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Sports

Are You Prepared for Upcoming Baseball Bat Changes?

Exercise caution and financial restraint when buying your child a bat this season

Here's my message to the ballplayer in your household for this baseball season: Enjoy your aluminum bat while you can, because next season it will be like the return to the wood bat era.

For youth and high school baseball this season, composite barrels are banned. Alloy barrels, as long as they are labeled "BESR," will be permitted. Starting in 2012, bats must be labeled "BBCOR." You will notice a smooth connection from the handle to the barrel and the ball will not travel as in years past.

As the parent left with the financial burden of buying his ballplayer a bat, my advice is to search the Internet or re-sale stores for bargains. Bargains are out there and I hate to see anyone fork out $300 for a one-year bat.

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The recent bat regulation changes are confusing and I will attempt to simplify everything for you. The first aluminum bat was introduced in 1970. In 1974, aluminum bats were introduced to college baseball. The use of wood bats from the college level down has virtually disappeared.

The initial intent was cost savings — wood bats break and aluminum bats last much longer. What actually occurred was aluminum bats have changed the game of baseball with home runs and batting average skyrocketing.

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Throw in safety concerns with the high speed of the ball coming off the aluminum bat and change is at hand. The hope is to minimize risk and improve overall play.

The standard up to this season has been BESR (Ball Exit Speed Ratio). This is the exit speed of the baseball off the bat. Once a bat is broken in, it is not uncommon for a ball to travel well over 100 mph off the bat.

The new standard universally by 2012 will be BBCOR (Batted Coefficient of Restitution). In simple terms, it is the measurement of the "bounciness" of the ball off the bat. The results will be aluminum bats performing at the same level as wood bats.

As I stated earlier, for this season shop around for an inexpensive bat that has an alloy barrel labeled BESR. Next season comes the big decision. Either move to the BBCOR version or get out the wood bat like those of us who played as youth prior to 1970 used. 

Batting average records and home runs records after this season should be pretty safe for awhile. Chances are, though, the overall game will improve and pitchers should feel a little safer.

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