<P> Based on consistent anecdotal reports of sales at sporting goods stores, Maple appears to be displacing Ash as most popular new baseball bat material in the United States . Next and rising in popularity is Bamboo, which has more isotropic fine grain, great strength, and less weight for a bat of any given size . </P> <P> Within league standards there is ample latitude for individual variation, many batters settling on their own bat profile, or one used by a successful batter . Formerly, bats were hand - turned from a template with precise calibration points; today they are machine - turned to a fixed metal template . Historically significant templates may be kept in a bat manufacturers' vault; for example, Babe Ruth's template, which became popular among major - league players, is R43 in the Louisville Slugger archives . </P> <P> Once the basic bat has been turned, it has the manufacturer's name, the serial number, and often the signature of the player endorsing it branded into it opposite the wood's best side . Honus Wagner was the first player to endorse and sign a bat . Next, most bats are given a rounded head, but some 30% of players prefer a "cup - balanced" head, in which a cup - shaped recess is made in the head; this lightens the bat and moves its center of gravity toward the handle . Finally, the bat is stained in one of several standard colors, including natural, red, black, and two - tone blue and white . </P> <P> The emerald ash borer, an exotic beetle imported accidentally from Asia, has killed more than 50 million trees and now threatens groves in New York's Adirondack Mountains that are used to make baseball bats . Global temperature rise likely allows the beetle to survive in what was once too cold of a climate . </P>

What kind of wood is used for major league baseball bats