Baseball Batty Over Maple

On April 15th, Pirates hitting coach Don Long was struck in the face by pieces of a broken bat. He was sitting in the dugout at Dodger stadium when Nate McLouth stroked a double off Estaban Loaiza, his bat shattering in the process. The bat sliced through the muscle in his cheek, catching nerves in its wake. A piece broke off and lodged under his skin. A doctor needed to remove the stray wood before he could sew 10 stitches. The left side of his face is temporaily paralyzed. Doctors predict the nerves in Long’s face will regenerate and he’ll be able to smile again.

Earlier this week Reds shortstop Jeff Keppinger, who was hitting .324, broke his bat and fouled a ball off his kneecap fracturing his patella. He will be out 4-6 weeks.

Eric Byrnes, once angry after a bad at-bat, slammed his maple bat into the ground and saw its shrapnel hit catcher Miguel Olivo in the head.

And it's not just the players and coaches on the field that are in danger of the sharp projectiles that have been flying out of the hands of major league hitters at an alarming rate. According to Duane Espy, who was hitting coach for San Diego from 2000-2002:

"When I coached in San Diego, I saw a maple bat explode with a big chunk of it flying over a dugout and sticking in a fan's arm," Espy said. "When ash bats break, they might break in half, but they don't explode into shards. Maple bats become javelins. They always end up with a severe point. It's very rare for an ash bat to break like that."

Baseball commissioner Bud Selig has decided to nip the breaking bat problem "in the the bud" and wants to talk to the players' union and the Rules Committee about the number of broken maple bats and why they are breaking. Maybe he should just read this article by Brain Vander Beek of the Modesto Bee.

According to Vander Beek, the increasing number can be explained by the fact that the popularity of maple bats among major league players has grown over the past 6 years. Last year, the use of maple bats surpassed ash for the first time. This year 60 percent of all MLB players are swinging maple.

Why are the maple bats so popular?

• In 2001, Barry Bonds hit 73 home runs using a maple bat. Bonds' record breaking season brought attention to the fact that he was using unique maple baseball bats made by Sam Bat of Ottawa, ON.
• Maple bats are cheaper than ash making it an economic factor at the minor league level. Maple bats go for about $40 each while ash bats cost about $60.
• Maple bats are more durable and last longer. They provide a harder hitting surface than ash and don't visibly wear down.

The durability of the maple bats apparently answers the question of why the bats are so much more dangerous than broken ash.

Ash bats crack. Maple bats explode. Maple bats crack on the inside where the wear is hidden until the bat gives up its structural integrity on impact, often in a violent manner.

In 2006, MLB brought up the issue of maple bats during the collective-bargaining negotiations, but the players' union rejected an outright ban or imposing any restrictions that would lessen the likelihood of breakage. They have so far rejected the idea of putting nets in front of seats closest to the field.

An outright ban of the maple bats now seems unlikely. Chuck Schupp, the director of professional sales at Hillerich & Bradsby, the parent company for Louisville Slugger, said they would need at least 18 months to fill the orders of ash bats for all their clients.

The thickening of the bat handle seems the likeliest compromise. A scientific study showed that as the size of the handle increases, the potential for broken bats decreases. However, players might object to thicker handles because they add weight, and every 10th of an ounce counts.

The question for Baseball is this: Will they do something before it's too late or will there be another Mike Coolbaugh incident first?

(Additional story by Jeff Passan.)