Know Thine Bat
Anatomy of a Wood Bat
Where is the sweet spot on my bat? What's a flared knob? In today's market trying to figure out the differences between models can be a daunting task for the seasoned veteran and rookie alike.
Today's wood bat can be broken down into three categories: knob, handle, and barrel. Understanding each of these parts is important when it comes to understanding why you might prefer one model to another and might give you some insight on what you might want to try in the future.
Wood Bat Knobs
The knob of your wood bat is the part of the bat below where your hands rest. The four styles of knobs you will find here at Outlaw Bats are: flared, standard, cone, and bell shaped.
Flared Knob
Flared knobs are the most common style of knob and means the bat will have a tapered surface from the base of the knob to the thinnest part of the handle.
Standard Knob
This style of knob is common with metal bats and knob has a straight transition from the knob to the thinnest part of the handle.
Cone Knob
Cone knobs are typically used by players coming off of hamate bone injuries and tapers from the handle to the base of the bat gradually getting larger.
Wood Bat Handles
The handle of the bat is the part of the bat where your hand grips the bat to a little below the logo.
Thin Handle
We consider a thin handle to be about .92" and smaller. Thin handles are more popular with power hitters but bats with thinner handles are easier to break.
Medium Handle
Medium handles are the most common and are typically around .95". Medium handles won't give you as much flex as a thin handle but you will get increased durability.
Wood Bat Barrels
The barrels of wood bats can be broken down into small, medium, and large diameters.
Small Barrel
Small barrel models are generally 2.45" and smaller for adults.
Medium Barrel
Medium barrels are the most popular amongst adults and come in at about 2.5".
