Advantage of dangerous maple bats: Partly psychological?

Posted Mar 12, 2010 by Tribune Sports

Updated Mar 12, 2010 at 11:18 AM

I spoke to Pirates hitting coach Don Long before the Rays-Pirates game Thursday about baseball’s maple bats controversy. Long, as you may remember, was struck just below his left eye by a flying bat shard during an April 2008 game in Los Angeles.

Nate McLouth had hit a broken-bat double to right field, and when his maple bat shattered, the barrel end flew end over end, narrowly missing outfielder Jason Bay and slicing a 3-inch gash in Long’s face.  You can see the video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i12l4SoeELA.

Long said he was aware of the frightening incident in the Rays-Red Sox game Wednedsay in which Rays pitcher David Price narrrowly avoided serious injury from a broken bat. Price did sustain a minor injury to his non-throwing hand, but he could have easily been hit in the eye.

Surprisingly, though, Long isn’t pushing for a ban on the shatter-prone bats.

“From a safety standpoint, they seem to break more than the other bats,” he said. “From the hitting coach’s standpoint, it’s kind of a fine line for me because a guy uses that kind of a bat, and if he thinks it’s going to make him hit better, than it probably will.”

Long noted that Major League Baseball has imposed some tougher standards on the maple bats, including a requirement that each bat gets in spected. But he also referenced another broken-bat incident in the Pirates-Yankees game the other day, in which a pitcher again was put at risk.

“We had one the other day with (CC) Sabathia pitching: a broken bat that came right back at him,” Long related. “He fielded the ball, dodged the bat, and then he threw to first,” Long said. “To me, it’s still an issue. Bats are going to break. But the way they come apart like that, I’m not sure the problem has been completely resolved.”

I asked Long if he thinks the major advantage of the maple bats is that they’re harder and the ball comes off them hotter or it’s a psychological thing.

“It’s harder initially.” he said. “Ash bats have a tendency to flake. The maple, if it’s the wood or the way they’re coated now, I don’ tknow which is which, but I think guys think they’re harder. They’re not going to flake as easy. They’re going to last longer and be better for them. Again I think that plays into the psychology of hitting.”

Bottom line? There’s going to be a lot more conversation on this topic.