I’m not sure if you noticed, but many players are swinging two-toned bats this spring. This stood out as more than a coincidence on my trip to Tampa and Ft. Myers so I did some research to figure out why. It turns out that the two-toned color is part of the new regulation issued by MLB on maple bats for the upcoming season.

USA Today had a great piece where they broke down all the guidelines and got reactions from many players. The part that I found most interesting regards the new placement of the label. Up until this season, the label has always been placed against the grain on ash and maple bats. Hitters are taught that they must hold the bat with the label up. This will ensure that contact is made with the grain (the harder side of the wood). MLB conducted a study and found that with maple, the bat is stronger by swinging it against the grain. Thus, not only are these bats two-toned, but the label has also been moved 90 degrees. Many hitters, including Ryan Howard and Darrin Erstad are not buying it. I wonder if this will push them back to ash, or force them to simply rotate the bat so that the label faces the pitcher.