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What is a bat rolling machine?
It's a device used to compress softball bats and roll then roll them when they are in the compressed state. The amount of compression that is applied can be varied. More compression can be applied to the barrel than could be applied hitting a softball.
So what exactly does the compression do?
Most new softball bats are made of a composite fiber material. They become better with age. This is because when it compresses, some of the fibers on the inside wall of the barrel are broken. When this happens, the bat acts as if it had a thinner walled barrel. A thinner wall helps in two ways.
First, there is more of a trampoline effect. The barrel flexes more when the ball is struck. Once the bat barrel reaches its maximum flex it will then spring back which returns the energy back into the softball.
Second, When the barrel flexes more, it is in contact with the ball longer. Also, there is a larger surface area of contact. This creates more backspin on a fly ball which creates more loft. With more loft, the ball will carry further which produces longer fly balls and more home runs.
A bat rolling machine is designed to accelerate the break in process.
Is using a bat rolling machine legal for ASA play?
This is a topic of debate. Rolling the barrel does not add or take anything away from the bat. So has anything really been modified?
The makers of bat rolling machines claim the machines are only speeding up the process of breaking in a bat. This way, it's at maximum performance immediately instead of half way through the softball season.
Others claim that using a bat rolling machine is different than a natural break-in process of hitting softballs. Many players report greater distance by using a machine to break in the bat instead of breaking it in naturally.
What is the ASA doing about it?
The ASA has been vague on whether bat rolling is legal. The ASA does maintain a 98 mph standard for bat performance. Ball velocity isn't allowed to exceed this 98 mph limit under specific test conditions. The problem is that the ASA has not way to test bats after the player has rolled them. There are not any cost effective ways to see if a player has used a bat rolling machine to "juice" their bat.
For sure, the ASA is aware that this is a widespread practice in recreational softball. Just visit any softball forum online and you will see many postings discussing the best way to roll bats or reviewing the latest bat rolling machine.
There are rumors that the ASA will be adopting an "out of wrapper" 93 mph limit. The current limit is 98 mph. The purpose of this would be to prevent bats from exceeding 98 mph after being rolled.
If this rule is established then this would actually force players to roll their bats just to get them to the old "out of wrapper" condition.
What about aluminum?
There are also rumors that the ASA will be banning composite bats. For a long time, aluminum was the standard. If the ASA reverted back to aluminum then the issue of bat rolling would be solved. A bat rolling machine can't be used for aluminum barrels because the barrel could be permanently damaged.
Most softball players like composite because it won't dent like aluminum will. Manufacturers like composite because they don't get as many customer returns. Back when double walled aluminum bats were introduced, customer returns were a big issue. These used two thinner walls of aluminum instead of one thick wall. They were notorious for denting.
The latest info suggests that composite barrels will not be banned. More likely, the stricter "out of wrapper" standards will be applied.
Should you use a bat rolling machine?
I suppose that's a personal decision. For me, I choose to roll my bats. With new newest ASA restrictions, this is the only way to get close to the performance of previous models. Off the shelf, none of the models today could compare to my old 1999 DeMarini double wall (which I no longer own). I personally don't like the new restrictions. If the 93 MPH restriction is put in place then the ASA will no doubt be accepting bat rolling as OK. The thought would be that most players would be doing it and the bats would be performing to a 98 mph standard after being rolled.
What is the best bat rolling machine available? I don't really know the answer to this because I have only used one machine. The model I have is the XR-400 from Panther Machines. It is very sturdy and well built. I am really impressed with the quality. It has exceeded my expectations.
Their website is http://www.batrollers.com.
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