Cold Weather and Your Baseball Bat: What the Manufacturers Publish

Sixty degrees Fahrenheit. That is the number bat manufacturers name, and most families have never seen it.

It sits in published guidance rather than in marketing copy. That is why it rarely reaches the parent buying the bat. Winter is when it matters most.

Bats Plus is an independently owned baseball and softball equipment retailer shipping from Essington, Pennsylvania, and an authorized dealer for every brand we carry. We ship to all 50 states and to overseas US military bases. Here is what the manufacturers publish.

Sixty Degrees Is the Line Manufacturers Draw

Rawlings publishes guidance covering its own brand along with Easton, Miken, and Worth. It carries a direct warning against using a bat in cold weather. The stated reason is that temperatures below 60 degrees Fahrenheit, or 15 degrees Celsius, significantly increase the hardness of the ball.

Combat publishes the same warning for its own bats, with the same temperature.

Read that carefully, because the warning is about the ball rather than the bat. A cold ball is a harder ball, and a harder ball is harder on whatever hits it.

The Calendar Is Not the Test

This is where the guidance catches families off guard. Nobody expects a temperature rule to apply to a piece of aluminum or composite. The rule is about what the bat is being asked to hit.

So the month on the calendar does not settle it. A 45 degree Saturday in April sits below the same line as a January garage session. Check the thermometer rather than the season.

Indoor facilities are worth a second thought too. An unheated warehouse in February is not a warm room, whatever the sign on the door says.

What Rawlings Publishes About Care

The published care guidance for non wood bats is short, and the winter relevant parts are easy to follow.

Use the bat with leather covered balls only. Rawlings points to game baseballs and softballs as the practice option. Clean with mild soap and water, and avoid solvents or ammonia based products. Store the bat in a cool, dry area, away from direct sunlight. Limit the bat to one player rather than sharing it across a team, and rotate it a quarter turn each at bat.

Winter training often means a facility, a machine, and whatever balls that facility supplies. Ask what the machine is throwing before a game bat goes in the cage.

Rawlings and Combat also both warn that deep scratches, nicks, or dents can cause a bat to break at any time. Both advise inspecting the bat regularly and replacing it when it shows cracks, excessive wear, or damage. A winter inspection is easier than a March surprise.

Read the Terms Published for Your Own Bat

Guidance differs by manufacturer and by model, so read what is published for the bat you own rather than assuming every brand matches.

One detail is worth knowing before you buy anywhere. Rawlings and Combat both state that their limited warranties cover products purchased from authorized dealers, with the original sales receipt.

Bats Plus is an authorized dealer for every brand we carry. Shop baseball bats from Louisville Slugger, DeMarini, Easton, Rawlings, Marucci, and Combat.

Warranty terms belong to the manufacturer and to our Policies page. Bats Plus does not warrant a bat. Our winter baseball guide covers the rest of the off season, and our winter glove care guide covers leather.

Frequently Asked Questions About Bats in Cold Weather