Are metal bats allowed in MLB? Exploring if league allows any other material besides wood

Fans of the sport may be wondering whether or not metal bats are allowed in MLB. It is largely the only level of baseball that players hit with wood and not aluminum. Minor leagues also share the same tendencies, but college, high school and continuing on to lower levels all use metal bats.

This is because MLB does not allow metal bats. Players at that level are prohibitted from using any material besides wood, and some have gotten in trouble in the past for shirking those rules.

---

Why doesn't MLB allow metal bats?

The main reason that MLB does not allow its players to hit with metal bats is the sheer velocity that a metal bat can produce. It can hit a ball much faster than a wood bat can, and much further as well.

Are metal bats allowed in MLB?

It's a way of balancing the sport between pitching and hitting as well as a safety issue. It's bad enough that a pitcher might see a 115-mile per hour comebacker, but a metal bat could hit them even faster.

Imagine Aaron Judge, who pretty much leads the league in exit velocity almost every season, hitting with a metal bat. The ball would almost never be fielded because it'd be hit too fast.

It's not safe and it's not totally fair, so wooden bats are the league's way of dampening the ability of the hitters ever so slightly to keep it safe. If Yordan Alvarez can hit a ball 110 miles per hour and 475 feet, it's a good thing he's only able to use a wooden bat.

The safety issue is two-fold as well. Fans in the stands would be in even more danger by a 130-mile-per-hour home run or foul ball. It's hard enough to safely catch a foul or home run as it is, and it would be much worse with a metal bat.

Wooden bats are the only type of bats that can be used in MLB. Chicago Cubs slugger Sammy Sosa came under fire for a bat made with cork, though he wasn't found guilty of it. Others were, and it was punished. Wood is all they can use.