Have you ever been to a tournament and gotten beaten by a team that you shouldn't of? Well this is the norm nowadays. Almost every competitive traveling team uses either a rolled or shaved bat. Since early after the release of composite bats it was determined that they get better and perform at a higher level as they get broken in. A typical bat takes 300-500 hits to start to loosen up and perform at it's highest level. Once this was determined some people began using bench vices to break their bat in quicker. This was a bad way to compress a bat and people found themselves breaking bats by over compressing them. It was then that the bat roller was designed. It is a much better way of compressing your bat and breaking it in quicker. After a typical roll you'll bat will perform like one that has 300-500 hits on it and you don't have to spend hours of batting practice.

Perform Increases Are Incredible

The typical performance increases range from 30-50 of additional distance after having your bat rolled or shaved. Batted bat speed will increase to over 110mph vs. the designed performance level of either 98mph or 100mph (depending on the type of bat). If you've ever seen a 5' 6" guy hitting 350ft bombs you know how juicing your bat can help you out.

Benefits And Downfalls Of Bat Juicing

When having your bat rolled or juiced you will see the performance increases after having the work down. The increases are 10-15% better performance. The one thing you can't see right away is how this process can effect the durability of your bat. When having your bat rolled you will not have any issues with decreased durability. This is why bat rolling is the preferred method of juicing. Shaving is another process that can be done to your bat to improve performance. A small amount of material is removed from the inner wall of the bat and this allow the barrel to flex more. You will get slightly better performance vs. have it rolled but when you have your bat shaved you will drastically shorten the life of the bat. A typical bat may last you 2-3 years before breaking but if you shave your bat it will only last approximately 1 season if you are lucky. Another problem with shaving is that you will not be able to send your bat back for warranty replacement once it breaks. All manufacturers are checking bats when they are returned to ensure they have not been altered. It is very easy to identify a shaved bat but there is no way to identify a rolled bat.

Bat Rolling Companies

There are several rolling companies out there and it's recommended that you find a company that only offers the rolling process. They most likely have an established reputation and have the experience you need to get your work done properly. As them questions about their process and make sure they are using the perpendicular rolling process. That is currently the best rolling process.