Doctored Bats 101

What are the ways to doctor a bat?
The 2 most common types of Doctored Bats are either by shaving or rolling. Bat Shaving a bat is done by removing the end cap and shaving the inner wall of the barrel. Rolling is the safest way but shaving will provide you with the greatest performance increase. Rolling your bat is done by rolling the bat through two rollers which will increase the trampoline effect of the bat. This will improve the batted ball speed by approximately 5-8%. This equates to 20-40 feet for Composite Bats and 10-20 feet on Aluminum Bats. Bat Shaving is a process where material is removed from the inside of the barrel. Bat Shaving will give you 30-50 feet additional distance over stock. One commonly used method that is used along with shaving is end loading. By adding weight to the end cap when it's removed you will change the balance point of the bat. This extra weight in the end allows the barrel get through the hitting zone quicker.

Can you quickly summarize Bat Rolling for me?
Bat Rolling is done with a Bat Rolling Machine. If you visit our products page you'll see what bat rollers look like. When you roll your bat you are breaking down the resin that binds the composite fibers that make up your bat. Bat Rolling will make the walls of an Aluminum bat a little more flexible. Rolling accomplishes what would normally take 500-700 hits on the bat. The advantages are you don't have to spend hours of batting practice and you eliminate the wear and tear on your bat. Bat Rolling is the preferred altering process as it does not effect your warranty and there is not way to tell the bat has been rolled. There have been several independent studies done to verify this information. Kettering University and Washington Status University are two of these. Do a Google search and you can find out more about it.

How does doctoring effect my bat?
On average you'll see improvements from bat rolling anywhere from 5-8mph on the batted ball speed. This equates to 20-40 feet more distance. It doesn't stop there. The improve batted ball speeds will allow those infield hits get to the outfield quicker. When you shave your bat you are thinning the walls out and this will effect the durability of the bat greatly. It will also void the warranty of your bat and you will not be able to send it back should you have any issues with it. Rolling a bat does not effect the durability of the bat and you will maintain your warranty. For this reason again we recommend rolling a bat vs. shaving. Most associations have rules regarding altering and we recommend that you contact them regarding the specifics.

Why should I doctor my bat?
Generally, doctoring your bat will make it perform at a significantly higher level than it normally would. This allows you to concentrate on your swing vs. having to worry about swinging hard and maintaining the proper swing mechanics. A doctored bat will provide about 5-8% more batted ball speed and this equates to 20-40 feet of additional distance. In case you didn't know most higher level players have ALL of their bats doctored in some fashion. If you want to compete at a higher level you must have a doctored bat. It's like going to a gun fight with a knife.

Learn more about Bat Altering