argument essay example should metal bats be banned in youth baseball answers

Should Metal Baseball Bats Be Banned Because They are Inherently Dangerous?

Please read my disclosure concerning a potential conflict of interest.

How fast can a wood baseball bat hit a baseball?

How much faster can a metal baseball hit a ball compared to a wood bat?

How Quickly Will a Ball Hit by a Metal or Wood Bat Arrive at the Pitcher?

How Much Time does a Pitcher Need to React to Ball Hit Directly Towards Him?

How does the speed of the ball at impact affect the severity of injury?

Conclusion: Answering the Questions

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What To Do About Metal Bats in Youth Baseball? Little League Says They’re Safe

Aluminum baseball bats continue to raise concerns for some in youth baseball leagues. But the Little League — the largest of youth leagues — says the metal bats are as safe as wooden bats.

Some parents, coaches and league administrators have argued that baseballs fly off of aluminum bats at a greater speed than wooden bats, putting players at a greater risk of injury.

“Aluminum bats are definitely more dangerous,” said Jamie Frank, president of the Jamesville-Dewitt Little League. “It’s not something that can be detected with the naked eye, but it should still be up for discussion.”

Frank’s philosophy puts him at odds with Little League’s staunch opposition to aluminum-bat bans. Frank is not fighting Little League’s leadership nor is he pushing for a ban locally. But, he says, he would welcome a change if the switch to wooden bats became mandatory.

The aluminum bat controversy has intensified in Little League baseball since the New York City Council approved a ban on aluminum bats in the city’s high school baseball games last year. The Council attempted legislation to extend the ban to all of the city’s youth leagues, but the bill failed. There has been no attempt at a local ban.

In an interview, Chris Downs, a spokesman for Little League Baseball, dismissed New York City’s ban. He also argued that a league-wide ban on aluminum bats would never happen.

“Where it’s been proposed by the government, it’s failed,” he said. Bans have failed in New Jersey, Ohio, Illinois and Pennsylvania, Downs said.

Little League Baseball oversees more than 7,000 leagues worldwide. In the last year, it has aggressively maintained its stance that aluminum bats are just as safe as wooden bats.

In resisting bans on metal bats, the organization points to a consistently low injury rate of pitchers hit by batted balls. Since 1995, there have been fewer than 100 injuries in a year, according to injury reports on Little League’s Web site.

League spokesman Downs argued that 100 injuries in a year is remarkably low, considering the number of Little League participants. He also argued that the injuries cannot be blamed solely on aluminum bats.

“That data we’ve recovered provides no direct correlation between these injuries and the use of aluminum bats,” Downs said. “There really is no viable data that says these bats present a greater risk for the players.”

But Frank, the Jamesville-Dewitt Little League president, suggested he would be happy to support a mandatory switch from aluminum to metal bats, despite the high costs in replacing the existing bats and replacing broken wooden bats.

“It would be really expensive,” Frank said. “That’s where the main opposition would come from. We’d have to replace all of the wooden bats that would break, get brand new ones.”

But the majority of those costs would be the responsibility of parents, Frank said, because Little League does not provide equipment for its players.

Taxpayers could foot the bill in the form of state grants, Franks said. The J-D Little League has won many state grants for projects. The most recent came last year when the league received $15,000 to repair its fields.

But Frank suggest the costs, no matter who pays them, would be worth it. Despite the lack of data suggesting otherwise, he is confident a switch to wooden bats would keep the players safer.

“If they used aluminum bats in the major leagues, you’d be able to see the difference,” he said. “The ball goes so much faster off of these bats.”

(Heath D. Williams is a junior newspaper major.)

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Should Metal Baseball Bats Be Banned?

The "ping" of aluminum bats has long bothered baseball purists, who prefer the satisfying "crack" of real wood. Now one Pennsylvania lawmaker wants to ban aluminum bats from Little League play altogether.

Democratic state Rep. Mike Carroll of Scranton is also a Little League coach who says metal bats make the game more dangerous for young players. New York City Council has adopted a similar ban for high school games. New Jersey is considering one, too.

But Little League Baseball and bat makers say metal bats are safe.

Related NPR Stories

Little leaguers talk about bonds and steroids, little league adds 20 feet to the outfield, fewer u.s. kids playing in little league.

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Home / Blog / Metal vs. Wood Bats in Youth Baseball

Metal vs. Wood Bats in Youth Baseball

Should metal bats be banned?

Do metal bats pose a significantly greater risk of injury to pitchers and infielders resulting from greater bat exit speeds and reduced reaction time? Is there enough scientific evidence to ban metal bats for youth and college baseball in favor of wood bats?

Current scientific studies do not support this conclusion as there is no increase in significant injuries that would indicate a need for a ban on metal bats in favor of wood bats. However, the final results of an important ongoing study on this issue are not yet available.

In my opinion…

Politicians looking for publicity and personal injury attorneys looking for large settlements and jury verdicts favor metal bats being banned in favor of wood bats. They base their opinions on anecdotal evidence. Instead, we must look to scientific studies for an answer. So far, science tells us that there is little existing evidence that would support banning metal bats that are currently approved by the various governing bodies. However, it is possible that new research may result in future recommendations for bat standards that would require certain performance modifications.

–  John Sadler

See the USA Baseball Medical and Safety Committee Position Statement on Wood vs. Metal Bat.

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Batter Up: The Reason Why Aluminum Bats Aren't Allowed in MLB

By jake rossen | apr 29, 2021.

Throughout baseball diamonds across the country, teams are getting back into the swing of the season. Like their big-league counterparts, Little League and recreational players will sport leather gloves, cleats, and umpire’s gear.

But there’s one piece of equipment some players will opt for that won’t be seen in any Major League Baseball (MLB) game—an aluminum bat. It’s the difference between the crack of a wooden stick and the ping or bink of a baseball colliding with aluminum.

The reason? Pro players are just too good.

Both the major and minor leagues have banned the metal bat because of the skill level of their participants. Thanks to the “trampoline effect,” a metal bat will have a slight give when connecting with the ball, transferring more energy. It becomes easier for hits to travel farther and faster, with their velocity known as bat-exit speed. Some players have even been known to break in a new aluminum bat to allow for greater flex in the material by running over it with a car.

When aluminum bats were first introduced in the 1970s, NCAA teams saw batting averages go up 20 points; home runs doubled. If aluminum and other metal bats were allowed, observers believe the technology would supersede player talent. Records would be shattered, and the game might be diminished.

“We once had a couple aluminum bats around the big-league batting cage,” Cal Ripken Jr. told The Baltimore Sun in 2018. “I remember [fellow Baltimore Orioles player and second baseman] Robbie Alomar picked one up in Oakland, and he was going so far into the bleachers to straightaway center that it was almost ridiculous.”

Little Leaguers and rec leagues don’t typically see that kind of power. In fact, an aluminum bat can make learning the game easier. Wood bats tend to have their weight in the barrel, and connecting without splintering usually means hitting the ball near the label; metal bats are more forgiving when it comes to ball placement. Because they’re hollow, they’re also lighter, making them easier for small hands to grip and swing. (A bat’s weight depends on its length, but generally, aluminum bats are around 5 ounces lighter.)

Because aluminum bats are speeding up the ball, there is potential for injury, although it’s relatively rare. Still, the New York City Council banned metal bats in high school games in 2008. New Mexico also prohibits them. In 2018, USA Baseball, which supervises youth organizations like Little League, mandated a new type of bat that’s aluminum but performs more like wood.

[h/t The Baltimore Sun ]

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• How to write an argumentative essay | Examples & tips

How to Write an Argumentative Essay | Examples & Tips

Published on July 24, 2020 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on July 23, 2023.

An argumentative essay expresses an extended argument for a particular thesis statement . The author takes a clearly defined stance on their subject and builds up an evidence-based case for it.

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Table of contents

When do you write an argumentative essay, approaches to argumentative essays, introducing your argument, the body: developing your argument, concluding your argument, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about argumentative essays.

You might be assigned an argumentative essay as a writing exercise in high school or in a composition class. The prompt will often ask you to argue for one of two positions, and may include terms like “argue” or “argument.” It will frequently take the form of a question.

The prompt may also be more open-ended in terms of the possible arguments you could make.

Argumentative writing at college level

At university, the vast majority of essays or papers you write will involve some form of argumentation. For example, both rhetorical analysis and literary analysis essays involve making arguments about texts.

In this context, you won’t necessarily be told to write an argumentative essay—but making an evidence-based argument is an essential goal of most academic writing, and this should be your default approach unless you’re told otherwise.

Examples of argumentative essay prompts

At a university level, all the prompts below imply an argumentative essay as the appropriate response.

Your research should lead you to develop a specific position on the topic. The essay then argues for that position and aims to convince the reader by presenting your evidence, evaluation and analysis.

• Don’t just list all the effects you can think of.
• Do develop a focused argument about the overall effect and why it matters, backed up by evidence from sources.
• Don’t just provide a selection of data on the measures’ effectiveness.
• Do build up your own argument about which kinds of measures have been most or least effective, and why.
• Don’t just analyze a random selection of doppelgänger characters.
• Do form an argument about specific texts, comparing and contrasting how they express their thematic concerns through doppelgänger characters.

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An argumentative essay should be objective in its approach; your arguments should rely on logic and evidence, not on exaggeration or appeals to emotion.

There are many possible approaches to argumentative essays, but there are two common models that can help you start outlining your arguments: The Toulmin model and the Rogerian model.

Toulmin arguments

The Toulmin model consists of four steps, which may be repeated as many times as necessary for the argument:

• Make a claim
• Provide the grounds (evidence) for the claim
• Explain the warrant (how the grounds support the claim)
• Discuss possible rebuttals to the claim, identifying the limits of the argument and showing that you have considered alternative perspectives

The Toulmin model is a common approach in academic essays. You don’t have to use these specific terms (grounds, warrants, rebuttals), but establishing a clear connection between your claims and the evidence supporting them is crucial in an argumentative essay.

Say you’re making an argument about the effectiveness of workplace anti-discrimination measures. You might:

• Claim that unconscious bias training does not have the desired results, and resources would be better spent on other approaches
• Cite data to support your claim
• Explain how the data indicates that the method is ineffective
• Anticipate objections to your claim based on other data, indicating whether these objections are valid, and if not, why not.

Rogerian arguments

The Rogerian model also consists of four steps you might repeat throughout your essay:

• Discuss what the opposing position gets right and why people might hold this position
• Highlight the problems with this position
• Present your own position , showing how it addresses these problems
• Suggest a possible compromise —what elements of your position would proponents of the opposing position benefit from adopting?

This model builds up a clear picture of both sides of an argument and seeks a compromise. It is particularly useful when people tend to disagree strongly on the issue discussed, allowing you to approach opposing arguments in good faith.

Say you want to argue that the internet has had a positive impact on education. You might:

• Acknowledge that students rely too much on websites like Wikipedia
• Argue that teachers view Wikipedia as more unreliable than it really is
• Suggest that Wikipedia’s system of citations can actually teach students about referencing
• Suggest critical engagement with Wikipedia as a possible assignment for teachers who are skeptical of its usefulness.

You don’t necessarily have to pick one of these models—you may even use elements of both in different parts of your essay—but it’s worth considering them if you struggle to structure your arguments.

Regardless of which approach you take, your essay should always be structured using an introduction , a body , and a conclusion .

Like other academic essays, an argumentative essay begins with an introduction . The introduction serves to capture the reader’s interest, provide background information, present your thesis statement , and (in longer essays) to summarize the structure of the body.

Hover over different parts of the example below to see how a typical introduction works.

The spread of the internet has had a world-changing effect, not least on the world of education. The use of the internet in academic contexts is on the rise, and its role in learning is hotly debated. For many teachers who did not grow up with this technology, its effects seem alarming and potentially harmful. This concern, while understandable, is misguided. The negatives of internet use are outweighed by its critical benefits for students and educators—as a uniquely comprehensive and accessible information source; a means of exposure to and engagement with different perspectives; and a highly flexible learning environment.

The body of an argumentative essay is where you develop your arguments in detail. Here you’ll present evidence, analysis, and reasoning to convince the reader that your thesis statement is true.

In the standard five-paragraph format for short essays, the body takes up three of your five paragraphs. In longer essays, it will be more paragraphs, and might be divided into sections with headings.

Each paragraph covers its own topic, introduced with a topic sentence . Each of these topics must contribute to your overall argument; don’t include irrelevant information.

This example paragraph takes a Rogerian approach: It first acknowledges the merits of the opposing position and then highlights problems with that position.

Hover over different parts of the example to see how a body paragraph is constructed.

A common frustration for teachers is students’ use of Wikipedia as a source in their writing. Its prevalence among students is not exaggerated; a survey found that the vast majority of the students surveyed used Wikipedia (Head & Eisenberg, 2010). An article in The Guardian stresses a common objection to its use: “a reliance on Wikipedia can discourage students from engaging with genuine academic writing” (Coomer, 2013). Teachers are clearly not mistaken in viewing Wikipedia usage as ubiquitous among their students; but the claim that it discourages engagement with academic sources requires further investigation. This point is treated as self-evident by many teachers, but Wikipedia itself explicitly encourages students to look into other sources. Its articles often provide references to academic publications and include warning notes where citations are missing; the site’s own guidelines for research make clear that it should be used as a starting point, emphasizing that users should always “read the references and check whether they really do support what the article says” (“Wikipedia:Researching with Wikipedia,” 2020). Indeed, for many students, Wikipedia is their first encounter with the concepts of citation and referencing. The use of Wikipedia therefore has a positive side that merits deeper consideration than it often receives.

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An argumentative essay ends with a conclusion that summarizes and reflects on the arguments made in the body.

No new arguments or evidence appear here, but in longer essays you may discuss the strengths and weaknesses of your argument and suggest topics for future research. In all conclusions, you should stress the relevance and importance of your argument.

Hover over the following example to see the typical elements of a conclusion.

The internet has had a major positive impact on the world of education; occasional pitfalls aside, its value is evident in numerous applications. The future of teaching lies in the possibilities the internet opens up for communication, research, and interactivity. As the popularity of distance learning shows, students value the flexibility and accessibility offered by digital education, and educators should fully embrace these advantages. The internet’s dangers, real and imaginary, have been documented exhaustively by skeptics, but the internet is here to stay; it is time to focus seriously on its potential for good.

If you want to know more about AI tools , college essays , or fallacies make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples or go directly to our tools!

• Ad hominem fallacy
• Post hoc fallacy
• Appeal to authority fallacy
• False cause fallacy
• Sunk cost fallacy

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An argumentative essay tends to be a longer essay involving independent research, and aims to make an original argument about a topic. Its thesis statement makes a contentious claim that must be supported in an objective, evidence-based way.

An expository essay also aims to be objective, but it doesn’t have to make an original argument. Rather, it aims to explain something (e.g., a process or idea) in a clear, concise way. Expository essays are often shorter assignments and rely less on research.

At college level, you must properly cite your sources in all essays , research papers , and other academic texts (except exams and in-class exercises).

Add a citation whenever you quote , paraphrase , or summarize information or ideas from a source. You should also give full source details in a bibliography or reference list at the end of your text.

The exact format of your citations depends on which citation style you are instructed to use. The most common styles are APA , MLA , and Chicago .

The majority of the essays written at university are some sort of argumentative essay . Unless otherwise specified, you can assume that the goal of any essay you’re asked to write is argumentative: To convince the reader of your position using evidence and reasoning.

In composition classes you might be given assignments that specifically test your ability to write an argumentative essay. Look out for prompts including instructions like “argue,” “assess,” or “discuss” to see if this is the goal.

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The New York Times

City room | ex-white house spokesman joins debate over metal bats, ex-white house spokesman joins debate over metal bats.

The use of aluminum bats in youth baseball and softball games has been hotly debated — perhaps nowhere more so, oddly enough, than in New York City. City Councilman James S. Oddo, a Staten Island Republican, has waged a campaign since 2001 to ban the use of the metal bats in high school games, citing examples of young people who were critically injured or killed by balls hit off such bats.

Mr. Oddo’s efforts paid off this year. On March 14, the Council voted, 40 to 6 with two abstentions, to ban the metal bats — becoming the first legislative body in the country to do so. The mayor vetoed the bill, but the Council overrode the veto on April 23. The bill divided even major league baseball players, who use only wooden bats. Mike Mussina, a Yankees pitcher, opposed the ban; John Franco, a former Mets relief pitcher, favored it.

Now, the state legislatures of New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania are considering such measures. Meanwhile, the city bill, which is supposed to take effect on Sept. 1, has become the subject of a federal lawsuit.

In the spring, a group of athletic leagues, coaches and manufacturers formed the Don’t Take My Bat Away Coalition and hired Ari Fleischer, who was the White House spokesman from 2001 to 2003, to represent them.

In Williamsport, Pa., today, Mr. Fleischer joined Stephen D. Keener, the president of Little League International, at a news conference to discuss the issue. Mr. Fleischer told us in a phone interview afterward: “If a league or parent or coach wants to use wood out of tradition, then more power to them. But the politicians should have better things to do than to substitute their taste and their desire for those of the coaches, leagues, parents and players who live and breathe this sport every day.”

Mr. Fleischer, 46, has played in an adult league in Westchester County and now plays in a league in Fairfleld County in Connecticut. (He joked that it was “an old man’s hardball league,” with the minimum age being 40.)

He said the New York City ban moved surprisingly fast, even though manufacturers lobbied against the bill. “In New York City, nobody thought that the ban would be passed, and then it went through there like a rocket ship,” he said. “We’re worried about the prospects in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New York State. Particularly if the judge rules in favor of New York City, this could spread.”

Critics of the metal bats say balls fly off them faster, giving pitchers less time to react. In 2003, for instance, Brandon Patch, an 18-year-old American Legion pitcher in Montana, was killed when a line drive off a metal bat smashed into his left temple. His mother and uncle supported the bill.

But industry officials say there have been no reliable studies showing that metal bats pose greater risk of injury than wooden bats. A number of coaches, leagues and athletic organizations, including Little League International and the New York Catholic High Schools Athletic Association, opposed the measure. Youth baseball leagues, including Little League, have maintained that there is no reliable research demonstrating that metal bats are more dangerous than wooden ones.

Metal bats were introduced in the early 1970s as a cost-saving alternative to wooden bats, and by the early 1980s, a consensus had emerged among players and coaches that metal bats outperform wood ones because they have a larger “sweet spot.” The National Collegiate Athletic Association first adopted guidelines for limiting bat performance in 1998. Researchers from Brown University found in 2001 that baseballs hit with a metal bat traveled faster than those hit with a wooden bat, but could not conclusively identify the factors responsible for the difference in performance.

Since then, the N.C.A.A. and the National Federation of State High School Associations have adopted rules requiring that metal bats perform no better than the best wooden bats. Those changes, Mr. Fleischer argues, obviate the need for any government restrictions on metal bats. “I think it’s driven by anecdote and emotion,” he said of the ban. “There have been, on rare occasion, tragedies involving balls hit off aluminum bats where young players were injured. On the other hand, the same thing has happened with wood bats.”

In a phone interview, Mr. Oddo dismissed the significance of the Little League press conference. “It really doesn’t matter what Ari Fleischer says, or anyone, at this point,” he said. “They can have a press conference from now until the end of the baseball season. The decision will rest with a federal judge, on the facts and on the law.”

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George W. Bush and Aluminum baseball bats. Hmm… Fleischer has surely gone from the ridiculous to the sublime.

This is what they have to worry about on Staten Island ??

Maybe its time for us to re-introduce their 1992 secession initiative.

Metal bats are more dangerous. Everyone knows that the balls travel faster off them even if they won’t say it. Forget it Ari, you are wrong once again.

Having been a batting coach some years ago for my son’s little-league team, I found with the use of metal bats – the vibrations and damages to a batter – begining in the fingers and traveling the length of the arm up to the shoulder – caused more physical damage to the batter than any tool, which I had ever used in sports.

Forget about the potential distances, which a batter may achieve with a metal bat – IF a youthful player is good enough to make it to the majors – they’ll be in for the “shock” of their lives when they play with a good old fashioned wooden bat – which cushions the blow naturally.

I have been accused of being old-fashioned – but I have enough sense to know what is better for the body.

Forgetaboutit!

Just so you all know Ari is not representative of his tribe.

I read with interest your column in the New York Times regarding wooden bats. But you do not mention that, in fact, there has been a study on the number of been deaths attributable to hit baseballs.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission found that between 1991 and 2001 there were 17 players killed by batted balls. But while eight involved metal bats and two involved wood bats, in seven instances the kind of bat was not known.

My son had played youth baseball up until his junior year of high school – with me pitching plenty of batting practice. I can attest to the fact that he and most players seem to hit balls at a high velocity with much greater frequency when using a metal bat. The phrase ” hitting the ball on the screws” is used when such a forceful hit is made. But how can I reconcile that observation with the bat manufacturers statements that a ball hit off a metal bat and a wood bat will exit with a near equivalent velocity. This is the Bat Exit speed ratio (BESR) test that is used by the manufacturers to equate metal and wood bats. BESR certified metal bats are touted as being more ” wood like”. While this may be true, the issue is not so much exit velocity as it is frequency of such a hit ball.

As pointed out in your article, metal bats have a larger sweet spot. Simply put, the geometry of the metal bat and the properties of the alloy, allow a player to hit the ball at its maximum velocity far more often than with a wood bat. That simple fact alone will make for more injuries from batted balls. Ironically, to increase the frequency of hitting a ball right on the screws, many coaches encourage kids to practice regularly with wood bats so that their mechanics are adjusted to the smaller sweet spot.

If one acknowledges that the baseball bat manufacturers have a business stake in the argument and that the leagues like the use of metal because of economics, how can the metal bat survive? While arguable, perhaps the simplest way to defuse the situation is not to outlaw the metal bat but to take away its biggest advantage: the large sweet spot. One simple rule change would be to reduce the maximum bat diameter. Little League recently specified such a change for its bats for senior league ball. For older players the maximum bat diameter was reduced from 2 3/4 to 2 5/8 for non-wood bats. Reducing the diameter to 2 9/16 may be even better to reduce the sweet spot. The rule change was not extended to the 10 – 12 year old players in what to me is an oversight.

However, there is a glaring need for a change in bat geometry in the handle as well. Specifying a minimum diameter for the metal bat handle – the metal not the metal plus the wrap – is needed. Right now the bat handles are a narrow diameter so that the weight distribution is skewed to the head of the bat, thus increasing bat speed and exit velocity. Under Little League rules there is no minimum diameter specified for a metal bat handle. In contrast, a wood bat handle must be 15/16 inch in diameter. I would argue that a metal bat also have this kind of requirement. Indeed the metal bat must have the same length to weight, weight distribution and BESR as a wood bat. So why not just use wood??

As for the economic argument that the bats last longer, I do not believe that there is an advantage. I have purchased a new metal bat for my son every year. And as he has gotten in to high school ball, the stress on the bat is greater and now a bat may not last a season. At > $250 a bat that starts to add up. On the other hand I purchased a maple bat for $70 that was used in batting practice. The bat literally hit thousands, of regular and synthetic balls and lasted 3 years until it broke. I purchased one more maple and, more recently, a bamboo laminate bat and have had the same outcome. The bamboo laminate bat is guaranteed not to break for 1 year and it cost only $85. However, the bamboo bat is not certified by Little League or by any organization to my knowledge.

My opinion is that, for the sake of the kids and simple economics, switching back to wooden bats – or allowing the use of bamboo laminates for league play – is the right thing to do.

#2: and outlawing pitbulls, symbolically banning “nigger,” “bitch” and “ho” is what? Not a waste of time?

Don’t take my bat away coalition.. Very surprised at some of these organizations that have jumped on this bandwagon.Especially when you get to a High School or College level.You would think they would want their players to use wood bats.Most of the High School players in our area are playing summer ball with wood bats.There are more and more wood bat tournamets popping up all over the city.Kids i believe even enjoy the game more.

What's Next

Should Metal Baseball Bats Be Banned?

On March 11, 16 year-old Gunnar Sandberg was pitching for Marin Catholic in a game against Kentfield when he was hit in the head by a line drive. Sandberg suffered a traumatic brain injury, which left him in a medically induced coma for more than two weeks and forced doctors to remove part of his skull to relieve pressure on his brain. In the wake of that accident, California Assembly member Jared Huffman introduced a bill that would institute a one-year statewide moratorium on the use of aluminum bats in California high schools.

"This tragedy was a wake-up call for my entire community," Huffman says. Similar bans have been put in place in New York City and North Dakota. Brady Lee Frazier, a 13-year old pitcher from St. Regis Falls, N.Y., died after being hit by a line drive in a practice earlier this month.

Bat-Exit Speed Standards

Aluminum bats are used in college, high school and little league ball, but they're illegal in the major leagues where hitters must use wooden bats. The issue is the velocity with which balls come off the bat, otherwise known as bat-exit speed. "The exit speed is a function of swing speed and elastic properties of the bat," says Richard Greenwald, assistant professor of engineering at Dartmouth and the founder of the National Institute of Sports Science and Safety.

Proponents of the bans suggest that aluminum bats allow for higher ball-exit speed, which endangers pitchers, while opponents suggest that existing regulations are sufficient to restrict batted-ball speeds.

The current standard—Bat Exit Speed Ratio, or BESR—has been adopted by the NCAA, and most high school and little league teams follow the NCAA's lead. NCAA standards also limit a bat's minimum weight and its moment of inertia, a measurement of weight distribution which affects the swing speed of the bat.

Huffman argues that the BESR standard, found by calculating the ratio of the ball-exit speed compared to the sum of the speeds of the pitched ball and the swing speed, isn't tough enough. "There's a built-in fudge factor," he says. While the goal is to keep ball-exit speed below the 97 mph measured for a reference wood bat, professor Daniel Russell of Kettering University posits that ball-exit speeds of over 102 mph are possible for a strong player with a fast 115-mph swing using a BESR certified nonwood bat.

Wood vs. Aluminum

Huffman further notes that while the BESR testing is done on new bats, aluminum and bats, unlike wooden models, actually gain power as they're broken in. This effect is even more pronounced in expensive composite bats which flex more as the adhesives break down. "Some savvy kids will take a bat, wrap it up in a towel and run it over with a car." Some companies provide professional "bat rolling" services to mimic this effect.

The issue is muddled with a lack of solid empirical data. Greenwald's definitive study on real-world bat-exit speed was done in 2002, and showed a bat-exit speed of 98.5 mph for a wooden bat and speeds of 100.8 to 106.5 mph for aluminum bats. However, four of the five aluminum bat models tested would be illegal under today's BESR standard. The bat that fell within BESR parameters registered the lowest ball-exit speed of 100.8 mph. A new study, performed by using current-spec bats, is expected to be released in September.

Bat standards have also been a moving target. In 2009 the NCAA banned all composite bats, and in 2011 will institute stricter standards that measure the ball–bat coefficient of restitution, or BBCOR. A more direct test of the ball–bat interaction, the BBCOR standards will likely result in less lively legal bats.

Things get even muddier when the question is moved from the testing lab to the diamond. Some experts suggest that the small increase in batted ball speed from today's aluminum bats makes relatively little difference in real-world situations. "I find it very hard to believe having an extra 0.02 seconds to react to a line drive would make any difference in whether or not a pitcher would be able to protect himself," Russell says.

The Rare Tragedy

Batted-ball injuries are, thankfully, rare events, which makes compiling research a challenge. "There's no data that I'm aware of that suggests there's any increase in injury rates from batted balls hit by alum bats compared to wooden bats," Greenwald says.

A three-year study by the National Center of Sport Injury Research that compares regular-season games in which aluminum bats were used to summer league games in which college players used wooden bats shows a small increase in the number of batted-ball injuries with wooden bats. "The number of injuries is very small," says UNC Chapel Hill professor Fred Mueller, an author of the study, and a consultant to USA Baseball. "But the injuries off the wooden bats in the summer leagues were more serious."

Since the goal of the bat restrictions is to protect pitchers, other changes could be enacted. One option suggested by Greenwald is the use of softer Reduced Injury Factor (RIF) balls. Another potential solution is mandating protective headgear for the pitcher. In March, Matt Hiserman of USF was hit by a line drive during practice which left him in intensive care for four days. He had also been seriously injured by a batted ball during his high school career. Hiserman now wears a pad, made by Evoshield, similar to a wrestler's headgear, under his hat. Why doesn't he wear a batting helmet? "One, it's uncomfortable. Two, it obstructs my vision. And three, it just looks goofy," he told the San Francisco Chronicle .

Since the California legislation calls for a one-year moratorium, one possible outcome is that it will pressure bat manufacturers to adopt stricter BESR standards. "I could care less whether the bats are made of bubble gum or space-age metal," says Huffman. "I don't want to micromanage the sport. I just want to create conditions for the sport to fix this problem."

The proposed California ban has been released by a Senate Committee and will be considered by the full Senate later this spring. Huffman suggests that lobbying efforts by bat manufacturers leave its future in doubt. "This is going to be a long, drawn-out fight."

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Reply to "Should aluminum bats be banned?"

P pbonesteele 100+ posts Just "Google it" ... found at www.baseballtips.com: BESR stands for “Ball Exit Speed Ratio,” an independent and scientific calculation designed to measure the performance of non-wood bats. The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) adopted the BESR bat performance standard in June 2001, a move that follows the steps taken by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in 1999. Elliot Hopkins, NFHS liaison to the Baseball Rules Committee, highlighted the reasoning behind the rule change in a July 27, 2001 press release, "Adding the BESR requirement for bats used in high school baseball is a continuation of changes made for the 2001 season to ensure that bat performance mirrors the performance of wood bats." The Baseball Exit Speed Ratio (BESR) mark ensures a bat will have: A maximum exit speed on the approved test which limits performance to mirror the best Northern White Ash wood bats Met the moment-of-inertia requirement (balance point) A barrel diameter not exceeding a maximum of 2 5/8 inches A length to weight differential of no greater than minus 3 11/17/04 11:33 AM

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NYC council considering ban on metal bats for HS varsity baseball

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