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Why Choose Maple Bats

Big league slugger Joe Carter is best known for sending a Mitch Williams fastball over the leftfield fence at Skydome for a walk-off home run that would win the Blue Jays the 1993 World Championship. But a lesser known fact that may be just as important is his status as a pioneer in baseball. Joe Carter was the first big leaguer to start using maple bats as his preferred piece of lumber. He actually used it illegally in a 1997 game, before it had been approved as a new type of wood bat. But don’t expect an asterisk to be put above any of Joe Carter’s stats; there are now over 500 big leaguers who swing maple bats, for several reasons.

Pros of Maple Bats

Maple bats can be light but are always hard. Just look at the name of a popular wood used by us here at Phoenix, “Rock Maple”. Maple wood has less give; more energy is transferred to propel the ball versus being absorbed by the bat. When contact is made hitters seem to literally crush the ball, adding 10-15 feet versus less dense woods. You can tell how dense maple is by just by looking at a maple bat. They seem as smooth as a brand new batting helmet. Run your hand over a maple bat and you can feel how tight the wood structure is. Also, the grains are less visible, leaving a trophy shine. This fact is why maple bats are often used as an engraved keepsake or as a more stylish stick for those fashionable hitters who want to look good at the plate. But no matter how you look swinging it, you will look better on your home trot after a new maple bat gives you the extra power you’ve been looking for.

Cons of Maple Bats

Maple bats may not be the best choice for a novice hitter. Maple bats tend to come in at very specific weights by model type and have a smaller sweet spot. The hitter that doesn’t like to crowd the plate or who drives more balls off the end of the barrel might want to explore other options that we provide at Phoenix Bats. One common misconception is that maple bats are dangerous. Because of how dense and hard maple is, when it breaks a piece that comes loose may fly further. This is a controversial topic in the major leagues although it is still not widely believed that bats made from maple are the problem. There is much more proof linking bat dimensions and wood quality to breakage. Neither is a concern with maple bats made here at Phoenix as we use the highest quality Rock Maple wood and custom design bats for all types of ball players. Even if you decide that a maple bat does not fit your hitting style, the Phoenix Challenge gives you the opportunity to return it within 10 days of your purchase.

Why Choose Ash Bats

Since the early days of baseball wooden bats have been evolving. The earliest pieces of lumber that were crafted into the tools of America’s past-time were made out of hickory. These very thick and heavy bats were a pitcher’s dream. But invention soon turned towards the side of the hitter when the ash bats became the staple in bat racks. Ash bats provided the opportunity for players to swing faster, connecting with the ball more often, as weights in almost every model became more manageable.

Pros of Ash Bats

The game is gravitating back towards its roots and more and more wooden bat leagues are popping up. If you are just now starting to swing a wooden stick, an ash bat is a good choice. This type of wood is very light which trasnslates in to more bat speed for the hitters that are trying to fight off fastballs with bigger bats. Ash bats are naturally porous and have the beautiful grains that make wooden bats look so natural. There are many people who don’t like to associate the word porous with the art of hitting but it can make a bat very forgiving. The give and flexibility in ash bats creates a super sized sweet spot that is ideal for hitters that tend to spray the ball all over the field. A trampoline effect will seem like the ball is jumping off your bat. High quality Northern White Ash will give you the strength that will keep the same bat in your hands for many more at bats.

Cons of Ash Bats

Ash bats have two negative aspects are ironically also associated with longevity. Hundreds of major leaguers have switched to maple, as maple is stronger than ash, propelling the ball further. Ash bats, being not as hard, tend to break in the handle when a hitter gets “jammed” by inside pitches that they hit down the handle, away from the barrel of the bat. The bigger problem facing ash bats may go back to their roots, literally. Ash trees are starting to disappear from the North American landscape because of a pesky insect known as the Emerald Ash Borer, which is spreading and killing ash trees from Mississippi to Michigan. However, as long as Northern White Ash trees continue to grow Phoenix will continue to make high quality ash bats because of the benefits they provide hitters of all skill levels.

Either way a hitter should know that an ash bat made by us here at Phoenix Bats is going to be the highest quality wood (having straighter grains from end to end and better spacing between grains), and can be specifically designed to your hitting style. Even if you decide that an ash bat does not fit your hitting style, the Phoenix Challenge gives you the opportunity to return it within 10 days of your purchase.