Abstract
Baseball bats made out of white ash (
Fraxinus americana L.) have been the standard for professional baseball since the beginning of the game in 1849. Until the mid- to late-1970s, ash was the principal material used for all baseball (and softball) bats -- major league, minor league, adult, and youth. The market share of baseball bats made from wood eroded precipitously in the late 1970s and early 1980s as a result of the introduction of aluminum bats. Wooden bats now constitute less than 10 percent of bat production and sales.
Parent Publication
Citation
Boltz, Brian; Wiedenbeck, Jan. 2010. Strike one Aluminum Strike two Maple Will EAB be strike three. In: Michler, Charles H.; Ginzel, Matthew D., eds. 2010. Proceedings of symposium on ash in North America; 2010 March 9-11; West Lafayette, IN. Gen. Tech. Rep. NRS-P-72. Newtown Square, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northern Research Station: 26-31.