Home Runs in the Little League World Series

The Coffee Shop
1

Anyone else notice most oif the homers hit are coming from “half-swings” (i.e., lacking follow through).

Why?

Aluminum composite bats. When the “sweet spot” is that “live” and 3-4 times larger (i.e., longer on the bat) than the sweet spot on wooden bats, all you have to do is make “decent” contact and it “jumps”. Now, decent contant of these guys throwing that hard from the short distance is impressive.

IMO, aluminum composite bats retard hitting skills … even up through college. You can get jammed and still one-hop the wall (or better), and many of these bats have ridiculously thin handles, allowing players to use larger barelled bats at a much lighter weight (in some cases it’s ridiculous).

I appreciate the skill involved with these Little Leagers, but the coach in me cringes in seeing guys hit bombs (some big distance bombs too) on swings that should result in regular distance fly balls.

I’m a major proponent of wooden bats, both as a teaching skills tool (it doesn’t really matter how many homers a kid hits in LL), and as a safety measure for pitchers (including HS/NCAA). The balls jump off these bats at speeds much greater than the pitch … and from hitters whose size/strength shouldn’t result in balls being hit that hard.

Lecture over. Comments?

2

IIRC, the sweet spot, diameter of the barrel, and the weight to length ratio of aluminum bats was all reduced a few years ago. This is why we don’t see the ridiculous scores in the college word series any more. Some of the offensive records from the 1980s and 1990s, in college baseball, will probably never be broken because of this change in the bats.

Aluminum bats teach hitters to keep their hands closer to their bodies and hit more with their hips than wood bats do. If you watch the major leaguers, you can almost tell the college players from the guys who came right out of high school by the way they hit.

As for the half swing…the follow through really doesn’t matter as the ball has already been hit, so as long as the bat speed to the ball and hip rotation occurs as the ball is being hit, the actual ‘‘hitting’’ in finish. The follow through is more about ‘‘finishing clean’’ which allows for consistent bat speed, hip rotation, and minimal head movement.

I too would love to see wood bats in all phases of baseball, but it simply costs too much. Instead, I would like to see the bat companies reduce the bats ‘‘ability’’ some more.

3

The tide is turning against aluminum bats. More and more little league organizations are banning them in favor of wood…for all the reasons you mentioned, especially safety.

4

I watched a game last night. I couldn’t believe how poor the pitching and fielding was (these were US teams).

5

I hate the sound of aluminum. Reminds me of watching a bunch of beer swilling fatties at their weekly slow pitch game.

6

They’re juiced man. Are those kids tested for steriods? Just look at the homeruns compared to years before. One kid is 6’ 2" ! BALCO sells it out of the concession stand.

Seriously though, I have noticed that the American teams are a whole lot pudgier than the World teams.

7

Your points are valid, but there is something to be said about the kids being 10-13 and simply not strong enough to follow through on a pitch properly. I remember seeing kids having the same issue when I was playing LL a dozen years ago or so. Wooden or aluminum, you’d still see homers on half swings. Definitely not as many, but there would still be some.

All that said…I was a tiny kid and all, leadoff hitter and 2b/SS, and I would have to hit a bomb to even one-hop the fence. I’m always amazed at kids who can hit bombs at that age. There were definitely kids I played with / against that could hit 250ft missles back in those days, but I was not one of them.

8

I am aware of a brand/model of softball bat that vastly exceeded its manufacturer’s published adherence to softball bat safety standards. This particular bat resulted in a hit ball killing a pitcher.

When first sold the ads for the bat touted its ability to assist with hitting homeruns. The next year the manufacturer proclaimed to adhere to certain softball league safety standards regarding bats - but in fact the bat did not come close. I cannot name the manufacturer.

David K

9

The fences are also very close, i think 200 ft, which is even close for little league.

10

I believe they backed them up to 225 this year. To cut down on the home runs.

11

They are 225 at Williamsport. 200 is about normal for little league. I remember playing in parks that were 185 down the lines.

12

Forget wood or aluminum…I think everyone should use a 5-8lb piece of rebar like Frank Thomas uses in the on deck circle…that would make it interesting…what do I know, I’m a canuck who cheers for the Leafs!

13

Forget wood or aluminum…I think everyone should use a 5-8lb piece of rebar like Frank Thomas uses in the on deck circle…that would make it interesting…what do I know, I’m a canuck who cheers for the Leafs!
If you start getting little leaguers the size of Frank Thomas, then you’ll know the little buggers are juicing.

14

This is why we don’t see the ridiculous scores in the college word series any more.

The style of play known as “Gorilla Ball”. Anyone remember McDougal going 6-for-6 w/ 6 bombs?

15

As for the half swing…the follow through really doesn’t matter as the ball has already been hit, so as long as the bat speed to the ball and hip rotation occurs as the ball is being hit, the actual ‘‘hitting’’ in finish. The follow through is more about ‘‘finishing clean’’ which allows for consistent bat speed, hip rotation, and minimal head movement.

The position I was making is that if you’re swinging, using leg/hip/trunk power, and the arms are only an extension of the swing, the follow through happens on it’s own. Imagine one trying to get a “good, powerful, swing” using the legs, hips, trunk, and THEN stopping the swing very shortly after the ball is contacted. I think Moises Alou is one hitter that comes to mind that may do this, but he’s very irregular to beginw ith , having an already short swing, and possibly the fastest/strongest wrists in the game. His swing is ridiculous. I would like to see a “measurement” of how far his hands travel in the swing, versus the league average. It’s very interesting. Sorry, rambling …

I agree, follow through has very little affect on the result of the contact … just that the power of the contact will automatically result in follow through. In short, these kids are hitting some seroius bombs without using “full swings” or “full power swings” or “swining hard” or “swinging good” or whatever other type of scientific/non-scientific phrase you could use.

It almost seems as if these guys are essentially making “girls softball swings” (that’s not an insult). Due to the distance of the pitcher, and the speed of the pitch, this may be the only/optimal type of power swing that can be used in LLWS play.

Some eye-opening experiences for me occurred when we played in wooden bat tournaments. Geez, talk about highlighting the play of your SS/3B, and the ball soaring over the OF’s heads drastically decreased. As one who grew up with alum bats (THe green/Silver Easton, and the Black Magic come to mind), I would have never guessed alum bats would make that much difference, not just in barrel size, sweet spot length, but in additional plate ocverage (guys that should be using 31-21’s are able to use 33-34’s).

16

The fences are also very close, i think 200 ft, which is even close for little league.

Like someone before said, they are now 225, back from 205 a couple years ago. 225 is VERY deep IMO for a little league fence. My town had 180 in center, 170 along the lines. Regardless, I also noticed a lot of home runs on swings that were off-balance, towards the end of the bat, or “pop ups”. Definitely has to do with the sweet spots of the bats today. You just have to get the bat on the ball and let the bat do all the work.

17

  1. Some of the homers the kids are hitting to the gaps and center are B-0-M-B-S, they’re carrying over the hedge. The game-winning homer was a “slap” swing to the opposite field and it went over the hedge.

  2. There’s a reason why these bats (and softball bats) cost $150+.

  3. We’re also talking about 12yo kids in 14-15yo bodies. Many of these kids are 5’8 140+. He he grows first … wins.

18

Yeah, I agree. I also like the softball swing comment. I think you may be on to something there. The distance from the rubber to the plate and the speed of the ‘‘top pitchers’’ is probably too much for all of the extraordinarily talented hitters in this age group.

In college, we used wood bats during fall ball, and, as a pitcher, I loved it. I went from living outside (against the silver and green eastons and the black magics) to living inside. Even with a fast ball that averaged about 85 (not bad for a lefty :wink: ) I could get inside all day. I just threw the offspeed stuff off of the plate, and used the inside fast ball to get outs.

I don’t think we will ever see the aluminum bat replaced by wood, but, what we should see, is an aluminum or composite bat that acts more like wood than what we have now. Of course, it will take a slew of injuries and many more deaths than what we are seeing now.

19

Not Directly on Point:

City Council overrides veto, bans metal bats in NYC Associated Press

   NEW YORK -- Metal bats will be banned from high school baseball in the nation's largest school system starting this September after the City Council on Monday overrode a mayoral veto of the bill. 
   The measure outlawed metal bats under the theory that they produce balls with greater velocity and raise the risk of injury because of less reaction time. Opponents, including Little League Baseball and equipment suppliers, say there is no evidence metal bats are more dangerous. 
   Youth leagues and lawmakers are proposing similar bans in other areas, including New Jersey, where a 12-year-old boy went into cardiac arrest and suffered serious injuries after a batted ball struck him in the chest. 
   In New York City, Mayor Michael Bloomberg vetoed the bat ban this month, saying the issue should be left up to those who run the youth leagues, not the government. But the City Council overwhelmingly knocked down the veto by a vote of 41-4. 
   "What we're trying to do is reduce risk," said Councilman James Oddo, the sponsor of the bill. 
   Opponents argue that there is no scientific evidence proving metal bats pose a greater danger than wood bats and that the anti-metal movement relies on emotional anecdotes over data. 
   Shortly after the council's vote, a group of opponents announced plans to file a federal lawsuit seeking to block the ban. 
   Little League president Stephen D. Keener, who was not part of the suit, issued a statement saying the organization is "disappointed in the action taken today by the New York City Council to override the logic and sensibility of Mayor Bloomberg's veto." 
   In 2005, an American Legion Baseball study found no substantial scientific proof to support the argument that wooden bats are safer than metal bats. 
   Former New York Mets reliever John Franco testified in support of the ban at a council hearing last month, while New York Yankees pitcher Mike Mussina said there is no evidence that metal bats are dangerous.

Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press
SOURCE**

20

Before I left coaching for administration, there was a big push in some of the conferences around here to consider wooden bats. I think it will happen in some conferences … but likely never in the conferences whose reputations are geared around being recruited by major conferences. Inflate stats make coaches look great.

85mph lefty, huh? You’ve got a couple mph on me (also a lefty) … but that’s one thing I loved about pitching in Northern Illinois after coming back from the Spring Trip … when it’s 38-42 degrees at game time, you can pitch inside … even with aluminum bats. Nobody’s really excited about swinging on an inside pitch. grin

What’s funny is around CWS time, you’ll see some pros taking BP with aluminum bats and it’s like they were hitting golf balls.

What really sparked my curiousity was that the other day at Dick’s Sporting Goods I picked up a 34-inch wooden bat and it felt like there was a doughnut on it. I immediately was more impressed with Alfonso Soriano … who uses a very big wooden bat. His genetic ability must be off the charts in terms of bat speed and forearm/wrist strength. Aluminum bats allow essentially everyone to use a 33-34 inch bat.

I had a 34-inch bat that I got from Charlie White when he was the CF for the Peoria Chiefs, and he had the handled shaved very thin so it was light enough for him to be able to use. You can see why some wooden bats break even when you don’t hit the ball below the trademark.