From Billet To Bat: How Wooden Bats Used in Mickey Mantle Classic Are Made
If you've been following along with the Mickey Mantle Classic baseball tournament, you might have noticed the athletes using wooden bats. Our Ryan Bunnell sat down with JD Anderson, owner of Home Run Company, to learn more about the process of creating game-ready bats. See the full story below.
JOPLIN, MO. — Local athletes taking part in the iconic Mickey Mantle Classic baseball tournament are presented with a unique challenge; turning from aluminum bats to wooden bats. “The difference between a wood bat and a metal bat is the metal bat is a lot less forgiving, really big sweet spot,” said J.
D. Anderson, owner of Home Run Bat Company in Joplin. “Wood bat [requires] more skill plus precision.
” Fans attending or watching games at the Mickey Mantle Classic might notice some lower-scoring games throughout the tournament due to the equipment switch. Per Anderson, switching to wood bats requires a certain level or precision to master. “Aluminum bats get that trampoline effect that if you have less skill you just make contact with the ball, it’s going to jump off the bat,” Anderson said.
“With the wood bat, it’s the power of the hitter that’s making that ball actually go. ” Home Run Bat Company based in Joplin is the local business tasked with supplying the wooden bats for this year’s Mickey Mantle Classic. The process from taking a billet of wood and turning it into a game-ready bat can be quite extensive and requires attention to detail.