Bamboo Baseball Bats….The New Cage Bat?

Bamboo Baseball Bats….The New Cage Bat?

Asia has again made their mark on Baseball in America. Bamboo Baseball bats have become increasingly popular among youth and amateur baseball players in the U.S. and across the globe for that matter. Bamboo bats have yet to receive the stamp of approval from Major League Baseball, and most people think that stamp of approval will not be coming at all.

There are a lot of people asking why Bamboo has yet to be accepted into the MLB? So let’s go over the main arguments keeping Bamboo on the outside of Major League Parks.

Here is a Major League Baseball Rule that addresses this particular issue….1.10

(a) The bat shall be a smooth, round stick not more than 23/4 inches in diameter at the thickest part and not more than 42 inches in length. The bat shall be one piece of solid wood.
NOTE: No laminated or experimental bats shall be used in a professional game (either championship season or exhibition games) until the manufacturer has secured approval from the Rules Committee of his design and methods of manufacture.

Bamboo bats are made by laminating a bunch of bamboo strips into a blank, and then turning the blank into a bat. Which makes the bat very hard to break, and obviously violates rule 1.10 (as shown above) which states that the bat shall be one piece of solid wood.

Although that rule seems to be a big part of why Bamboo Bats are not MLB approved, there seems to be a more popular argument used.  Bamboo bats are widely considered to be similar to composite bats based on the way they are made. Composite bats are also off limits in the MLB. Most experts believe that Bamboo will never receive Major League Baseball’s approval unless the MLB approves all composite bats.

So, now looms the bigger question. How will Bamboo Baseball bats survive in America? Well since Bamboo bats seem to be so durable, many youth and amateur players and teams are using them as Batting Cage bats. More coaches and players are catching onto the benefits of training with wood bats, even if they play in an Aluminum Bat league.  Hitting with wood forces the hitter to swing with proper mechanics, while aluminum often delivers good results even when improper mechanics are used.

Maple Bats, Ash Bats, and Birch bats all provide better power than Bamboo, but none of them provide the durability that Bamboo does. That means a perfect match for Bamboo Baseball Bats and
Batting Cages. A player or team can reap the benefits of training with wood, without having to continually purchase wood bats because of overuse. Bamboo bats are becoming a big part of the resurgence of wood bats in America. So in a game where so much has changed, wood is looking like the one constant that doesn’t plan on going anywhere soon.

Written By

Tyler Coughlin

VP of Operations MoZer Bats