Many maple bats gets banned in minors

NEW YORK - Many maple bats will be banned in the minor leagues this season, part of Major League Baseball's push to stop shattered shards of wood from flying dangerously through the air.

New regulations will prohibit bats made from ultra-light maple. The low-density wood often is found in bats with big barrels and thin handles, creating a whip-like action when swung.

Softer red maple and silver maple - not commonly used - will be completely eliminated by the 30-plus companies approved to make bats.

The bans apply to players who are not on 40-man rosters and have no major league experience. Baseball often tests new rules on minor leaguers, be it drug tests or pace-of-game ideas, because most of them are not in the MLB players' union and such moves do not require union approval.

MLB and the union have been extensively studying the issue of broken maple bats since 2008, as splintered barrels wildly helicoptered all over the field and into the stands.

"I think all bats are dangerous," said Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman John Lindsey, who has spent 15 years in the minors without a major league call-up. "It's not like maple was the first bat to break. At times, they just look crazy, but when bats break they fly all the time, no matter what kind of wood."

As part of the safety initiative, any big leaguer whose bat broke at least 10 times last year must consult with a panel of MLB and union bat experts to determine if there is some extenuating problem.

Baseball also is changing the specifications for all bats, slimming the maximum diameter of the barrel from 2.75 inches - which had been the standard for more than 100 years - to 2.61 inches. Trying to change the geometry of bats, the minimum size of bat handles is being increasing by about 1-50th of an inch.