It’s been said that they are the four greatest words in the english language:

Pitchers. And. Catchers. Report.

As a baseball nut, I’m in 100% agreement with that idea and this time of year is like the day before a child’s birthday for me. It has begun, as all the major league teams have begun packing up and heading south, with or without Michael Young. The big question this year is who can beat the Phillies rotation, other than Brian Wilson’s beard. Another question, more at the local level stems from the new batch of bat certification standards. Composite bats have been wreaking havoc on baseballs and softballs for almost a decade now, and the subsequent injuries (and even deaths) resulting have parents and officials concerned enough to the point where we may not see them again.

My take on it is this- with full disclosure, I was struck with a batted ball two summers ago while pitching a softball game. After multiple fractures to my orbital bone, two titanium plates in my face and thousands of dollars owed from surgery; I can verify that composite bats are dangerous. Do I think that banning them completely is a good step? Not entirely. I’m all for it from a competitive standpoint, as some bats, especially in the slow pitch softball realm are like built in steroids; but from a safety standpoint, I don’t think it matters much. Had I been hit with a screaming line drive off of an alloy bat, I don’t think my face would’ve been any better off or my bills any less soul crushing. It’s a slippery slope, that’s true, but there has been people seriously injured with balls off of wood bats, so where does it end? The reason why I got hurt was I didn’t have my glove up. I threw the ball ending with my glove at my side, and missed catching the ball by about an inch. Had I pitched with my glove up, it would’ve been an Out instead of Ouch. It’s a tough task to ask kids to defend themselves from batted balls, especially while pitching, but in this sport, like many others; the dangers are always going to be there, regardless of the safety measures we take.

With all of that soap boxing aside, rule changes are inevitable, and this year the baseball world is being shook up by the new BBCOR (Batted Ball Coefficient Of Restitution) standards, that are targeting composite bats. In high school and college play, the BESR (Ball Exit Speed Ratio) certified bats are going out, this year for college, next year for high school, and must be replaced with BBCOR certified bats. The difference being the new BBCOR certification measures the bats trampoline effect, or how much pop a bat has, versus the old method of measuring the speed of the ball off of the bat in testing. We talked about these bats and how Sports Authority was offering them in one of our latest articles.

At the youth level, it isn’t quite that easy. I always recommend to check with your little league coach or a league official to get a list of either approved or unapproved bats, because youth leagues aren’t all uniformly sanctioned, and therefore will have several different rules and guidelines. Also, the friendly staff at your local sporting goods store should have a good idea as to what is allowed or not allowed in your area. And to find that friendly local sporting goods store, use Sportrabbit.com.