

This allows hitters to use longer bats than they would otherwise resulting in an increase in bat speed and giving them a bigger sweet spot to hit from. With a corked bat you get the same length and thickness of a regular baseball bat, but it’s several ounces lighter. The benefits to using a corked baseball bat is that the bat is lighter than advertised and can increase a batters bat speed and “sweet spot”.

This modification makes the bat much lighter which can allow an advantage to the hitter, but the use of one is not permitted during baseball games. When a baseball bat is corked it is no longer one solid piece of wood. The bat shall be one piece of solid wood. The bat shall be a smooth, round stick not more than 2.61 inches in diameter at the thickest part and not more than 42 inches in length. Here is what the MLB states in their rulebook concerning the use of baseball bats. In other words corked baseball bats are illegal to use during play because they are not made out of one piece of solid wood. So, why are corked baseball bats illegal to use? In professional baseball, any baseball bat used must be made from a single solid piece of wood thus making a corked or bat during games illegal. They can also use a longer bat without having additional weight. The advantage or strategy behind using a corked baseball bat is that they are lighter allowing a quicker response by the batter. Players caught using a corked bat or other modified bat in play are subject to ejection and further punishment. This modification makes the bat lighter and easier to swing a longer bat.īaseball bats that have been corked are illegal according to MLB and other league rules. What is a Corked Baseball BatĪ corked baseball bat is a bat that has been hollowed out and filled with a lighter material, such as cork, to disguise the modification. In this article, we will discuss more in-depth on what a corked baseball bat is, how it’s made, what are the advantages and why they are illegal to use in professional baseball. The reason why players cork bats is to make them lighter, allowing hitters to swing faster while also increasing their bat’s sweet spot.Ĭorked bats are not permitted to be used in professional baseball because they violate a rule that states bats must be one piece of solid wood. So what are corked baseball bats and why are they illegal?Ī corked baseball bat is an illegally modified bat that has been hollowed out and filled with lighter material such as wine cork. Since then there have been several players that have been caught cheating and using an illegal baseball bat. In June 2003, the world of baseball was shocked that Sammy Sosa of the Chicago Cubs, one of the game’s best hitters, had been caught using an illegal corked baseball bat.
