Ill never get tired of hearing the sound of a wooden bat

I'm so glad you are exploring the old school baseball bats. My friend Mathew and I have researched deep into this topic and have come to interesting theories and understandings You have to remember that Shoeless Joe and Honus Wagner played in an era where the balls where sponges that could end up with over 2oz of spit and tobacco mass so you wouldn't be trying to swing with bat speed. Time to contact and hitting consistency where the 2 important qualities and the power all came from the bat's mass, not the pitch. The babe Ruth's live ball era balls were pretty friggin hard and can match even today's balls in firmness. That being said, the late era mickey mantle bat is very similar to the 110 model and it's shorter too, so it's heavy but it's balanced About the different woods, stiffness increases mishit performance but also increases sting. As density goes up, stiffness goes up, but so does mass. . Mass decreases sting. This can counteract the sting with the right balance of density so certain woods do well in higher densities while others struggle. Hickory is very stiff so when it's light, the sting is abysmal, whereas birch, maple, and ash thrives. In higher densities, birch and hickory are the only 2 viable options. Forget about maple for anything below 42 pcf or above 48 pcf (pounds per cubic foot)

I once swung Babe Ruth's actual bat, and yes, it was heavy. I also met his daughter and granddaughter on his 100th birthday. Those were some pretty exciting experiences.

People tend to forget Babe Ruth also pitched for 10 years of his career and held a 2.28 lifetime ERA. Played for 22 years and along with his 714 HR's had a .342 batting average.

Even with pitchers having lower velocity back in the day than today, I still feel this video REALLY speaks to how freakishly strong and powerful people like Ruth and Mantle were back in their heyday. I can definitely understand where some of the legends of their light-tower power come from with bats like these.

The sound of the bat hitting the ball is such a beautiful sound.

I could watch this guy hit home runs for hours. He’s awesome

The ash wood that was available for bats from 100 years ago through the 60's was from slow growth northern forests and the wood was more closely grained and dense than wood that is now available. I had some ash bats made in the 60's (if not earlier - one was a Jackie Robinson model) and a friend's brother-in-law that played AAA ball loaned us his bats ( this was in the 80's). Believe me, there was no comparison - the modern bats vibrated like mad on impact and had little action compared to the old ash bats.

6:45 man had his life flash before his eyes.lol😂

It’s also important to remember that Honus Wagner and shoeless Joe Jackson both played baseball during what’s called the “dead ball” era. They were not attempting to hit home runs with every swing most baseball was played within the three bases and part of what revolutionized baseball was the change in bat size that Babe Ruth would go on to use.

My grandma's maiden name was Wagner and Honus was her second cousin. We were never quite sure if it was true but since the internet era we were able to track family history records and confirm it.

I played in 18+ woodbat league for about 10 years. Most of the guys were close to half my age and were using all the current trends in bats like maple and composite. Being a child of the 80s, I insited on taking an old school approach. I started using Louisville slugger ash but i was breaking about 5 bats a season. I started to do more research and found a small bat company that had all this information posted on their page. Bear valley bats. In my analysis of the information they provided, i decided to have them make me 1 ash and 1 yellow birch. The yellow birch is a 33" 30oz bat. Very similar to the Easton Black magic i used growing up in regards to barrel, handle and weigh distribution. I absolutely love the way balls jump off that bat. Im not a power hitter but i feel that bat has put more life into my hitting. I used it for 6 seasons and still havent cracked it (aprx 70-80 ABs a year). It actually hits the opposite of ash. With ash you have to hit with the grain where as with yellow birch, you hit against the grain. The science behind bat materials is really interesting when you get into it.

Thank you guys for giving The Babe and the Mick their proper respect, you guys are products of modern baseball, and that's no fault of yours but I profoundly appreciate you giving props to the forbearers of so many baseball players who were inspired by the previous generations of players like the Babe and Mickey, Joe Jackson, Honus Wagoner and so many others who are unnamed and named in the Hall of Fame. I feel don't get respect from folks your age, and it makes me happy to see. ----- PS: I was a music/sound editor for about 12 years, so I broke down your video and I absolutely love the fact that through 43 seconds (after removing talking, reactions, background noise and the sound of the pitch machine) you can hear the difference between the Mantle, the Ruth, the Wagoner and the Jackson bats. For my musicians ear, I love the sound of the Wagoner bat, the Mantle, and the Ruth that the most. You can feel the weight behind Mantle and Ruth and just hear how strong they were, the Wagoner bat gives you the feel of someone who was calculating in the way that he swung a clean crisp sound off that bat. Jackson was a bit of both but just wanted to add some thoughts to my comment.

Old Baseball players are some of the most hard nosed, toughest SOB’s who ever lived. Swinging these literal trees….unreal they were able to do what they did. ❤❤❤

Always wanted to see this done. As an old player this video was a real blessing, thank you dudes.

Now Imagine the wrist and forearm strength it took to solidly connect on a Carl Hubbell screwball down in the zone with one of those big flint stones bats 😂

You have to understand those bats were so dense. And they got real strong using then. If you look at guys like mantle and ghrirg they were cut from granite stone. Just massively strong.

I'm 46 and I laughed when Will said "This is a good piece of Ash" @2:41. I've obviously been around HS baseball players too much.

Was at a Tigers game in 2018 and was able to handle a game used Ty Cobb bat for a few dollars and some loaned white gloves. Always neat experience, his wasn't over 40oz, but it gives you a greater appreciation what these guys accomplished when handling the equipment they used daily

It's probably the best video I've watched on bats. Super cool to see what the old bats were like compared to modern Era wood. Thanks guys

Great video and you did a great job with the larger bats. 39-40 ounces is a log, and people don’t realize how thick the handles are on those models - almost like grabbing a barrel of a modern bat. Guys like a Ruth, Aaron, Dick Allen who used larger bats.. tipped the bat down towards the plate to help get more momentum with the larger bats. Very cool video and thanks for sharing.

Also Richie Allen swung a 35/40 on bat too and he got around on faster pitching. I also think that avg velo was probably like between 85/95 because Ted Williams was the one that said it takes 4/10 of a sec for fastball to reach home plate. And he played from 1939-1960. Just into the live ball era and he pretty much saw all of the great hitters and pitchers. He also came up swinging a 35/35 oz bat and he was the one who started the light bat revolution

kudos to you..just watching the all time greats with the bats used in their deadball era to the live era was so entertaining and just to learn a thing or 2 was so cool of you..i am now a fan of your work.

This was a really fun video! I love seeing vintage things come to life in this modern era.

Now imagine these legends of yesteryear hitting with no batting gloves or in some cases leather work gloves that were soaking wet from sweat. Their hands had to be solid calluses. Loved the video and the “crack” of those old bats. My dad had an old Jackie Robinson model that he used in college and I used it as a warm up bat because it was heavier than anything I could put a donut on. The thickness of the handle was always crazy.

You hear so many stories/examples of greatness but having guys use a model of your own bat a full century after your prime while the world watches on in awe is one of the best examples of what a legacy truly is...... long live the great bambino! ⚾️🙌🏻⚾️

Richie/Dick Allen swung a 40 ounce also, If you'd have ever seen him swing a bat live (I did in 1976) you would just marvel at how smooth, yet quick his bat speed was.

I’m happy that for over a decade I haven’t been lying to people about how heavy these bats used to be back in the day.

As a 155 lb HS senior, wood bat era, I batted lead off using a 34 oz. Louisville Slugger Willy McCovey model gripped at the handle. A big bat for a little guy. Another guy on our team used a 36 oz. Adirondack bat. Nothing like the sound when you centered a pitch with those bats.

One of the coolest baseball video ever! I had a big smile when you went shoeless while holding Joe Jackson's bat model. Well done!

Please keep doing these. This is great!

Great video and the Ruth talk adds a lot of context. Old players had shorter swings and tried to avoid strikeouts, but they were also used to the bat weights. Someone who just picks one up for a video could get used to it over time. If you played back in the 1920s as a kid, you would work your way up from a heavier bat to start. People now are looking for bat speed, as they are being programmed to worry about launch angle and exit velocity. Back then they worried about putting the ball in play first. You could swing hard with no strikes, maybe one strike, but once you're at two strikes, you're approach changes. That's not a thing anymore

Good video - interesting comparisons and analyses. Brought back memories from decades past!

This is one of my main arguments when people say guys like Ruth would be journey men today because the pitches weren't as fast. 90 mph is essentially 100 mph when you're swinging a 40 plus oz bat. Babe Ruth with a lighter bat and in the smaller stadiums we have today, would at least be an all star, and imo, he would still be a perennial MVP candidate. Also, he would have the benefit of modern medicine, training, coaching, conditioning, and equipment outside of bats like batting gloves, elbow guards so he could crowd the plate, plus having game film to watch and being able to really study up on opposing pitchers.

I love y’all’s content so much! I’m a huge fan of you guys

A friend of mine had an old Oak Bat from the 1940's that he found in the house his parents bought in 1999--2000 winter. It was a massive 46 oz bat that would be lighter if using Ash or Hickory. Ash and Hickory are still used for bats today in fact some pro players use them but more use the Maple due to how durable they are using the slower non syrup maple for the bats. One company in 2000's in South Dakota out of Rapid City used Hickory, Maple, Ash, and Honey Locus for the bats one wood for each of the presidents on Mt Rushmore, the last one coming from South Dakota directly and was the model called the Teddy Rosevelt for his after presidency actually going through South Dakota on way back from what was then newly created Yellow Stone, going through the South Dakota Black Hills helping to bring light to make parts of it a National park in 1922.

Love that sound when you barrel one.

Nice hitting - from both sides!!! When I was a kid in the 50s and 60s, we had heavier bats simply because they were all solid wood bats.

That was a great video! You could really see the difference when you went with "their" swing versus how you would attack it. Great content!

Awesome content. I love baseball history, more than modern baseball itself. Best video I’ve ever seen from you guys!

I very much greatly appreciated this vidio. Love history and did not know of bat evolution and different woods. THANKS!!!!

Thank you, this was super informative

Baseball is just awesome and watching you hit with and explain the bats was best. Such a timeless game.

another great video. You mentioned your slowpitch swing -- I love the softball content. Any chance you'll revive that channel? Also, any chance you'd ever break down the difference between your softball and baseball swings?

Really enjoyed this throwback video, plus the facts shared about legends of baseball!

What a great experience. Thanks.

I love this stuff! Thanks for making this one.

Can you imagine how strong those guys must have been? How strong their wrists and hands must-have been? I think "Shoeless"Joe swung a 48oz and Ruth actually styled his hitting approach/ technique after him. Insane...

As a young anthropology student, we went to the Museum of Natural History in Chicago and got to see Ruth's bat up close. It looks like a whittled down telephone pole. I got to try on Harry Caray's glasses. I could see through time and each lense was the size and thickness of my palm.

Sweet concept!! Those bats looked massive!

When I was a kid someone gave me a Louisville Johnny Bench model. I measure it at 33 1/2 and 37 1/2oz. I never really used it until I joined a 30 and over MSBL team. Back then we were using the ZCore -5 Easton with 2 3/4" barrel. I joined a wood bat league and brought my Johnny Bench as a goof. Turns out once you get used to the swing weight it mashes! Lots of the guys wanted to use it in the games. Fun video...thx BatBros.

That was our old high school baseball home field! Go LavaBears. Love the video, great work as always. Those bats are crazy.

I love your vids, I play 13u and im always wanting to get info even though im not ale to get them itsjut so fun to watch

Easily one of the best professional comparisons ever posted to YT. Thank you!

Excellent video. Thanks for posting.

“A good piece of ash and it’s super freaking heavy.” That’s really all one could ever hope for right there.

Way light for Ruth. In his prime, he used 52 oz bat. 1921 Ruth quote; “They tell me I swing the heaviest bat in baseball. It’s not only heavy but long, about as long as the law allows. IT WEIGHS 52 OUNCES. Most bats weigh under 40. My theory is the bigger the bat the faster the ball will travel. It’s really the weight of the bat that drives the ball, and I like a heavy bat. I have strength enough to swing it, and when I meet the ball, I want to feel that I have something in my hands that will make it travel. Do you see these hands? I got those (callouses) from gripping this old war club. When I am out after a homer, I try to make mush of this solid ash handle and I carry through with the bat. You know, in boxing when you hit a man, your fist usually stops right there. But it is possible to hit a man so hard that your fist doesn’t stop. When I carry through with the bat, it is for the same reason. The harder you grip the bat, the faster the ball will travel.” He later found out, his bats were too long. He shortened the bat, so it was about 6 oz lighter. As for speed, Bob Feller played the same era. His rookie year was 1936. Several stars who faced both Feller and Walter Johnson, said Johnson was nearly as fast when he wanted to be. The difference was, Johnson was so big, strong, and crafty at mixing up speed and pitches, he occasionally pitched double headers. 2 complete games!

This was a lot of fun to watch. Thank you!

Bro great video!!! The sound of those bats are unbelievable 🔥🔥🔥🔥

In high school I used an aluminum Easton bat that was 34 1/2-33. It was the longest and heaviest that I was allowed to use within the rules of our district. I loved swinging a heavy bat. I'd love to try one of those replica bats, just for fun.

This was awesome to see. I visited the Louisville bat factory/museum and the handles of those old bats are ridiculous. I have big hands and I felt like a kid gripping them. You did great with these!

This was really fun to watch, thx for doing it.

Awesome video! This is what it is all about. Keep killing it!

My dad had an original Jackie Robinson bat, and he said the handle was so thick that he could barely get his hands around it. Those old bats definitely look like the handles are damn near barrel-size.

Highly highly enjoyed this video content. Very cool and interesting seeing you hit with the bats from back in the days. Thank you Baseball Bat Bros.

This was a fun video. It’s been soooo long since I’ve watched any baseball (almost a week now), but this video made me feel like a kid again.

This was actually a very fascinating video for baseball fans, kinda puts the early days of baseball into greater context in terms of what players had to do compared to today. Excellent video bros.

You hit a lot of baseballs but I gotta imagine the forearms were sore after this one 😂

Babe Ruth swung a heavy 40oz - 42oz bat. And damn, he made it look so effortless. ⚾💥💪🏻 Idk how those hitters swung those big ass bats back in the day? I picked up a 42oz bat and even I can't swing it right. It was swinging me around. Hickory should make a comeback as being a wood bat again.

When Henry Aaron was closing in on Ruth's career HR record there was a presentation where Aaron took some swings with Ruth's 1927 bat. He marveled at the strength Ruth had to swing that bat with enough velocity to hit the ball for the distances he got from it.

Great comparison. 👍 Loved it.👏

Thanks for the video

Fun fact: Babe Ruth's bat actually, where the barrel of the bat meets the handle, had a diagonal meeting point instead of the usual straight point going against the length of the bat. It resulted to more broken bats but it's still a crucial detail of the bat of Babe Ruth. 0:11 seconds in pause and you can be the meeting points is vertical.

Something very interesting about Mickey Mantle's bat, is that Mickey himself wasnt 6 foot tall. He was 5'10-5'11, either or. Which makes it super impressive to hit such bombs.

I really loved this looking forward to more!

3:00 The Sandlot clip made mg day 😂

More wood bats videos, please 🙏.

The live ball was introduced in 1914, not in 1919 as many seem to think. Teams continued to play little ball up and down the entire lineup for some years thereafter until the home run began to become more prevalent. Babe Ruth was the first to regularly hit home runs, but others soon followed. Ruth never played in the dead ball era in the major leagues.

Awesome. I always wanted to see a video of someone trying bats of old-time players. I would love to see today's players try it.

Love the old school bats!

Great video, really shows how impressive the guys were back then. Small request, try using the mizuno b-23 crbn2

I would like to put on Babe Ruth's Jersey while eating a bowl of strawberries

Would love to see u do an experiment with different wood types, I'm a carpenter and former baseball play and i used to turn my own bats, heaviest bat i ever made was from this wood called cumaru its very dense and heavy it was too heavy for an everyday bat but i used it in bp as a wieghted functional bat... would be interesting to see u try some bats made from denser woods like cumaru, ironwood, and rosewood. See how thier density and wieght affects the hits :)

Love to see you swinging, those balls flying like rockets and oh, that wood sound !!! ⚾😃

Will has the best swing even with a log

You guys will never know genius idea got me so many likes

God I LOVE THE SOUND of a bat hitting a ball!!❤⚾️

Cool video. My dad graduated high school in '67 and told me that his high school ordered 2 bats for every player on varsity. My dad chose the Al Kaline bat as that was his favorite player

Let’s not forget, Babe Ruth was a MASSIVE human being

Can you imagine how strong they were swing those logs every day?

Super fun. Thanks.

First time seeing your channel and this was Awesome! That sound from the bat will be in my head for days!😂

Thoroughly enjoyable video.

That was so cool! Thank you!!!

OMG Awesome! so glad you did this test! Great stuff! and awesome - didn't know you were a switch-hitter! Waayy to crush 'em!!!

Thanks I enjoyed this.

That Pablo jersey is so sick! I love it.

Those heavy bats were perfect for the dead-ball era. And I think your relaxed swing was as well.

Friggin nailed that Sandlot cut.

I love that you guys did this in Bend! Got to play a little league game on that field growing up. I miss the game