I pass this along as an FYI for those who aren’t already aware. It hasn’t been made known to the public generally, but 2008 is the last year that manufacturers will be allowed to make composite bats — at least for now. The reason I’ve heard from a couple of distributors is that the bats pass the initial test,  but then get considerably hotter after they’ve been used for a little while. It knocks them out of spec at times, but it’s too hard to police it. So ASA is just going to not test or allow new bat models to be used after this year.

A few examples of composite bats are the Louisville Catalyst, Demarini Phenix, Easton Synergy and Stealth, and Miken Halo.

The good news is, if you already have one, you will still be able to use it. This press release from ASA explains how current bats are being grandfathered in. They’re just not allowing more to be manufactured.

The bat manufacturers are quietly trying to dispose of their inventory. If you want one, you’d better order it quickly. A lot of the models are already sold out of the most popular sizes. But you can still find them if you look hard enough.

Good luck!