A wide range of baseball bats are available out there. A major categorization of baseball bats is between wood bats and BBCOR bats. Wood bats have long been used in the sport of baseball and come constructed from many different types of wood.
In contrast, BBCOR bats are typically constructed from aluminum, alloy, composite, or other non-wood materials. BBCOR stands for Bat-Ball Coefficient of Restitution. This means that these bats have a trampoline effect that does not exceed a certain limit.
The purpose of BBCOR certification is to ensure that BBCOR bats do not outperform wooden bats. Wood bats have a certain performance limit. Non-wood materials can be made to outperform this limit by a significant margin.
If this was allowed to happen, players using wood bats will be at a great disadvantage when compared to players wielding alloy or composite bats. The BBCOR regulation makes sure that this does not happen.
For players, this means that they have to choose between wood and BBCOR bats. Both have their pros and cons. Here is a quick review of both types of bats, outlining their notable differences and highlighting the advantages of each.
Wood bats: Pros and Cons
Wood baseball bats are as old as the sport of baseball itself. In fact, in the early period of baseball, wood bats were the only kind of bats that players could use. Wood bats are constructed from different wood varieties, such as maple and ash. The actual performance of the bat may vary depending upon the type of wood used in the manufacture.
In general, wood bats are preferred for their feel. They feel right in a player’s hands and when you hit with a wooden bat, you know right away whether or not you hit it right. In contrast, BBCOR bats typically do not offer a similar feedback, so you won’t know from the feel of the bat whether or not you’ve hit it right.
The downside of wood bats is that they are not as durable. Wood bats are known for shattering rather easily in comparison to BBCOR bats. They also have a smaller sweet spot, which means that you have a smaller area with which to hit the baseball.
BBCOR bats: Pros and Cons
BBCOR bats come constructed from aluminum, alloy, composite, and other non-wood materials. They are typically preferred for their solid durability. Most BBCOR bats are very durable and do not break easily.
Another significant advantage of a BBCOR bat is that it packs a larger sweet spot compared to wooden bats. This makes it easier for you to hit the baseball right and allows you to achieve better accuracy with lesser effort.
The downside to BBCOR bat is that they are comparatively expensive. There is a significant price difference between a top-performing wood bat and a top-performing BBCOR bat.
In general, wood bats are a lot more affordable. The price tag may be somewhat justified given that BBCOR bats last a long time and do not break anytime soon. But if you are strapped for budget and still want a quality baseball bat, wood may be the preferable alternative.
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Conclusion
Wood bats require players to be more accurate and possess better hitting skills in order to be successful hitters. In contrast, BBCOR bats make it easier for players to hit hard and far with lesser effort.
When a player is practicing and honing baseball skills, wood bats are the best choice. They force the players to adapt to the smaller sweet spot and achieve accuracy through hard work. Once the player has mastered the wood bat, using a BBCOR bat in actual league matches may make it a lot easier to score great hits.
So you can go with wood bats in pre-league matches and BBCOR bats in actual matches. If you have sufficiently mastered wood bats, you may use these bats in real league matches as well.
