Composite bats lose thier pop?

[cwestwjg]

So my DD has a couple bats she swings she has a Athena she loves but also has a Combat Fernandez that she swung for a while and got alot of big hits with it.

She has used it in rec last few weeks and can't get anything out of the infield with it except for hot grounders. She use to hit the back fence with the same bat regularly.

She has used the bat alot in batting practice (couple hundred a week) turning it every hit and the bat seems to have lost its pop. I thought the composites got hotter the more use on them.

Is this common with composite bats? She hits every other bat the same as always so It has to be something with the bat and I do not see any cracks or flat spots in it.

 

[PA SB Dad]

My DD has the same bat (Fernandez 32in -12) that she has used since last year. Loves the bat. But she came to me 2 weeks ago to say she thinks she needs a new bat - she thought she had "lost power" in her swing. I thought she needed a heavier bat anyway, so she went with an Easton Synergy 32in -10. She is pounding the ball right now, but I personally think it is more a function of the increased weight than the loss of pop from her other bat, though I'd be interested to hear what others have to say.

 

[starsnuffer]

Yes, they loose their pop. They're built with a finite number of swings. They do improve and become "better" as they age, to a certain point, and then the micro-cracks in the epoxy eventually take the bat back down and it becomes dead. This will happen over a single season if a bat is shared amongst team-mates.

If you want a durable bat, get a metal bat, if you want peak performance, you can't expect durability over the long term.

Pick the bat up and fungo with it, and you can tell yourself if it's dead or not.

-W

 

[druer]

Not sure that bat pop is responsible for the mechanics that are causing her to hit grounders. If you said she hit a line drive last year 200 feet and this year the line drive was only going 180 I might believe it's the bat.

I would suggest that what's really happening has more to do with her timing, because I'm guessing rec pitching is slower and she's out in front of pitches and then rolling her wrists over to soon causing the ground balls.

But nothing like the confidence that goes through young girls heads when they get brand new $300 bats.

 

[TowPilot]

DDs FP71C (TPS Catalyst) just go hotter until it broke.

 

[D.G. OutLaws 16u]

DD's in her last TB season this year. Easton Stealths been her bat of choice the last 4 years and has gone through 5. Her current Stealth, bought in 03/09 is loosing its pop just as 400 day warranty expires.....go figure. DiMarini and Rocketechs IMO last the longest.
We live/play in the Chicagoland area so weather IMO certainly aids in giving bats a shortend life. I was begging her NOT to use it with temps below 60 during HS, which pretty much is the entire season, but I was outnumbered as about 80% of teams have girls hitting composite bats...(DD stands for 'dollar drainer'....right?)
She recently got accepted to a D2 school down in Fla (woot, time to pack my bags!!) So being once again in the market for a new bat she has intrest in the new Xeno. She's a catcher/3b (not a tiny speedster nor slow and husky 5'10 135lbs) very strong successful power hitter. I'd like to get some Xeno opinions....is this bat allright for power hitters or more for smaller slappers hitting for average?

 

[starsnuffer]

My daughter just got a 2012 Xeno in -10 (the day they were released). It's as good as everyone says, but I was surprised by how end loaded it is. I'd say the balance is more like a -9 rocketech then a -10 CF4. I'll compare the balance at practice later today to give you more feedback. She was coming off of playing with a -11 composite so it's a change for her, but at her hitting lesson with it yesterday she was doing quite well and loves the bat so far. The sound definitely turned heads in the indoor facility and the 2012 look is way better then the 2011, in her unbiased opinion, of course.

-W

 

[D.G. OutLaws 16u]

Wrong dates above...not 03/09. SHOULD be 03/10 I wish it lasted 2 years

 

[cwestwjg]

Not sure that bat pop is responsible for the mechanics that are causing her to hit grounders. If you said she hit a line drive last year 200 feet and this year the line drive was only going 180 I might believe it's the bat.

I would suggest that what's really happening has more to do with her timing, because I'm guessing rec pitching is slower and she's out in front of pitches and then rolling her wrists over to soon causing the ground balls.

But nothing like the confidence that goes through young girls heads when they get brand new $300 bats.

Yes she did hit one of the tip of the bat against a girl that pitches in the mid 40's last night and all her hits are pulled between the short stop and the 3b in rec because of timing. I tried the bat a few times and it just doesn't have the same feel as before. May be a combination of both.

I guess she can swing that Athena in rec also for a while. i am not dropping 300 on a new bat right now even though that freak looks like a sweet bat.

 

[fpitch11]

Starsnuffer is right- the composite bat gets hotter up to a point with age, but will lose pop and wear out at some point. Depending on the batter that could be anywhere from 500 to 800 contacts. Many factors contribute to the decline in the performance of the composite bat.