Among many of the esoteric and rarely known/discussed rules includes the rule that the specifications for a bat's length and weight must not exceed -3.5. Adding to the list of things for which I am clueless, this rule is one of them.
"We've been told that they probably won't ban maple, that they will come up with some recommendations for changing what we do now," said [Brian] Hillerich, professional bat production manager for [Hillerich & Bradsby, which makes the Louisville Slugger], which has a 60% share of the MLB market.
One of the remedies to reduce the number of broken bats is to change the difference between the length and weight of a bat. According to MLB rules, bats can be no more than minus-3.5, which means the difference between the length in inches and weight in ounces cannot be greater than 3.5.
"A 34-inch, 30.5-ounce bat is waiting to be broken in half," Hillerich said.
I have no idea whether what Hillerich says is indeed true, but I'm in favor of any change that will help prevent the epidemic of exploding bats.
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1 comment:
Minus 3.5 is rather ridiculous when you consider all high school and college bats have to be minus 3.
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