Hypothetical: Will MLB ever hear the *PING* of an aluminum bat?

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traditiionalists get uptight when rule changes are proposed, for good reason, but the game has "evolved" (polite euphemism) whether we as fans like it or not. Do you think that it's inevitable that aluminum bats will make it into MLB someday? Or is pitching bad enough to keep the college game from appearing?

(the question-asker is not, and has never been an employee of Hillerich & Bradsby, nor has any relations to that company.)

― hstencil (hstencil), Thursday, 24 June 2004 02:23 (twenty-one years ago)

no, i do not think that aluminum bats are inevitable. i truly believe an infielder or pitcher would be killed. i'm very surprised it hasn't happened at the college level yet. have you ever seen a college baseball game in person? the speed that those bats generate is unreal. in the hands of a fully developed bonds or vlad guerrero i shudder to think what could happen.

― otto midnight (otto midnight), Thursday, 24 June 2004 03:22 (twenty-one years ago)

that's a good point I hadn't thought of.

― hstencil (hstencil), Thursday, 24 June 2004 03:24 (twenty-one years ago)

otto otm. remember that line drive mussina took to the face about five years ago? (actually i was at that game--sitting pretty far down the first base line and could *hear* it, ugh.)

― mookieproof (mookieproof), Thursday, 24 June 2004 04:14 (twenty-one years ago)

Good point.

― anonymous, please, Thursday, 24 June 2004 15:05 (twenty-one years ago)

There was an article I read that had Mike Schmidt take some batting practice in spring training with an aluminum bat and give his remarks, this was the year after he retired. He stated something to the effect that the third baseman would have to play close to the line about 15 foot outside of the infield for anyone to ever get him out, as he said it made pulling pitches so easy.

I guess some of the new ceramic bats have even more juice than the aluminum ones and have been banned from some baseball/softball leagues. If you want to make a really killer aluminum bat, you pull off the plastic top and stuff tennis balls into the core. That makes the ball even jump more off of the bat.

― earlnash, Thursday, 24 June 2004 15:29 (twenty-one years ago)

In recent years, the NCAA has been toning down the aluminum bats used in college ball. I think the biggest reason for this was the College World Series a few years back that LSU won in which a little David Eckstein-type second baseman hit like 5 home runs for the tournament or 3 in the final game or something ridiculous like that.

― boldbury (boldbury), Thursday, 24 June 2004 15:38 (twenty-one years ago)

maybe related: should we have a CWS thread?

― hstencil (hstencil), Thursday, 24 June 2004 15:41 (twenty-one years ago)

that's for College World Series, not for Chicago White Sox.

― hstencil (hstencil), Thursday, 24 June 2004 16:13 (twenty-one years ago)

what's stopping you tough guy?

― gygax! (gygax!), Thursday, 24 June 2004 16:52 (twenty-one years ago)

maybe related: should we have a CWS thread?

Get'er done.

I believe this is the CWS I as referring to:

1997
Winner: LSU

Runner-up: Alabama

Score: 13-6

MOP: Brandon Larson, ss, LSU

― boldbury (boldbury), Thursday, 24 June 2004 16:57 (twenty-one years ago)

I don't know nothing about the CWS, plus I'm apparently troll-worthy.

― hstencil (hstencil), Thursday, 24 June 2004 17:18 (twenty-one years ago)

ha, did i delete something of yours?

― gygax! (gygax!), Thursday, 24 June 2004 18:12 (twenty-one years ago)

no, I meant it as in my threads are troll-worthy.

― hstencil (hstencil), Thursday, 24 June 2004 18:47 (twenty-one years ago)

okay, what if MLB hypothetically enters another deadball era?

― hstencil (hstencil), Thursday, 24 June 2004 20:53 (twenty-one years ago)

Given the safety concerns re: aluminum bats (detailed by other folks), I imagine MLB would rather mess w/ the pitching mound or reinstitute the foul ball = ball rule or allow steroid use before going to aluminum bats.

― David R. (popshots75`), Thursday, 24 June 2004 23:10 (twenty-one years ago)

Or maybe they'll just let folks cork wood bats.

― David R. (popshots75`), Thursday, 24 June 2004 23:10 (twenty-one years ago)

If MLB does allow aluminum bats, the pitchers have to be allowed to use the spit/shine/KYball.

― David R. (popshots75`), Thursday, 24 June 2004 23:10 (twenty-one years ago)

hahaha MLB already allows steroid use!

― hstencil (hstencil), Thursday, 24 June 2004 23:16 (twenty-one years ago)

har har har har

― David R. (popshots75`), Thursday, 24 June 2004 23:48 (twenty-one years ago)

There are Questions about whether corking your bat actual has anything other than a psychological benefit.

Maybe they should make capsules of mercury legal (put into the barrel, the mercury supposedly whips out to the end of the capsule it's inside of, and multiplies the momentum of the bat-head)

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Tuesday, 29 June 2004 20:31 (twenty-one years ago)

i tried this with my soap-box derby car when i was briefly a cub scout--instead of the usual lead in the back, we used mercury (my dad's a chemist). it was awesome on the downhill part, but when the track levelled out all the mercury sloshed backwards and my mo was killed. i didn't really care, though, cause my shit had MERCURY

― mookieproof (mookieproof), Wednesday, 30 June 2004 01:44 (twenty-one years ago)

or maybe i meant pinewood derby, i dunno

― mookieproof (mookieproof), Wednesday, 30 June 2004 01:44 (twenty-one years ago)

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