Do You Need To Break In A Baseball Bat?

It’s all fun and excitement when you get a new baseball bat. Your first intuition would be to get into the field with your new bat and show everyone what stuff you are made of. However, this may not be the best thing to do. Let us know “Do You Need To Break In A Baseball Bat?”

When you get a new baseball bat, you need to take your time to break it in before you start using it during games. Breaking in your new baseball bat can go a long way in prolonging the bat’s life span. It will also help ensure your bat allows you to give your best performance on the field.

Why You Should Break In Your Baseball Bat?

Before you start using a baseball bat, it’s recommended that you first break it in. But then, the big question is why should you do it? Why do you need to go through the stress of breaking in a baseball bat before you start using it on the field? Well, there are two major reasons why breaking in a baseball bat is very important. The first reason is that breaking in your bat makes it possible for you to perform the way you should on the field. When you buy your bat, the resin layer inside it is still as solid as it was when it got manufactured. This resin layer can affect your hits because the bat won’t be as reactive as it should be. 

But when you break in the bat, you break this resin layer. Doing this will make the bat as reactive as it should be. When you use a reactive bat on the field, your hits will be further than if you used a less reactive bat. So, breaking in your baseball bat can go a long way in increasing your performance in the game. 

The second reason why breaking in your baseball bat is important is because it can help increase the lifespan of the bat. If you do not break in your  bat before using it in a game, you may unevenly stress its inner resin. 

This would then result in dead spots. A bat that has a dead spot will typically result in inconsistent hits. And just like that, you would be needing a new bat even though it wasn’t so long ago you got one. 

How To Break In A Baseball Bat?

Now you know the importance of breaking in a baseball bat, you may be wondering how to go about it. Thankfully, breaking in a baseball bat is kind of easy. However, you will need to take more than 200 swings to successfully break in your new baseball bat and make it game-ready. 

The first thing you should know about breaking in baseball bats is that you mustn’t use non-regulation balls. If you use non-regulation balls to break in your baseball bat you may end up breaking up the bat resin unevenly. Or in some cases, you may not even break the resin at all. 

So, once you have your regulation balls ready, you are set to start the breaking-in process. Do not rush things, rather, start slow. Start by hitting about 75-100 balls. With each swing, turn your bat a little bit (about a quarter of an inch). This way, every part of the bat will get used. 

The next phase will involve batting pitches at a speed of 40 miles per hour. You could do this with a pitching machine or a real pitcher. Regardless of the option you choose, ensure the ball speed is consistent with each throw. Do not put in your full strength while swinging in this phase; half of your strength will do. You’d be ready to move on to the next phase once you have made 75 hits (do not count mis-hits). 

In the next and final phase, you should still keep the pitch speed at 40 miles per hour. At this stage, you should swing with your full strength. Once you complete this stage, you would have successfully broken in your bat and have it game-ready. 

Conclusion 

Breaking in a new baseball bat before you use it in a game is very important. Refusing to break in your new bat may affect your performance and may cost you more money down the road as you may be forced to have the bat replaced after just a short while.

Frequently Asked Questions 

1. How Long Does It Take a Bat to Break In? 

The amount of time you spend breaking your bat somewhat depends on your stamina. However, it should not take you more than one hour to successfully break in your new baseball bat. 

2. How Many Hits Does It Take to Break in a New Bat? 

It takes about 300 to 500 hits to successfully break in a new baseball bat. It can be a long monotonous process and a lot of players are often impatient to get done with it. However, if you want to get the most out of your new bat, you have to be patient with the process and ensure you do it right.