We know this because last Thursday the cameras caught him swinging a Yasiel Puig model bat during the Nationals game against the Mets. According to Harper, he got the bat from Puig. He’s been hot lately, in what has been a disappointing season overall, so he’s been sticking with the Cuban import‘s lumber.

Harper told the Washington Post he’s long used bats with other players names etched on them, adding he’s swung Chase Utley, Mike Trout, Troy Tulowitzki, David Wright, Buster Posey, Robinson Cano, Todd Helton, Melky Cabrera and Miguel Cabrera models in the past. (It appears to the 21-year old has already learned to borrow from the best.)

His only rule is he won’t swing another man’s stick when he’s going against that player’s team. So if he’s still enthralled  the Puig model — the YP-66 — next week when the Dodgers come to town, he will simply send Puig’s bat to a custom manufacture like Chandler or Marucci and they will send him a bootlegged “Harper” model with the identical specs.

Harper also regularly switches bats game-to-game depending on the pitcher. He is so mercurial when it comes to his lumber he told the Post he doubts he’ll ever stick with a bat long enough for there to be an official BH-34 model that other players can borrow.

A baseball’s drop is its weight in ounces minus its length in inches. So a 30 inch bat that weighs 20 ounces would have a drop of -10.

If you are playing high school or college baseball you need to use a BBCOR approved bat and the BBCOR only gives the OK to bats with a -3 drop. (Between 29 and 35 inches and 26 and 32 ounces.) So if you are planning to play high school or college baseball,you will need to buy a bat with a -3 drop.

Bats specified to the height to weight ration tend to be pretty expensive, but here are the four of the cheaper bats with -3 drops on the market. They are available on their companies’ websites but you may be able to find them for slightly cheaper on Amazon so make sure to check that out too before you buy.

Easton BK6 Hammer Bbcor Adult Baseball Bat (-3) $25 to $40
Easton lowest priced BBCOR approved bat on the market. It has 2 ⅝ barrell and the aluminum bat is made from 7046 aircraft alloy. It is able to meet BBCOR requirements thanks patent pending barrell technology that braces the bat at critical points in its construction. The bat has a thin 31/32 handle and features and cushioned grip. This one piece design bat comes with a one year warranty and since it’s not a composite it doesn’t need any breaking in. Those who have bought the bat say it hits like a more expensive model.

Rawlings Velo Ash Wood Bat (-3) $49.99

Go old school with a wood bat from Rawlings. Made from m.aple, Rawlings guarantees each bat features a -3 drop. This economically priced has a pro cupped end which allows the bat to have a superlative swing to weight ratio. The bat has a medium cup size meaning it less than 2.5 inches. Designed to have a bigger sweet spot Rawlings recommends this bat for those who want to increase their swing speed while maintaining a balanced approach. The bat is available at 31,32,33 and 34 inches and for an extra $10 you can have the bat engraved. So say goodbye to the ping and swing like the pros do with this chape -3 baseball bat.

Easton Typhoon BBCOR: BK63 Adult (-3) 49.99
This BBCOR approved bat with a -3 drop features a 2 ⅝ inch barrel diameter and a thin 31/32 tapered handle. It is made from 7046 airplane alloy and has a one piece design. The Easton Typhoon’s brace barrel technology locates the critical spots in the bat and reinforces them, which is how it is able to meet BBCOR requirements. The bat is available between 29 and 33 inches and comes with a full 12 month manufacturers warranty. Those who have purchased the bat give it solid marks across the board, with some saying it provides as much pop as much more expensive bats.

Louisville Slugger TPX Warrior BBCOR (-3) $59.99
While Louisville Slugger is known for the wood bats, they also have a very extensive line of aluminum and composite bats. The Louisville Slugger TPX Warrior featuring a -3 drop is one of their cheaper bats, but it is still BBCOR approved, making it eligible for high school and college play as well as certain adult leagues which require this certification. The bat has 31/32 inch tapered handle with a synthetic grip. It comes with a 12 month warranty and has a vibration cancelling end cap that actually locks in that energy creates more power on contact. The bat gets high marks for its lack of vibrations and durability from those who have bought.

Combat sports is a sporting goods company which makes composite baseball bats. Founded by GE executives in the late nineties, the Canadian company started out by making composite hockey sticks. They moved into the baseball in the early twenty first century, first supplying composite bats to Worth, Rawlings, Nike and other industry leaders. In 2004 they decided to go on their own way and market their products under their own label. They are now the fastest growing bat maker in baseball and softball.

Combat’s bat are made from carbon, glass and Aramid fibers — which are used to make bulletproof vests — and our embedded in a plastic resin. The advantage composite bats have over bats made of wood or just one metal are that the bats’ engineers can isolate certain points of the bat and make them stronger or weaker. For example they can increase the stiffness of the handle and reduce the stiffness of the barrel to create a trampoline effect with. Composite bats are also better than aluminum bats in cold weather and should vibrate less. According to Combat, their bats offer a fifteen percent bigger sweet spot than their composite competitors.

Combat strives to make bats that meet the requirements of the BBCOR, which governs high school and college baseball. They acknowledge, however, that due to the evolving bat certification standards of various of the sports governing bodies that they can not guarantee the bats they sell will always be legal. As it stands, Combat baseball bats with -3 drops (meaning there there is a difference of three between the bats inches and ounces) should be legal in high school and college baseball. In fact, Combat is the official bat sponsor of about a dozen college baseball teams including Washington State and Texas Tech.

Combat is also known for their protective equipment — such as batting helmets and catcher’s gear — and their baseball bags and backpacks. They also feature a line of baseball batting gloves.
One of Combats most popular youth bats is the Combat Grifter Youth Baseball Bat -12, which is approved for play in most youth baseball organization. The barrell of the bat has a titanium enhanced barrel, which is offset by a specially constructed handle. The bat also features Resonance Proof Taper, which cuts down on any sting or vibration. It also has gear technology which gives the bat a softer feel. This bat runs about a hundred and fifty dollars.

The Combat B4 Portent is a BBCOR approved bat that is a winner with the high school and college set. Specially engineered to have the largest sweet spot (a “double” sweet spot they call it.) and lightest swing weight possible, this -3 bat is brimming with store and release power and comes in 31, 32, 33 and 34 inches. This bat retailers at $379.

As you can see, Combat bats are not cheap. But what you are paying for is some pretty serious high-tech engineering. Combat bats can be purchased on the company’s website and also at sporting good stores and online retailers like Amazon. Anybody thinking about buying a Combat Baseball bat should first take a look at eBay, as you can often find new Combat baseball bats on the auction site for up to fifty percent of the retail price.

Baseball savings is an online one-stop shop for baseball equipment and apparel. It was founded in 2006 and its mailing address is in Wichita, Kansas, where they also have one retail store there. Baseball Savings is the number one baseball only retailer on the Internet.

Baseball Saving is famous for guaranteeing the lowest price on any baseball bat. If you find a lower price on any bat Baseball Savings carries, they will match the price.

According to Baseball Savings they also have the widest selection of bats on the Internet. These include Easton, DeMARINI, Marucci, Mizuno, Louisville Slugger, Nike, Rawlings, RIP-IT, Miken, Anderson, Mattingly and Reebok. The also have every kind of bat from wood to composite to fungo to fast pitch softball to custom. One of the neat things about Baseball Savings website is that there is a an easy to use function which displays bats by association regulations.

So if, for example, your league is under the ASA umbrella you can just click on ASA and see all the bats that meet that association’s standards. This is also a separate section for BBCOR bats, which are used in college and high school baseball and always feature -three drops. (The drop is difference between the bat’s length in inches and weight in ounces.)

When you click on an individual bat Baseball Saving’s website will give you a bullet point list of all the bat’s features which would include what material the bat is made of, its specs and any warranty information.

Of course Baseball savings is about more than just bats. They sell just about any piece equipment that a baseball player would need, including the field equipment that builds and keeps the diamond in shape. The websites also feature just about any item of NCAA or Major League baseball apparel that a fan would want. Additionally the online market place offers a custom logo service that would be great for corporations, charities and events.

If you are in any way dissatisfied with any product you purchase from Baseball Savings you can get a hundred percent refund as long as you return it within a thirty day period and the product is still in its original packaging and in “new, unused and original” condition. The shipping fee, however, is non-refundable. Custom orders, closeouts, demo items and personalized items or not eligible for this refund.

Orders to Baseball Savings can either be done through their website or over the phone. Baseball Savings offers a $6.99 flat rate standard shipping fee. (It is two dollars more for delivery to “rural” areas, seven to fifteen dollars more to ship to Alaska and three to five dollars more to send something to Hawaii.) Next business day shipping is $22.99, and second day is $14.99.

These shipping prices only apply to orders under seventy five pounds. Saturday and Sunday don’t count as shipping days and any order received after noon on Friday will go out on Sunday.

Baseball Savings only charges sales tax when shipping to Kansas, California or Washington State. However your state my require you to report your purchase and then pay the appropriate sales tax on it.

Just like a painter needs a brush, a hitter needs a bat. We’ve scoured the internet for the most highly rated bats in the youth, adult and softball categories. Below are descriptions of the bats as well as the price range you should expect the bat to go for. These bats can all be purchased from sporting good stores and online retailers.

Youth bats

Louisville Slugger MLB225YB Youth Wood Baseball Bat $10 to $60
When you think baseball bat — especially a wood baseball bat — you think Louisville Slugger, which is the company that’s been making bats for Major Leaguers for over 100 years.

Louisville Slugger also produces a line of wood bats for youth baseball that has long been very popular. The bats are made from maple, rather than ash, which makes them less prone to cracking or flaking, thus more cost effective. They are available between 26 and 31 inches and can either be cupped or not cupped. The Major League logo on the bat will make any youngster feel just like a Big Leaguer.

Easton LX73 Reflex -13 Youth Baseball Bat $36 to $60
If you want to go the alloy bat route for your youngster, the Easton LX73 Reflex is a popular choice. It’s made out of 7050 aircraft alloy and features an extremely light weight-to-length ratio. In fact, it can be purchased in sizes such as 29 inches 16 ounces or 31 inches 18 ounces, which are perfect for the under ten set. Some complain about the LX73 ability to generate bat speed, but for an eight year old learning how to hit that’s not really paramount. This bat is made to act as a stepping stone to bigger things.

Easton Youth Yb13S1 S1 Composite-12 Baseball Bat $200 to $250
As you can see from the price, the Easton Youth Yb13S1 S1 is a serious bat. What differentiates it from cheaper youth bats is the science behind it. The hitting stick features patented two-piece ConneXion technology for maximized energy transfer and a composite barrel with an extended sweet spot. The end result is laser quick bat speeds at 29 inches 17 ounces. Yes, this is a lot to pay for a Little League bat, but with greater bat speed those medium ground balls your ten year old was hitting could well turn into doubles in the gap.

Louisville Slugger 2010 TPX Tee Ball Omaha Baseball Bat $20 to $35
A tee ball bat should be short with a nice wide barrel to help the little ones make contact. And that’s what’s going on with the Louisville Slugger 2010 TPX Omaha bat, which comes in 24 inch 13 ounces and 25 inch 14 ounce size. The bat features extended barrel with a rolled end and a standard .875 inch handle with a high-tack synthetic grip. It also comes with a one-year warranty, which is just about enough time for your little one to graduate from tee ball to coach pitch.

Combat Youth Tee Ball Bat $35 to $45
With its wide barrel and explosive colors, the Combat Youth Tee Ball Bat certainly looks good. But beyond its bat rack appeal it packs a real punch, thanks to a hollow core which minimizes the bats weight while maximizing its trampoline effect. The bat is offered in sizes between 25 and 27 inches and 11 and 14 ounces and features a 14 ounces drop. It’s a virtual guarantee that if one kid on the tee ball team gets this bat everyone will want it, thanks to its cool look. And thanks to its cool performance, that would be a pretty strong team.

Adult bats

DeMarini Voodoo -3 Adult Baseball Bat with a 2 5/8-Inch Barrel $150 to $300
The advantage of synthetic bats is that they can play around with the design and create larger sweet spots. The DeMarini Voodoo promises an expanded sweet spot, while still being BBCOR approved — meaning it can be used in high school and college games. DeMarini believes their alloy bat has a distinct advantage over aluminum bats, due to its weight distribution, and that they have created a synthetic bat that limits vibrations. It’s a costly piece of equipment, but most of those who have purchased it seem to have thought it was worth the price.

Easton BK6 Hammer Bbcor Adult Baseball Bat $25 to $40
You don’t have to break the bank to buy a BBCOR approved adult baseball bat. The Easton BK6 is a perfectly acceptable hitting stick that will leave you with some cash for batting gloves or batting lessons. Easton’s patent pending Brace Barrel technology results low moment of inertia rate, which can make a bat feel up to 2 ounces lighter than it really is. When you step into the batter’s box with this hitting hammer you will have the comfort and confidence of a bat three times the cost.

Louisville Slugger MLB180 Natural Wood Baseball Bat $20 to $45
While it’s true alloy and composite bats are all the rage with the adult baseball set, there is still a place for the traditionalist who don’t think “ping” should be a sound associated with baseball. For those diehards, a classic bat like the Louisville MLB180 Natural Wood bat should be a fit. Made from pro-grade ash, which is the strongest wood available, the barrel of the bat is forged in a way that allows it to bend rather than break, creating a larger sweet spot. And no annoying metallic clank.

Combat Portent Adult Baseball Bat $300 to $400
When picking a bat, you want to look for a lightweight swing and large sweet spot. According to the promotional material for the Combat Portent Adult Baseball Bat, it offers the lightest swing weight and largest sweet spot available. This is achieved by the bat’s handle flex and a barrel trampoline feature plus a -3 drop. The bat is available in 31 to 34 inches and 28 to 31 ounces. If you desire a high performing bat the Combat Portent might be just the perfect thing to take into your hardball warzone.

Cold Steel Brooklyn Crusher $25-$40
Cold Steel’s goal with their Brooklyn Crusher model bat is to create a hitting tool that is truly indestructible. Most who have purchased the bat agree that this durable polypropylene bat won’t in any way crack, rot or break.

While the 29 inch 33 ounce bat is effective in competition or batting practice, it is also weighted in a way that is beneficial for home security. So not only will the Brooklyn Crusher help you dominate your beer league games, but it just might be the perfect tool to protect your family’s home or car.

Softball bats

Worth SBRLDA-34 ASA Slowpitch Softball Bat $35 to $40
Do you want a relatively high performance slowpitch bat that will leave you with enough money to buy a case of post game beer? Well, the Worth SBRLDA-34 ASA aluminum slowpitch bat might be the choice for you. It’s not quite of tournament quality, but it’s extended sweet spot will allow you to be a consistent performer in the your casual to competitive weekend leagues. It is approved by all softball associations and is 34 inches long and 27.5 ounces. Many satisfied customers will say that Worth is worth it.

Wilson DeMarini 34″ Bruiser Slow Pitch Softball Bat $60 to $100
Although alloy rather than composite, many uses report the Wilson DeMarini 34 inch bruisers hits like a synthetic double walled bat. Maybe its the DX1 aluminum alloy, which promises the “perfect balance” of strength and toughness. Maybe it’s the M2N end cap, is designed to absorb vibration. Like most slow pitch bats, this ASA and ISA approved stick takes about 50 or so hits to break in, but once you are there you will have a mid-range priced bat that gets close to high end performance.

DeMarini The Stadium Slowpitch Softball Bat $250 to $300
Featuring DeMarini’s strongest ever alloy, The Stadium Slowpitch Softball Bat is meant to bring out the power hitter in you. Its concave design gives the bat the kind of stiffness that will generate speed off of a slowly pitched ball, and its hybrid two piece gripe system makes you one with your hitting tool. Upon purchases, many of this bats users report hitting their first home runs. The downside is the bat seems to take a while to break in. But that’s what practice is for. And practice is even more fun when you are driving it out of the park.

Easton SK60B Typhoon (-10) fastpitch Softball Bat $20 to $60
Economical and efficient, the Easton Typhoon is a balanced bottle bat with a forged end concave cap. It’s 31 inches long and ASA certified. While the size of the bat may be a little intimidating to pre-teen players, users report it works well for a ten year old girl and will deliver a surprising amount of power. It comes highly recommended for rec leagues, and the success your daughter will have with the Typhoon will likely propel her on a trajectory of softball excellence. (Which will probably include more expensive bats.)

Demarini WTDXCFS CF5-11 Fastpitch Softball Bat 2013 $200 — $300
The Demarini CF5-11 fastpitch bat is a serious piece of equipment for the serious softball player. It is made from a cutting edge composite and features a two piece hitting system that expands the sweet spot and turns balls a hitter didn’t quite square into line drives. It also has a clutch end cap, which double harnesses the power of contact. The bat is available in size 29-inch, 18-ounce to size 33-inch to 22-ounce, so this model will work for the competitive high school girls player, or the men’s league masher.

Easton is sporting goods equipment company founded in 1922. They have since merged with Bell Sports, which focus on cycling and safety equipment. Easton makes hockey equipment, archery equipment and baseball equipment.

Easton probably most famous for their aluminum and composite baseball bats.  Although they also make wood bats, hitting and fielding gloves, helmets and baseball apparel.

You can purchase Easton bats directly from Easton’s website, but you might actually get a better price from Amazon or the third party retailers you can find on Amazon. We’ve listed five of the most popular models of Easton baseball bats below with the brief description of what they offer.

Easton LX73 Reflex -13 Youth Baseball Bat $40 to $60
The Easton LX73 reflex is a great economically priced bat for a beginning baseball player of around eight. It is made from 7050 aircraft alloy and features and mega-thin 29/32 cushioned grip that is the perfect size for little hands to wrap around. The bat features a -13 inch drop, meaning it is 13 fewer ounces than it is inches. This is about as big of a drop as possible which is great for kids who don’t have a lot of strength yet still need plate coverage. The bat comes in sizes between 28 inches and 15 ounces and 31 inches 18 ounces.

Easton Youth Yb13S1 S1 Composite-12 Baseball Bat $200 and $300
This is a very expensive bat for an advanced Little Leaguer. It features a two piece ConneXion technology which both maximize the energy transfer and provides optimal feel. This composite bat is made to have a large sweet spot and low M.O.I (moment of inertia) which allows it faster swing speeds than a similar sized bats. The bat is Little League approved and it features a 12 inch drop, so your little slugger won’t have to be super-strong to drive the ball. Like all composite bats it takes a little while to break in. However many have bought the Yb13S1 report this high tech hitting stick has been turning their sons, singles into doubles and doubles into triples so it is worth the weight

Easton BK6 Hammer Bbcor Adult Baseball Bat $25 to $50
Despite its low price, the Easton BK6 Hammer is BBCOR approved, meaning it can be used by any High School or College player. The aluminum bat is equipped with Easton Brace Barrel technology, which locks at essentially points in the barrel, giving the bat a low M.O.I while still meeting BBCOR compliance. The bat is available in 29 to 35 inches and features a -3 drop and thin 31/32 grip. It comes with a 12 month warranty. According to numerous online reviews the BK6 is almost is as good as good as more expensive bats.

Easton Sl13S210 S2 Composite/Tht100-10 Senior League Baseball Bat $175 to $250
This is a big time bat for either adult baseball players, high schoolers, and very advanced tweens and early teens. It has Easton patented two piece ConneXion technology which allows for both optimal feel and maximum energy transfer. With a ultra-thin 29/32 grip this bat should sit comfortable in your hand and the THT100 scandium alloy allows for an extended sweet spot. The bat comes in sizes from 29 inches to 35 inches and has an enormous -10 drop that should allow you to really whip through the hitting zone with a very low M.O.I.

Easton MAKO Power Brigade BBCOR -3 $450
This is Easton’s most expensive and top of the line bat. According to Easton, the MAKO -3 is both the fastest bat through the zone and the most barrell through the zone, a best of both worlds combination that should have any serious baseball player contemplating dropping $450 on a bat. The bat is approved for college, high school and most 14 and over youth leagues. The MAKO came out in the summer of 2013 and proved so popular it quickly sold out, so make sure to check for availability. But so far those who were able to get a hand on the MAKO -3 report they are doing some the best hitting of their lives with it.

Typically baseball bats are used to hit a baseball with. But that certainly isn’t the only use for these club-like tools. Baseball bats are often employed a method of home or car security, and many bars and convenience stores have a baseball bat latched under their front counter in case of burglary or a fight.

Sometimes folks will use baseball bats in impromptu home-improve: for example as a leg of a table or a desk. But the most common off-the-label use of a baseball bat is simple as a piece of memorabilia.

Signed baseball bats can be of sentimental or financial value to a collector of fan. So can baseball bats that had been used to get a particular result — such as a big hit in a big game — by either the bat’s owner or a Big League player that the bat’s new owner admires.

If you have such a baseball bat the question becomes where you store it.  You want to be able to gaze upon it but you don’t want anybody else thinking it’s just a regular bat and using it to hit a baseball or an evil doer.

The answer to this question is a baseball bat display case.

There is no single type of baseball bat display case.  But rather this description explains a whole class of casing. Some bat cases are wall mountable. Others are made to sit on a surface. Some have mirrors so you can see your glorious bat from all angles. Others are made from more than one bat, and up to ten bats. Lockable cases and bat display cases that offer UV protection from damaging sunlight are both quite popular and should be consider for bats of great value.

Some bat display cases offer details such as wood finishing or individual protection tubes within the case. Major League teams all sell logo bat display cases on their websites that are meant to show off memorabilia related to that franchise.

Much like a frame can sometimes cost more than the picture, one shouldn’t expect a baseball bat display case to be cheap. Sure you can find one for as little as ten bucks. (Although that would be accurately described as baseball display “tube.) However the serious bat collector should be prepared to spend close to hundred dollars for a high quality well-appointed baseball bat display case. And be prepared to spend even more if you are looking at a multi-bet display case.

Baseball bat display cases are sold at the same places you would find baseball memorabilia and baseball cards. They are also sold at Major League team shops and on websites like Amazon. With its focus on memorabilia, eBay is a terrific place to buy baseball bat display cases.

Often when you buy bats as memorabilia they come with the display case. Make sure to factor that in when pricing. A bat that already has a case is likely worth at least fifty bucks more than one without. That is unless you plan on leaving your signed bat out and risk it being used on the diamond, as a weapon, or as a load bearing part of an unfortunately constructed piece of furniture.

The traditional baseball bat, and the only baseball bat allowed in professional baseball leagues, is made out of wood.

In baseball’s infancy there were no bat manufacturers so the players made their own hitting sticks. There was all sorts of experimentation with different types of wood and different bat shapes — some of the early baseball bats weren’t even round — but by the end of the 1850s there seemed to be a consensus that wagon tongue wood was the best kind of material to make a bat with.

1884 was a huge year in the evolution of wood bats. That is when a woodworker named John Hillerich approached Pete Browning, star of the Louisville Eclipse, after a game. Hillerich had noticed Browning had grown frustrated after breaking his bat. So he offered to make Browning a bat to his specifications that wouldn’t be as likely to break because it would be made from White Ash.

Browning ended up loving the creation and soon his teammates began ordering bats from Hillerich. Thus was born the company Louisville Slugger. Although in the first half of the 20th Hickory bats dominated Major League baseball, Northern White Ash is again the most popular material for wood baseball bats today

But it certainly isn’t the only material. Here is a rundown of the four major material used for making wood bats.

Ash
Ash remains the default material for all wood bats. Ash in known for having a great strength to weight ratio. Although its not the densest wood it creates a very solid sweet spot and, upon contact, the classic wood bat sound. The trees used to harvest the ash come from Pennsylvania and New York, as this Northern Ash is a bit more dense than the Southern Ash John Hillerich first used. The quality of ash the big leaguers have in their bats (called Major League grade) is rare, and most Ash bats made for commercial purchase are of something called Pro stock, which is a step below. A good Pro Stock ash bat should cost in the neighborhood of $40 to $50.  If the bat is much cheaper than that it’s a good indication that the bat is of an even lower grade wood, and shouldn’t be purchased unless money is really tight.

Maple
The first major league player to use a maple bat was Toronto Blue Jay Outfielder Joe Carter in 1997. The material become all the rage in 2001 when Barry Bonds hit 73 home runs using one. Mike Trout, Prince Fielder, Chase Utley Dustin Pedroia and Josh Hamilton are among the now over 50 percent of big leaguers who use the maple bats. Many believe that maple bats are harder than wood bats, which makes them strike the ball with more force. However the science on that is inconclusive. What is clear is that maple bats break more than ash bats on the major league level. (They actually might be less likely to break on the amateur level, when the ball isn’t thrown as hard.) And when maple bats do break they shatter into more pieces, creating more chances for injured fielders and base runners. These days, just about every major bat manufacturer has a maple model. They should run about $20 more than a comparable ash bat.

Hickory
Back in Babe Ruth’s day, all the big leaguers were using hickory bats. Ruth’s model weighed 47 ounces and that’s exactly why the bat fall of out favor: hickory wood is just too heavy. However with these days there are methods which can dry out a piece of hickory wood, rendering it lighter, while still keeping most of the wood’s legendary strength. Some predict these new air-kiln dried hickory bats will be the next big thing with Major League hitters. True hickory bats are rare and are likely to cost around $150.

Birch

Birch bats are harder than ash and more flexible than maple. They also don’t pose as much as shatter risks as maple bats do. The downside to birch bats is they are hard to produce, because most birch don’t grow in a way that is conducive for making a one piece bat. Thus they tend to be expensive. Russell Martin and Evan Longoria are examples of big leaguers who use birch bat. A good birch bat should run about $100.

Bamboo
While bamboo is a lightweight and sturdy wood that is almost perfect for making a bat out of, there are no current major leaguer’s swinging a bamboo stick. That is because bamboo bats are produced by compressing bamboo stalks together and MLB rules forbid any bat that isn’t made from “one solid piece of wood.” There are, however, many BBCOR approved (meaning they can be used in high school and college and most amateur wood bat leagues) Bamboo bats out there for purchase. You should be able to get a good bamboo bat in about the $60 range.

Ok, so you have yourself a baseball bat. Maybe two. Now how do you carry to your bat to the local ball field without looking like you are about start a window smashing riot or beat somebody in the kneecap for not paying a debt?

A baseball bat bag will not only set at ease the mind of passersbys, but they will free your hands to do other things such as answer your cellphone or get your glove warmed up for play. There are many different types of baseball bag. We will discuss there different styles below and hopefully you will be able to come away with a better idea of what baseball bat bags suits your needs.

Traditional baseball bat bag
The standard baseball bag is shaped like a long duffel bag. It can typically hold between three and six bats and comes with a hand carrying strap and a padded shoulder strap. They feature a separate compartment to store your shoes and typically have other spaces for equipment like batting gloves. Some of these traditional baseball bat bags have backpack straps. They will generally have a fence clip, which turns the bag into a back rack when they are in the dugout. Traditional baseball bat bags are reasonably priced. You can find bags from premier brands like Nike or Mizuno in the twenty to thirty dollars range.

Backpack baseball bag
A baseball bat backpack bag is hybrid of a baseball bat bag and a backpack. The backpack baseball bag typically carries two bats along its sides — the poke out of the bag around the ears and give it a very sleek overall look. The bags generally have fence hooks and a lower compartment where you can store your muddy cleats. Some also have another exterior compartment for your batting helmet. Then there is the main storage section of the backpack baseball bag in which you can place anything from your glove to six pack of beer for after the game. Easton makes a fine line of backpack baseball bags which run around sixty dollars.

Wheeled baseball bag
You know the old saying “If my grandmother had wheels she’d be a wagon?” Well, if you’re baseball bag had wheels it would be a wheeled baseball bag. Wheeled baseball bag are just baseball bags with wheels so you can pull it behind you like a wagon.  They are more expensive than regular baseball bags — ranging from about sixty to a hundred dollars. But they are also much more user-friendly and easier to transport than a baseball bag without wheels. And they are also preferable to sticking wheels on your poor grandmother and using her to transport your baseball bats. That would be cruel.

Catcher baseball bag
They call a catcher’s equipment the tools of ignorance. Catcher’s equipment bags are the tools to carry around the tools of ignorance. A catcher baseball bag is similar to a regular baseball bag besides being specially designed to carry (and provide easy access to) a catcher’s chest protector and leg pads. It also has plenty of room for a catcher’s glove, two bats and other non-catcher specific baseball equipment. Catchers bags should run between about fifty and hundred dollars.

Bat caddies
Bat caddies are fairly simple devices that store between eight and twelve bats. They are basically just a tarp like strip with pouches for the bats that can be easily hang on a chain link fence to form a bat rap. Then, when the game is over, you can use the caddy to move the bats. These useful bags only cost around twenty bucks.

Baseball Warehouse is an online retailer and one stop shop for all of your baseball needs. Baseball Warehouse offers baseball bats, wood baseball bats, baseball gloves, baseball bags, batting helmets, catcher’s gear, custom colors, pitching machines, baseball training aids, baseball clothes, baseball accessories, protective equipment, sunglasses and even umpire gear.

Based out of Columbus, Ohio, Baseball Warehouse has been selling online since the company’s founding in 1996. Because they only sell baseball goods their customer service staff is especially in tune to the needs of the hardball player. They also boast exclusive deals to buy direct from manufacturers like Easton, Rawlings, Under Armour, Minuzzo, Wilson and Louisville Slugger. This, they argue, allows them to offer customers the best price and widest selection possible. On their website, Baseball Warehouse advertises their prices as “up to 50 percent off of MSRP.” (Manufacturer’s suggested retail price.)

On top of that, Baseball Warehouse often runs promotion in which a further 10 or 20 percent are discounted. Before purchasing a good from Baseball Warehouse make sure you Google “Baseball Warehouse Promo code” or “Baseball Warehouse discount” to see if you can find additional savings online. (This is good advice for any of your online purchases.)

Baseball Warehouse accepts Visa, Mastercard, Discover, American Express and Paypal.

While it doesn’t take a lot of tech savvy to order from their site, Baseball Warehouse also has customer service representatives that can take your order over the phone Monday through Friday between 10 AM and 7 PM Eastern Time. For those who don’t want their orders tracked through the phone or the internet for some reason, Baseball Warehouse features a printable order form that can be mailed in. Through this method you can also pay by check or money order. Baseball Warehouse does not accept cash.

Baseball Warehouse offers a 30 day “no sweat” guarantee which buyers can return any product that doesn’t meet their satisfaction for a “full” refund and return shipping. There is a 20 percent restocking fee for returned items but it is waived if you take the refund in store credit. You don’t have to use store credit immediately.

Baseball Warehouse offers free ground shipping on orders over $99 and all orders received by 3 PM EST standing time are shipped within one business day. Orders can be tracked through the website’s online fulfillment center.

Among the competitors to Baseball Warehouse would be other online baseball specialty sites such as Baseball Express, Baseball Savings and Better Baseball. Using Google or any other search engine to search “baseball equipment” should expose you to new online baseball specialty sites which may have sprung up since this article was written.

You could also opt to buy your equipment directly from the manufacturer’s website. Another alternative to Baseball Warehouse would be to make use of the baseball section of your local sporting good store. Amazon also has a very large selection of baseball equipment and apparel and would be considered a competitor of Baseball Warehouse.