Should I Use My Bat in Cold Weather?

With baseball season starting up and cold, blistering weather is still hitting most of the country, one of the biggest questions we get every year around this time is “Can I use my bat in cold weather?” Now I must admit, playing baseball is not the most fun thing in the world, but for most players, it’s almost inevitable. With that being said, the answer to that question is a little hard to get to, but we will say this: yes and no.

The most interesting part of this is actually the fact that our bats are not what the problem is at cold temperatures. It’s actually the baseball that grows denser and can increase the chances of dents or cracks in aluminum bats. Now, depending on where you live and what climate you play in, like I stated earlier, you cannot escape playing in cold weather. So, the next question is “what bat can play better in cold weather? Alloy or composite?”

Through and through, we have concluded that alloy bats are able to withstand colder temperatures than their counterparts, composite bats. Now, that doesn’t mean that you can’t use composite bats in cold temperatures, but there is just more data showing that alloy bats are less likely to dent or split in temperatures under 50 degrees.

To explain, composite bats are made up of a condensed material. Ever heard of a bat needing a break-in period? This is necessary for composite bats because the more you hit a composite bat, the more small, miniature cracks you create in the barrel, thus releasing more power in the barrel. When the weather gets cold, these cracks can get way, WAY bigger, causing the whole barrel to crack and damaging the bat entirely. With alloy bats, since they are built and engineered with a solid piece of aluminum, they do not have this issue, but can be prone to denting or bending.

So, to answer a hard question, yes you can use bats in cold weather, though it is not recommended, and it really depends on how cold we are talking! If you are looking to see what bat would work best for you, scroll down, and see some of our most popular alloy and composite bats!