Question 1

Why purchase a wood bat?

Accepted Answer

While aluminum may be popular and allow a player to hit the ball a little farther, they hold your slugger's development back. Metal bats can compensate for poor technique, and their larger barrel turn outs into hits.  These bats make it more difficult for hitters to identify weaknesses in their swing. Plus, metal bats now can cost up to $500!

Wood bats on the other hand help players learn the fundemental mechanics that produce the best swing possible. Training in practices and during the off-season using anything other than wood is doing an athlete a disservice. Using wood gives you a TON OF FEEDBACK WITH EVERY SWING.  Wooden bats have proven to be a great training tool, teaching athletes to swing THROUGH the ball.  Additionally, their smaller sweet spots are much less forgiving than that of an aluminum bat. This forces hitters to perfect their mechanics and repeat them to see better, more consistent results. It is much more difficult to experience success with a wooden bat unless you truly perfected your swing.  When you transfer your perfected wood bat swing to aluminum, the results are stagering.  Practicing with wood gets results!

Does your slugger dream of playing in the MLB? Does your junior high or high school student want to earn a scholarship and play at the next level?  A well-crafted wood baseball bat could be the best investment you can made to develop their game.  Whether it's a Midwest Timber bat or another competitor, get wood in their hands.

Question 2

Should I choose Maple or Ash?

Accepted Answer

Maple is a very hard, dense wood. The surface hardness is about 20% greater than ash. The harder the surface, the faster the ball will jump off the bat. This is one fo the reasons maple has become so popular. Maple is a closer grained hardwood than ash, making the grain more difficult to see. Unlike ash, the straightness of the grain does not matter in a maple bat. Maple will not splinter and the grain will not separate. However, the hardness of maple will make a bat with less flex and it will generally be more heavy than ash. Maple bats lack of the give of ash which makes them sesceptible to breaking if you hit it off the end of the bat or near the handle.  
 
Ash on the other hand does flex. For decades, ash has historically been the wood bat of choice. When a ball is hit with an ash bat, there is a trampoline effect. The ball does not just jump off the bat. Instead, the ball first compresses the wood and then shoots off the bat like a spring board and with more force than a maple bat. This spring board effect is one of ashes greatest strengths and weaknesses. The spring board and compression traits will cause the bat's grains to separate over time. The flex of an ash bat also gives it a larger sweet spot. Ash bats generally do not snap the way a maple bat may. While, they will break just as easy, they typically wear out after a few years of hitting.

**Please note, nearly all wood bats break over time. Make sure you hit with the Midwest Timber label looking at you or away from you.   If balls are hit incorrectly, hit off the handle or end or the bat, or use the bat a lot over time, they will often phase out.  Ash bat grains will eventually pull apart after a lot of swings.  It's the natural process. The good news is, Midwest Timber bats look good in your man cave once they've make their final swing. :-)

Question 3

What is a Pro Reserve Bat?  Are there other options?

Accepted Answer

Select Pro Reserve is the cleanest looking wood with the straightest wood grains. The wood blank suppliers charge more for these cleaner, straighter and wider grains.  The wider grains can also help bat performance and help them last longer.

Midwest Timber can offer a slightly lessor ProSelect wood bat typically which has wavier grains and some additional natural wood discoloration.  Just contact Midwest Timber to see if there is a cheaper Pro Select bat available.

Question 4

Why buy a weighted bat?

Accepted Answer

A weighted bat builds grit and stamina for your swing.  After tee work, soft toss, or dry weighted bat swings, your bat will feel much lighter in your hands.  Your bat speed and confidence will grow!

Question 5

Why get a 1-hand trainer?

Accepted Answer

The 1-hand trainer helps develop the correct bat path towards hitting a baseball.  This trainer is ALL ABOUT TECHNIQUE, not speed. It will help your bat path get on plane as fast as possible. Both the top hand and bottom hand need work to avoid a long swing.  The bottom hand work trains the correct bat path.  Top hand work focuses on staying tight to avoid a long swing.  If a swing is long, it will not work when pitchers begin throwing fastballs in the upper 70s.   Players that get jammed on higher velocity pitchers need the 1-hand trainer.  The 1-hand trainer also helps cut down on strikeouts, helping your bat stay in the strike zone as long as possible.

Question 6

What does a glove mallet do?

Accepted Answer

The glove mallet speeds up the process of breaking in your new glove.  You can watch your favorite show and break in your glove at the same time.   Need your mit ready for game 1, then you need the glove mallet!

Question 7

How long is the mini-bat?

Accepted Answer

18 inches

Question 8

How is the youth bat different than the adult Game Pro Reserve?

Accepted Answer

The youth bat barrel is significantly leaner than the Pro Reserve and Pro Select.  The youth bat has a 2 1/4" barrel vs. a 2 1/2" barrel for the others.  Generally speaking, these bats are used for 5 year olds to 11 year olds.

However, know that Midwest Timber can make your slugger a youth bat with an adult 2 1/2 barrel bat.   These are a great transition an are recommended for boys ages 7 and up.

Question 9

Can my 7-11 year old youth use a larger 2 1/2" barrel bat."

Accepted Answer

Yes!  The owner recomends this bat for your slugger when you feel he is prepared to begin working on strength and stamina.  We can often times get these bats to -6 ounces to help players transition to heavier bats as they grow.

Question 10

What is BBCOR certification?  Are Midwest Timber bats BBCOR certified?

Accepted Answer

BBCOR(Bat-Ball Coefficient of Restitution) is the standard currently governing junior high, high school, and NCAA play.  BBCOR measures the trampoline effect of the bat. Wood baseball bats do not have much give to them and the ball loses much of the energy upon impact.  The BBCOR standard ensures that non-wood bats perform more comparably to wood bats in an attempt to level the playing field and improve player safety.

Yes, Midwest Timber Game Pro Reserve and Game Pro Select are certified.  Our wood bats are made from one piece of solid wood. Wood bats that are constructed from a combination of woods, contain composite materials, or are made of Bamboo, will require the BBCOR certification mark.

If you need or want the BBCOR certification sticker on your bat, please let Midwest Timber know in the additional comments section when you order your bat.   We can add the BBCOR certification sticker to your bat.

Question 11

Why Midwest Timber vs. the other bats companies?

Accepted Answer

Nobody provides more intimate customization than Midwest Timber.  "Your colors, your name, your swing!"  This slogan says it all because we can do things the larger companies will not do.  Plus, our prices are very reasonable for professional grade wood bats and products. Know that the owner handcrafts each bat, so you know quality will be cherished with each product.  Have questions, call or email the owner.  We will work to customize a bat that is an extension of the player's personality.

Question 12

How do I avoid breaking my bat?

Accepted Answer

Wood bats can and will break if you do not use them properly.  Here are a few key tips:
1. Use the bat with the lable looking at you when you hold it out in front of you.  The goal is the hit the ball on the 'side' of the bat where the grains are close together. 
2. Avoid hitting the ball off the very end of the bat and/or close to the handle. 
3. Use wood once you have your timing down with a metal bat.  If you use wood for your first swings of the year after a long break, you are more likely to hit the ball off the end of the bat or closer to the handle. 
4. Work on a short swing.  Aiming the knob of the bat at the ball is one time-honored strategy that works.   If you have a long swing, you will break your bat. 
5. Be READY.  If you are not ready with your first swings of practice or the game, you could get jamed and break your bat.

With proper techniques, wood bats can last forever.   With poor technique, it could break on your first swing.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions