Opinions On Bats

<oscar619.DeleteThis@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1141966293.629017.300410@v46g2000cwv.googlegroups.com...
>I wanted to see if anyone out there could give me there toughts on the
> new Louisville Slugger Catalyst YB106p bat with the -10 drop for youth
> baseball. I was looking at the F2 but saw this one was released not to
> long ago. It states it doesn't have the flex because slugger says you
> lose power. Any opinons on flex or no flex. Son currently swings a
> Vexxum which he likes but he's had it for a while and would like to get
> him something with a little more weight.

Forget all of the hype of space-age materials. The best bat is one that
feels good, regardless of materials. Bat manufacturers have gone way
overboard in the last 10 years.
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> oscar619.RemoveThis@gmail.com wrote:

> I wanted to see if anyone out there could give me there toughts on the
> new Louisville Slugger Catalyst YB106p bat with the -10 drop for youth
> baseball. I was looking at the F2 but saw this one was released not to
> long ago. It states it doesn't have the flex because slugger says you
> lose power. Any opinons on flex or no flex. Son currently swings a
> Vexxum which he likes but he's had it for a while and would like to get
> him something with a little more weight. Thanks

What do you mean by flex? Do you mean flex in the sidewall of the
barrel of the bat (instantaneous deformation and springing back of the
sidewall or the trampoline effect) or do you mean flex in the handle of
the bat (the whip effect)?

I think it is universally agreed that the whip effect does impart more
power on the ball (if the timing of the swing is spot-on). That is why
you see players shaving down their bat handles in the big leagues. The
Catalyst for youth is at most what, 30" long? I don't think you'll get
much whip effect out of that. What is the handle diameter at its
thinnest point?

The trampoline effect has many believers and the theory behind it is
sound. However, in order to maximize the effect, bat manufacturers need
to make the barrel sidewall as thin as possible and use different metal
alloys to achieve the desired spring effect. Furthermore these
expensive bats tend to dent easily in colder weather. Also, if players
that use these types of bats are to be believed, they will tell you
that the bats need to break in a little before they reach peak
performance and that after "X" number of swings the bat loses some of
its elasticity. (Or it could be the player getting used to the feel of
the bat after "X" of swings).

You might try to find an indoor batting cage that has open houses with
factory reps from the bat company allowing players to try out the new
models. That's kind of rare, but it does happen.

My advice? Get a name brand bat with the desired weight and length and
don't spend more than $100 on it. The high-end bats are definitely cool
and probably add a little bit of extra performance (perhaps a couple of
feet on a line drive) but I feel the cost-benefit ratio is out of
whack. If your child continues to play and is a stud in his high school
years, I might consider the spendy bat at that point.
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> WJR wrote:


> Unless these bats are independently certified as to their ability to
> deliver what they claim, who really knows if they add extra value or not?

A fair point. I'm pretty sure there have been controlled studies done
on this, probably some university research thesis.

Otherwise we have the testimony of the players.
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On Fri, 10 Mar 2006 02:24:34 -0500, Steve wrote:

>>
>> Don't keep up with the bats but why more weight?
>
> Kids grow.

Physics doesn't.
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On 10 Mar 2006 06:49:51 -0800, powrwrap wrote:

> My advice? Get a name brand bat with the desired weight and length and
> don't spend more than $100 on it. The high-end bats are definitely cool
> and probably add a little bit of extra performance (perhaps a couple of
> feet on a line drive) but I feel the cost-benefit ratio is out of
> whack.

Unless these bats are independently certified as to their ability to
deliver what they claim, who really knows if they add extra value or not?
--
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Thanks for all the opinions. Yeah i agree on the cost of bats being
crazy. Unfortunately there isn't any place here that allows you to try
before you buy so you are always going on word of mouth. Yes a good
swing on a ball with any bat will drive it that's why we train with
wood bats. Get them away from the long swing of lighter alluminum
bats. But in my exeperience in games the newer composite bats have
larger sweet spots and are more forgiving then the lower end alloy
bats. I'm just trying to figure if the whip effect that demarini tout
is better or the flex in the barrel that louisville pushes is the
better technology. The F2 i have seen in action and is a good bad but
was curious if anyone had seen the catalyst in action since I have not.
Thanks guys though for all the opinions.
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WJR <abcofficialsunlimited RemoveThis @gmail.comxyz> writes:

>The primary determiner in travel distance (all things equal) is bat speed.
>That would be bat speed at the point of impact. I say this b/c I doubt that
>there is serious differences between the newer alloy technologies mfg to
>mfg or that the "whip vs flex" is really a significant factor in bat speed
>at swwet spot impact.

But all things are not equal. There are two main things that determine
the distance that a ball is hit: the speed and COR of the bat-ball
collision. The COR is essentially fixed with a wooden bat, but it isn't
fixed for metal bats. It is possible to build metal bats that have a
real, meaningful "trampoline effect", which increased the COR and hence
the speed of the ball off the bat.

--
Roger Moore | Master of Meaningless Trivia | (raj@alumni.caltech.edu)
There's no point in questioning authority if you don't listen to the answers.
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On Fri, 10 Mar 2006 22:04:25 +0000 (UTC), Roger Moore wrote:

> WJR <abcofficialsunlimited.DeleteThis@gmail.comxyz> writes:
>
>>The primary determiner in travel distance (all things equal) is bat speed.
>>That would be bat speed at the point of impact. I say this b/c I doubt that
>>there is serious differences between the newer alloy technologies mfg to
>>mfg or that the "whip vs flex" is really a significant factor in bat speed
>>at swwet spot impact.
>
> But all things are not equal. There are two main things that determine
> the distance that a ball is hit: the speed and COR of the bat-ball
> collision. The COR is essentially fixed with a wooden bat, but it isn't
> fixed for metal bats. It is possible to build metal bats that have a
> real, meaningful "trampoline effect", which increased the COR and hence
> the speed of the ball off the bat.

No argument there but if you are attempting to make valid, science based
comparisons, there must be a control where all things are, as humanly
possible, equal. As James Bond, I would expect you to know that

I would disagree as to the variables in determining distance of a batted
ball. There are many more variables than velocity and COR.
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