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 Q. Does the ball come off an aluminum bat faster than off a wood bat?
A. The speed off both bats is comparable, any potential variation could result from the make and model of the ball; the age of the ball: the make and model of the bat; the size and strength of the batter; the size and strength of the pitcher; the speed of the pitch; the type of pitch; the abilities of the pitcher and the batter; the response and reaction time of the pitcher, the exact position and angle of the bat/ball interface.
The BESR limit on bats was established to require all aluminum bats to be more ‘wood like’ in performance. Both the NCAA and NFHS have indicated they are presently satisfied with the performance levels of aluminum bats.
Q. Why doesn't professional baseball allow aluminum bats?
A. Major League Baseball uses wood bats because of long standing traditions and to measure valid statistical comparisons. Safety is not a factor.
 Q. Are batted balls off of today's aluminum bats hitting more pitchers?
A. No. We know of no statistical evidence that shows an increase in injuries front batted balls. NCAA statistics show that baseball is one of the safest of all college team sports. There is no evidence indicating any increase in batted ball injuries. As a matter of fact the NCAA statistics show that more players are injured front base running than from batted balls. Little League Baseball shows a 76% decline in batted ball injuries since 1992.
Other amateur organizations reach the same conclusion: injuries due to batted balls off aluminum bats are not increasing and, in some cases, are even decreasing.
Q. Didn't the CPSC (Consumer Product Safety Commission) investigate aluminum bats in 2002?
A. The CPSC was acting on a petition submitted by an individual (who, interestingly enough, was part-owner of a wood bat company) who wanted the federal government to issue restrictive roles on aluminum bats. The Commission denied the petition stating that the “available incident data are not sufficient to indicate that non-wood bats may pose an unreasonable risk of injury.” This means that there is nothing to indicate that aluminum bats arc more dangerous than wood.
Q. Isn’t it true that manufacturers make more money from the sale of aluminum bats than the sale of wood bats?
A. While some aluminum bats may be much more expensive than a single wood bat, it is widely agreed that teams would spend far more over the course of an entire season buying wood bats than aluminum ones because wood bats break. One story in COLLEGIATE BASEBALL, the official publication of the American Baseball Coaches Association, was quoted as stating, “Going to an all-wood format could raise the cost of bats six times higher than current expenses." When considered from that perspective, a bat company could make more money from the sale of wood than from aluminum.
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