Maple Wood Bats
Maple itself is a very hard, dense wood, and a majority of maple bats are made from rock or sugar maple. The surface hardness of maple is about 20% greater than ash which has convinced many players that it gives the bat more pop. Because of maples density, it does allow players to use smaller bats and have the same overall weight. The closed-grain wood also has less flexibility than ash bats. The tightness of the grain in maple makes it harder to see and will not have the clearly visible grains that you will see in ash. These characteristics make it so a maple bat will not flake, separate, or splinter resulting in a longer-lasting, more durable wood bat.
Outlaw Bat’s in-depth knowledge and understanding of the characteristics of maple is what has given them the edge in designing and manufacturing the highest quality maple bats in the industry. Combining leading-edge technology with truly artesian craftsmanship, each maple bat is hand boned and hand-finished, with multiple quality assurance checks along the way to ensure each maple bat feels, swings, and connects at the pro level.
Birch Wood Bats
The new wood of choice is Yellow Birch. This fibrous hardwood has burst on the scene the last couple of years out of necessity. With maple being harder to find, and getting heavier every year, most bat makers have looked for a new source of wood. Yellow Birch has become that wood of choice. This hardwood has several great properties. First, it's lighter than maple. The shear rate is higher than ash and just under maple. This means that this wood will make the larger barrel bats that the pros use now.
Yellow birch lumber and veneer are used in making furniture, paneling, plywood, cabinets, boxes, woodenware, handles, and interior doors. It is one of the principal hardwoods used in the distillation of wood alcohol, and now baseball bats.
Ash Wood Bats
Most wood bats today are made from Northern White Ash generally harvested in Pennsylvania and upstate New York. It is graded for quality with straight grain being the most important criteria. (Southern Ash grows too quickly and is not as dense uneven grain lines). Major League grade is, of course, the best and is also in short supply. Most of what you see that's labeled or sold as Pro-Stock or some similar name is actually Minor League wood or a lesser grade and generally is found for around $40-$50. Of course, there are other levels of quality down to the $20 range. They are known by grades called high school, trophy, and retail (don't expect to see the grades labeled). Generally, they are not of very good quality and are only worth purchasing if money is an issue. (Better than not having any wood at all). You won't find these on our site. We only work with quantities in straight ash.