Bat Weight Loss

[eGameUsed]

Hello! I recall reading some articles on bats that can loose mass over time. I have a bat dating to the late 1980s that weights 29.8 ounces and 34 inches. The bat records indicate bats of the 1986-89 era were ordered in 31 ounces and 34 inches. There is a very tiny sliver missing on the front barrel and some deadwood on the back of the barrel. Is it reasonable to say the bat could drop 1.2 ounces in 20-22 years?

Thanks in advance!

[allstarsplus]

Re: Bat Weight Loss

Keep the termites away from your bats!!!

In all seriousness, I am sure bats will lose some weight do to loss of moisture, but not sure how much difference that will make in terms of ounces lost.

[Birdbats]

Re: Bat Weight Loss

It's reasonable to me, especially if the bat has been kept in drier conditions. You should also consider that just because the shipping records say the bat was 31 ounces doesn't mean it was exactly 31 ounces at the time. Your bat could have been 30 ounces when it was made.

[xpress34]

Re: Bat Weight Loss

It is very reasonable - and very likely the wood dried and as said earlier, lost moisture content and therefore weight.

This 'drying' effect is why the Rockies put the humidor in Coor's Field. Over the course of a Winter, the balls left in storage at the stadium would dry out and shrink some - to about the size of a Cue Ball - and leave the cover stiff and slick and the ball less 'resilience' making it that much easier to hit a HR at Coors Field.

As far as the bat weight at shipping - yes, they may have been ordered as 31oz, but if they are made of Ash (as opposed to Maple), the density of the wood varies. You could order a case of 33" bats with the exact same specs (handle sz, rise to the barrell, barrell diameter, etc) and unless you did some exacting work in cupping each bat barrell indivdually, the weight can vary by as much as 3oz a bat.

As I have mentioned in other posts, I us to work for Rawlings and when we would get in premade Ash bats just for engraving, they were all the same base Big Stick model, same length, same handle, same barrel, etc... but you could litterally feel the weight difference as tou pulled them out of the boxes.

- Chris

[BMH]

Re: Bat Weight Loss

I agree, with Pro orders we allow a .5oz either way from requested weight. For Minors it is an ounce. That doesn't mean we sometimes ship bats that aren't within that range.

[eGameUsed]

Re: Bat Weight Loss

Thanks guys for the feedback! This helps a ton. I will post pictures of my new gem later on.

Thanks again,