Don’t expect to have a thin handle bat to last more than one inside fastball. if your hands are slow getting through the hitting zone, you will snap a thinner handle bat.

Use a moderate barrel to handle ratio. forget the metal bat “2 ¾ inch mega barrel”….. unless you are willing to swing a heavy bat. instead look for a barrel of 2 ¼ to 2 ½ inches. even then, a moderate handle increases durability.

Trademark up or trademark straight down. that allows you to normally hit the ball with the strongest party of the bat. that’s the other reason (besides letting you know who makes the bat) that manufactures put their mark on bats.

Don’t leave your bat in the trunk of a car all day. especially when it is hot outside. your car becomes an oven in the summer. ovens bake moisture out of bats.

Don’t leave your bats exposed to cold for any extended period of time. The moisture in your bats will freeze, making your bats brittle.

In other words, avoid storing your bats in areas exposed to extreme temperatures for any extended period of time (6 hours or more). if you have to come straight to the park after school or work, take your gear inside. You will thank me later!

Avoid hitting in the cage with your wood bat. repetitively hitting 50 – 75 baseballs, let alone those nasty yellow super-dense rubber balls, in the cage will shorten your bats life span.

Whenever you hit in the cages or live bp, tee work, soft toss or front toss, tape your bats barrels with trainer’s tape or use a rubber sleeve. it helps keep the barrels solid longer.

Bone your bat to compress the wood and make it more durable. boning means using a “soup” bone (see a butcher) or a glass coca~cola bottle to rub on the barrel and compress the wood. for more info, ask any baseball player over 45 years old.