# MLB Broken Bats **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 25, 2010, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-broken-bats/540654 "2010-05-25T01:50:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![SanDiegoTim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/85e7bf/32.png) [@SanDiegoTim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanDiegoTim)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2010, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-broken-bats/540654/1 "2010-05-25T01:50:30Z")
Seen a lot of broken bats of late. I recently purchased two wood softball bats, one Maple and the other Bamboo. Both came with what looks like a thin fiberglass mesh wrapped around the bat. It covers the area between the knob and the label. It’s supposed to hold the pieces of the bat together if it should break. Anyone know why MLB doesn’t use this? ---
**Author:** ![Flymaster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c4cdca/32.png) [@Flymaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flymaster)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2010, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-broken-bats/540654/2 "2010-05-25T03:27:40Z")
> [@SanDiegoTim](#): > > Seen a lot of broken bats of late. I recently purchased two wood softball bats, one Maple and the other Bamboo. Both came with what looks like a thin fiberglass mesh wrapped around the bat. It covers the area between the knob and the label. It’s supposed to hold the pieces of the bat together if it should break. Anyone know why MLB doesn’t use this? Rule 1.10: > [@](#): > > 1.10 > (a) The bat shall be a smooth, round stick not more than 23⁄4 inches in diameter at the > thickest part and not more than 42 inches in length. The bat shall be one piece of > solid wood. > > NOTE: No laminated or experimental bats shall be used in a professional game > (either championship season or exhibition games) until the manufacturer has secured > approval from the Rules Committee of his design and methods of manufacture. One does not change the rules of Major League Baseball in such a substantial way without a damn good reason. ---
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2010, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-broken-bats/540654/3 "2010-05-25T04:34:54Z")
Some bats break because the players shave the handles to lighten them- they splinter more easily. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2010, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-broken-bats/540654/4 "2010-05-25T05:49:35Z")
Even if not shaven baseball bats are now very narrow near the handle. In the olden days it was felt that the bigger the bad the better. BabeRuth swung an oak tree. Over the past few decades they decided that bat speed is more important. The barrel is still thick but the handle is thin. If the batter misjudges and hits the ball near the handle it breaks. ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2010, 11:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-broken-bats/540654/5 "2010-05-25T11:05:44Z")
Major contributing factor: \>Old-growth trees are denser than farmed lumber Lumber that is farmed and generally younger than natural ‘old growth’ trees is just not as dense. Your densest ashes and maples (just like oaks and pines) are going to be the older/natural forest varieties. Farmed lumber (aka ‘new growth’) just lacks the density that comes with old, old, old age. Maple and ash are truly dense/hard, but relative to older trees, the farmed trees are not. And, like everything else, to make a noticeable difference in real-world use, it happens along with other changes, like stronger players, custom shaving of the bat/handle, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2010, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-broken-bats/540654/6 "2010-05-25T11:25:58Z")
Actually I don’t think what **SanDiegoTim** ’s describing would represent a violation of the rule on bat construction, any more than wrapping the handle with tape would. (Or rubbing it with pine tar, for that matter.) There are [some](http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/end-broken-bat-injuries-in-mlb) who want to mandate such an approach. It seems simpler and more elegant to me to just add a minimum thickness standard to the bat rule which already includes a maximum. ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2010, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-broken-bats/540654/7 "2010-05-25T14:19:20Z")
And some claim that maple bats ought to be banned for safety reasons: [http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2010/03/10/joe-maddon-renews-call-for-maple-bat-ban-after-david-price-injur/](http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2010/03/10/joe-maddon-renews-call-for-maple-bat-ban-after-david-price-injur/) I heard somewhere that the average lifetime of a bat in MLB is about 3 weeks. It’s not as if these things are permanent pieces of equipment. They are disposable, both for promotional reasons and because of wear. In addition to a minimum thickness standard, perhaps they could institute better procedures to inspect and throw out old bats. ---
**Author:** ![Wordy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/4491bb/32.png) [@Wordy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wordy)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2010, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-broken-bats/540654/8 "2010-05-25T14:30:31Z")
They should just wrap the wooden bats in a kelvar or polyethylene spall shield. But then, baseball is too hard set in traditional ways, like turning a blind eye to doping. ---
**Author:** ![SanDiegoTim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/85e7bf/32.png) [@SanDiegoTim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanDiegoTim)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2010, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-broken-bats/540654/9 "2010-05-25T15:09:59Z")
I’m going to bring one of my bats with this wrap to a game at Petco Park in hopes of showing it to local ex-pro baseball broadcaster. Assuming I’m successful, will post comments. There is some intersting info w/regard to wood bats here: [http://viperbats.com/](http://viperbats.com/) ---
**Author:** ![Notassmartasithought](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c0e974/32.png) [@Notassmartasithought](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Notassmartasithought)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2010, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-broken-bats/540654/10 "2010-05-26T02:46:35Z")
Some years ago MLB did some studying of the issue, but I don’t know if anything came of it. The players union might have vigorously supported the right of players to use any bat within the rules. Here’s a link to a story on [ESPN.com](http://ESPN.com). Note the 2008 date. > **[MLB hears how to lessen number of broken bats](https://www.espn.com/mlb/news/story?id=3718110)** > > Experts presented recommendations to baseball Friday that they hope will decrease the frequency of broken bats in major league games. ---
**Author:** ![Eggerhaus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d2c977/32.png) [@Eggerhaus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eggerhaus)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2010, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-broken-bats/540654/11 "2010-05-27T00:50:00Z")
> [@Flymaster](#): > > Rule 1.10: One does not change the rules of Major League Baseball in such a substantial way without a damn good reason. …and as a lifelong baseball fan I say thank goodness and AMEN!😃