Federated of State High School Associations (NFSH) which oversees high school baseball. According to the regulation, which meets the specifications set by the NCAA, high school baseball teams will not be allowed to use 100 percent composite bats beginning in 2012.



The details of the new rules states that bats manufactured from non-wood resources must meet the new BBCOR standard. This replaces earlier rules set forth by the BESR (ball exit speed ratio), which are more lenient in their assessments of the effectiveness of composite bats.



The new bbcor baseball bats regulations was put into place to increase the level of safety for players on high school and Little League teams, particularly for pitchers. The velocity of balls hit with BBCOR-rated bats averages 95 mph, compared to over 100 mph for composite bats that fulfilled the older BESR standards.



Research done by a number of different schools have shown that balls hit by composite bats made from graphite fibers or a composite core lined with graphite can and do cause serious injury to players, particularly to their heads. Research show that devastating injuries in high school baseball, defined as injuries that result in a momentary or long term serious disability, do occur, thanks at least in part to the composite bats.

The new regulations evaluate the "bounce" of the bats as they hit a baseball. A ball compresses as the bat strikes it. Balls hit by lighter composite bats didn't compress, or "pop" as much as balls struck by wood bats. Because of the lower level of compression, the ball traveled further and faster, which made injury a high possibility.



The bbcor baseball bats are a few ounces heavier, because the rules require that the bat's length has to vary from its weight in ounces by a maximum of a factor of three. The BBCOR bats also don't possess as large a "sweet spot" as the old composite bats had; that is the location of the bat which sends the most energy to the baseball when it's hit.



While the bbcor baseball bats promote safety for players at all stages of amateur baseball, the new rules regulating the materials of the bats have had a clearly recognizable impact on batting efficiency. Teams that began using the new requirements in 2011 reported a noticeable distinction in the number of home runs hit during the season, and also the overall batting average for a team.



Baseball bat manufacturers have been attempting to come up with new composites that meet the new regulations. Manufacturers make both one-piece and two-piece bats that are comprised of components such as aluminum or special alloys in addition to specially-designed composites. Several BBCOR bats also feature special memory-foam grips. Bat manufacturers have stepped up graciously to fulfill the new regulations.