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Citing Safety, Little League Changes Up Bat Requirements

Though recently purchased bats could now be more useful as paperweights, Little League coaches say the new bat rules make baseball safer.

There might be fewer home runs this summer at the local Little League fields.

In an effort to cut down the risks of injuries, and to even the playing field a bit, Little League has instituted new bat requirements this season, stripping away some of the higher-end composite bats.

While each level of Little League will see changes in bat requirements, it is the Major Division that should see the most change. Pitching mounds are only 46 feet away from the plate, so young pitchers are in the most danger of being struck with a ball hit back up the middle.

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For the Majors, the new bat rule reads: “It shall not be more than thirty-three (33) inches in length nor more than two and one-quarter (2¼) inches in diameter. Non-wood bats shall be labeled with a BPF (bat performance factor) of 1.15 or less.”

It’s a move that local baseball coaches and officers are getting behind.

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"This will slow down the exit speed of the ball coming off the bat, and that makes it safer for fielders," said Joe Rigler, district administrator for District 13 Little League, which includes Collingswood teams. "When it's a safety issue for children, we take notice. It's a good thing."

Little League has changed over the decades—now children are heavily coached, sometimes year-round. Combined with new bat technologies, that can create power players out of even young children. Little League's job is to protect all caliber of players, from the benchwarmers to the Major League Baseball prospects of tomorrow, Rigler said.

"We need to find that medium ground so all kids can come out and have fun and be safe," he added.

Other area coaches agree.

“Baseball now is 12 months out of year, and on the East Coast, that was never the case,” Erial Little League treasurer Jeff Mastrogiovanni said. "Kids are now training and they are getting bigger than ever.”

It will be up to the local coaches to ensure that all of their team bats fit under the new rules. Little League's new rules state that a coach will be ejected from the game if his or her squad uses an illegal bat.

So as to not spring this info upon parents at the last minute, Little League indicated three years ago that changes were in the works, providing the notice while conducting an investigation into how wide the changes should be. Some of the top composite bats on the market over the past few years have ranged as high as $200 to $300. While some parents who purchased these bats—which are now only useful as a boat anchor—may be left frustrated, coaches say the overwhelming majority have understood that the safety of the children is paramount.

"Little League is always looking at bats and adjusting its list" of what's acceptable, Rigler said. "With these bats, they were getting harder over time, so they were getting more dangerous. Some bats do change over time, which is why you see the list changing."

Composite bats have the same exterior as those made of aluminum, but have an interior, "woven" graphite wall that gives the bat more pop. 

“I have seen them break in half like a wooden bat and it’s scary,” Mastrogiovanni said of composite bats. “From a coaching perspective, they are like bats on steroids. The longer you use them, the harder they get. Over time, one of those bats gets more dangerous, so to speak."

A safety issue

Rigler and Mastrogiovanni both say Little League would be better served if the distance from pitching rubber to home plate increases from 46 feet to 50 feet—the standard dimensions that the Babe Ruth baseball league uses. In that case the base lines would increase from the current 60 feet to 70 feet. It’s a move that has been discussed for years and may soon be made.

"Not only would it move the pitcher back from line drives, but it will help prepare the kids as they move up," Rigler said. The older players have a 90-foot line between bases. "Right now, you have kids who have just moved up and in their first year, they're completely out of breath running to first."

While a move to a bigger field would require hefty changes—moving back or raising the height of fences—its positive impact on safety would likely result in most people supporting the move. That has been the case with the bats. Heated debates have taken place for years over what should be done to limit the amount of “pop” in certain bats, and this move seems to have been a solid conclusion.

"I think it's important to look at these issues and see what makes the most sense to help protect our players," Rigler said. 

A list of approved and licensed composite bats can be found on the Little League website at littleleague.org.

(Regional Editor Tim Zatzariny Jr. and Associate Regional Editor Lauren Burgoon contributed to this report.)

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