Bat news: Minnesota league bans all barreled baseball bats

ST. PAUL — A Twin Cities-area league has become the first baseball association in the country to ban all barreled baseball bats.

Composite-barreled bats will be illegal this season in the North Star Showcase League, and so will aluminum barreled-bats. Wood-barreled bats are also a no-go. BBCOR and BESR certifications don’t matter — if your bat has a barrel, it won’t be allowed.

Starting this season, players will only be allowed to use handles.

While other leagues around the country have placed moratoriums on composite-barreled bats and some have tightened bat performance standards, the NSSL’s decision outpaces them all.

“We’ll close a long, terrifying chapter in the history of youth travel baseball,” NSSL president Gordon Witz wrote in a league newsletter. “For far too long, infielders have played their positions with the full knowledge that a ball could come quickly flying towards them at any moment. As well, this will allow us to roll back our ‘Ghost runner’ rule.”

The NSSL’s ghost runner rule was enacted in 2006, keyed by growing concerns about the safety of offensive runners in the infield. Per the rule, once a player reaches first base, he can leave the base and head back into the dugout after declaring a “ghost runner” at first.

An amendment in 2008 allowed runners to declare a “ghost runner” on first without having reached first yet, should they feel the infield is too dangerous.

Click here for more information about the rules changes.

In response to the NSSL’s decision, we’d like to list the bats we carry that will not be allowed this season. Those bats are:

• Worth Titan Composite -3 Adult Bat
• Combat 2011 B1 Bomber Stiff -3 Adult Baseball Bat
• Combat Virus -3 Adult Bat
• Easton 2011 Stealth Speed II Reg -3 Adult Baseball Bat
• Easton 2011 Stealth Speed II Stiff -3 Adult Baseball Bat
• Easton Synergy Speed 90 Composite -3 Bat
• Easton Stealth IMX Adult -3 Bat
• Easton Stealth Speed 75 Adult -3 Bat
• Easton Stealth Speed 95 Adult -3 Bat
• Nike 2011 Aero CX2 -3 Adult Baseball Bat
• Miken 2010 Freak 100 Comp Stiff -3 Adult Baseball Bat
• Miken 2010 Freak 100 Comp. Flex -3 Adult Baseball Bat
• Miken 2011 MV3 Composite -3 Adult Baseball Bat
• Mattingly 2009 Beast Adult -3 Baseball Bat
• Rawlings 2010 5150 Composite -3 Adult Baseball Bat

We’ll keep you updated on any further developments.

Related: Here is information regarding the upcoming BBCOR switch.

More bat news: Easton Omen, Mattingly Balistk will be allowed in Little League

More bat news to pass along…

Three 2 1/4″ composite-barreled youth bats have passed Little League Baseball’s waiver process, and they will be allowed in competition this year.

Those bats are:

• Mattingly Balistk (Model No. BTKYB)

• Easton Omen -12 (Model No. LNC1XL)

• Easton Omen -10 (Model No. LNC2XL)

To be recertified for play, these bats had to stay within Little League’s bat performance standard after a thorough break-in process.

Little League is expected to continue adding to its list of approved composite 2 1/4″ bats. You can view their list here.

Related: Here is the page where we’ll continue adding to information on bats in Little League and Babe Ruth League Baseball.

Bat news: Composite bats banned in Cal Ripken; USSSA announces new bat performance stamp

Following last fall’s moratorium on composite-barreled bats in its 13-15 and 16-18 divisions, the Babe Ruth League has now banned composite-barreled bats in all of its baseball divisions, including Cal Ripken.

The league announced the decision late last week.

In a prepared release, Babe Ruth President and CEO Steven M. Tellefsen said the league based its decision to ban composite-barreled bats on research from the University of Massachusetts-Lowell. The university’s research showed that, through normal usage and/or tampering, composite-barreled youth bats can fall outside of the league’s bat performance standards.

“While we are certainly aware of the timing of this announcement, Babe Ruth League must act in the best interest of the young people we serve,” Tellefsen said. “The decision is based on the fact that scientific research showed that composite-barreled bats may exceed the performance standard after being broken in.”

Babe Ruth has released a list of bats that will be allowed in Cal Ripken play. That list is available here.

Like other composite bans announced in baseball leagues over the past few years, this ban only applies to bats with composite barrels. Bats with composite handles or tapers will be allowed, as long as the barrel is aluminum, an alloy or wood.

USSSA: No immediate ban on composite bats in u14

In a decision announced on Jan. 10, USSSA has said that it will not enforce an immediate ban on composite-barreled baseball bats in its 14-and-under divisions.

“While other sanctioning bodies have chosen to ban older composite bats, USSSA has determined that it would be grossly unfair to disallow a bat with no notice to the retailers, manufacturers and customers who had previously relied on USSSA rules in the sale or purchase of a bat,” the organization said in a statement.

Instead, the organization will roll out a new mark for approved bats in the fall of this year, and it will go into effect in 2012. To receive the organization’s new stamp, bats must stay within the USSSA’s performance standard after a thorough break-in process.

You can view the entire announcement here.

The USSSA’s 15-and-older divisions follow NFHS regulations, so composite barreled bats will be banned in those leagues.

Related: More info on composite bat bans in Little League and Babe Ruth.

Bat news: 2011 Little League approved youth bat list, update on composite bat reinstatements

For those looking for more information on the Little League composite bat ban, the organization has released a list of approved youth bats.

You can view the list (.pdf) here.

Update: Little League has released an updated list.

We have received some information on how Little League plans to proceed with re-testing composite-barreled bats. They’ll be rolling it out in the next few weeks, and they will reinstate any bat that still performs within the league’s bat standard after a thorough break-in process.

At this point, no bats have been reinstated. We are unsure of any bat being reinstated, and we expect the process to take several weeks before we know any of the results.

We will pass along any news we get as soon as we hear it.

In the meantime, Little League has released a Q & A with some of the most frequently asked questions about the bat ban.

Related: Read more about the composite-barreled bat ban in Little League.

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