Maple Bat and Major League Baseball Regulations

According to Major League Baseball, batters broke 2,232 baseball bats from July through the end of the regular season. 756 of these bats broke into multiple pieces. An MLB investigative team was brought in after several high-profile accidents that seriously injured spectators, a base coach, and eventually a plate umpire. In addition, a series of close calls were reported, including one with the team president and another with Bobby Cox, manager of the Atlanta Braves. The researchers found that maple bats were three times more likely to break into multiple pieces than more traditional ash bats.

The researchers’ recommendations were submitted to MLB in December. While there are most likely numerous reasons for the dramatic breaks fans are seeing with maple, researchers are currently focusing on wood grain structure for maple bats. In particular, the grain of the maple should be as straight as possible. Unlike ash, maple’s straight grains are harder to find. Regardless of the type of wood, the researchers believe bats are much more likely to fail when the so-called “grain slope” is greater than one inch over a 20-inch length of the bat (just under 3 degrees). Also, the face of the bat that hits the ball must be reconfigured by moving the trademark a quarter turn for the maple.

To this end, researchers have made a series of recommendations to MLB, and these recommendations have essentially become regulations. The following is a summary of these standards:

1. Bats must meet a grain slope requirement of just under 3 degrees for the handle and taper regions.
2. Bat makers must place an ink dot on the front grain side of the shaft of maple and birch bats to measure rake angle
3. The hitting surface for maple and birch should be the face grain, not the edge grain, which means a quarter turn (90 degrees) for the placement of the trademarks on the bats.
4. Maple and birch bat handles should have a natural or clear finish (to see the grain and ink point)
5. Bat manufacturers need a system to track maple and birch bats leaving their stores
6. Bat manufacturers must participate in an MLB-sponsored workshop on wood engineering and grading
7. Bat manufacturers will be visited and audited for manufacturing processes and tracking systems.
8. Audits will also be conducted randomly (sound familiar?) at ballparks
9. An ongoing third-party certification program needs to be established to deal with any new innovations that emerge in the future.

Additionally, Major League Baseball has doubled its bat certification fee from $5,000 per company to $10,000. They have also doubled the liability insurance requirement from $5 million to $10 million.

In the end, these measures are expected to reduce the number of dangerous broken bat episodes for all who enjoy the American pastime. However, these may only be the first steps to be taken. Only time will tell.