New York Yankees

Louisville ExoGrid 2 Technology

Louisvile Slugger shows the technology that they have put into their 2012 ExoGrid 2 bat.

 

Price Comparison

You may think that with the new certification process would force bat manufacturers to raise the price of the bats. Well actually when you compare the two types of bats the prices are almost identical to one another.

Back when BESR bats were being used, you could easily find yourself paying anywhere between $200 all the way up to $500, all depending upon what brand of bat it was that you were buying. For example, you could have bought an Easton Typhoon bat for $200 but the bat would break or die before the end of the summer season. You could have also bought a Louisville Slugger ExoGrid bat for around $500 and notice a tremendous difference in the durability and pop that the bat had. So depending on how much you spent actually made a difference when it came to bat quality.

2007 Easton Typhoon

2007 Louisville Slugger ExoGrid

Now when you go to a store you will find mainly BBCOR bats and the first thing people seem to look at is the price tag. When they see a bat for $400 they turn away from it as if they would never think of spending that kind of money for a bat. The matter is that BBCOR bats range from $60 (very low quality) to $400 (high quality). The thing with BBCOR bats though is that since the certification puts restrictions on the bounciness of the barrel, I can say from personal experience that a $200 Verdero BBCOR bat hits just as well as the $300 DeMarini Voodoo in terms of durability and pop. The look of the bats is the only real difference in my opinion.

Verdero 718 Max

2013 DeMarini Voodoo

How Are Bats Certified?

To test bats during the BBCOR certification process three mechanisms are used to measure ball rebound speed:

1. Ball Cannon: At a muzzle velocity of at least 150 mph, the ball will be shot from the cannon with no more than 10 rpms to measure and the exhaust may not cause the barrel to move if the ball doesn't make contact with the bat.
2. Ball Speed Gate: The gate consists of three sensors that track the ball's speed. The first sensor is placed 18 inches from the surface of the bat, the second one is 6 inches closer than the first sensor, and the third is 6 inches closer than the second sensor. This will track the rebound speed of the ball from the surface of the bat.
3. Bat Pivot Support: The support hold the bat by the handle so that the proximal end of the knob is 6 inches from the axis of rotation. 

After the bat is set up properly in the machine, the testing begins. Using six new balls, the machine fires one at a time towards the barrel and the results are recorded. After each shot the barrel is randomly rotated to ensure the entire barrel produces similar results. After all the data is collected the mathematicians use a formula to measure the batted ball coefficient of restitution (BBCOR). Any bat that has a higher BBCOR rating than .500 is deemed illegal for play.

In conclusion, these are the five requirements for BBCOR certification.

1. The bat must meet the size and weight specifications.
2. There are no tolerances for length-weight differences (no greater than three units without the grip) or for maximum barrel diameter.
3. The bat must have an MOI (6 in. from the base of the knob) greater than or equal to the minimum allowable for the bat’s length class.
4. The bat ring must pass over the entire length of the bat before and after every hit.
5. The BBCOR, as determined from an average of six (6) consecutive valid hits at the maximum BBCOR location described above, must not exceed 0.500.