4 Best Composite Bats | Plastic Dingers

You can make two significant distinctions between baseball and softball bats. The first is whether the bat is made from two pieces or one. The other is whether the bat is made from aluminum or composite.

As per the second, there are several reasons some people prefer composite bats over aluminum. Close to the top of most lists is the fact that composite bat barrels are often quite a bit larger than aluminum bat barrels. This consistent feature is derived from the fact that composite material is lighter than aluminum, and less weight in the barrel means more material can be used to create a larger barrel. As well, composite bats tend to feel much softer on contact. The composite (a high-grade plastic) can absorb more shock in the material.

There was a time when composite bats had better performance than aluminum barrels. Now, restrictions on barrels like BBCOR and USABat lend less credence to how hot composite can be compared to aluminum.

A composite bat is a carbon bat whose fibers are directed to give the bat specific properties. These properties include things like durability, trampoline effect, and lightness. Composite is a fancier word for plastic. Composite bats come in all shapes and sizes and tend to run more expensive than aluminum bats. They are made for baseball, fastpitch, and slowpitch. Composite bats dominate the fastpitch and slowpitch space.

Some bats are a composite barrel and an aluminum handle. These bats are referred to as hybrids. They are, in effect, a half aluminum, half composite bat.

Most composite bats are built with a two-piece structure. That is, they have a composite handle and a composite barrel that is connected in some way or another. We refer to these bats as, no surprise, two-piece bats. Other composite bats, although rarer, are made of a single piece of composite. These bats are stiffer, and in theory at least, can deliver more power to the ball (and, we should add, more shock waves to your hands).

The younger and lighter you are, the more you will prefer a two-piece composite bat. Today, there are even several collegiate players still swinging a two-piece composite. Few single-piece composite bats even exist and their small market share might be all the info you need as to how well they are received. With that said, Combat (now defunct and owned by Easton), as well as Dirty South Bats (a small player out of Georgia), make a big barreled single-piece composite bat that many people love. And if you are serious about going to the single-piece composite space, we suggest you start with either of those two.