So Good They Should be Outlawed

Ash Wood Baseball Bats

For the last decade the staple tree for wood baseball bats has been northern white ash (Fraxicus Americana) .  The unique properties of this tree make it the perfect wood for baseball bats.  Due to the flex of ash bats, baseballs fly off it while the bat maintains its grain integrity. 

The separation of the grains in ash is porous and filled with air.  This allows an ash baseball bat to have very good overall strength properties relative to its weight and length. It also has excellent shock resistance properties and is very good for machining and finishing.

Today’s baseball player relies on bat speed for distance and bats made from select northern white ash because of their superior flex at the point of contact.  This special property gives batters some “trampoline” affect from ash; a desired quality.

Ash baseball bats have endured the test of time and will remain the staple of the wood bat industry.  However, a pest called the emerald ash bore is jeopardizing ash forests.  This new threat to the northern white ash trees is being closely monitored by all wood bat manufactures.