In the early days of baseball, baseball bats were typically made from just about any type of wood available as long as the dimensions and weight were within the limits specified by major league baseball. Then for many years nearly all bats were made from ash. Ash provides light weight and excellent strength producing better bat speed and in general better hits. Ash is still the wood of choice for nearly all baseball bats produced today.

In the early 1970’s aluminum baseball bats were produced putting an end to the reign of wooden bats wherever the new material was allowed. Little league, high school and college baseball teams quickly adopted aluminum bats because the hollow bats were durable, light weight, and generated a great deal of speed off the bat. It is also for this reason major league baseball does not allow the use of aluminum baseball bats by professional baseball players. They are simply too dangerous for use by the big leaguers. In recent years, maple and other hardwoods have been reintroduced by bat manufacturers. These new bats are stronger and lighter than their ash counterparts and when used in conjunction with special paint to protect the grain from spitting these new baseball bats provide the bets performance available by a wooden bat. They are however fairly expensive at about twice the price of an ash bat.

When deciding on a baseball bat there are a number of things that you should consider especially if the bat is for a younger player. There are a number of recommended lengths and weights depending not only on the height, but also the weight of the player. It is important to match the bat correctly to the player so they will get more hits and fewer injuries. Many bat manufactures provide guidelines on what bat is best suited to a particular player. You can also consult your coach or the local sporting goods store.