When were the maple bats introduced in the MLB?”
History was made in 1996 while Sam Holman, founder of the Original Maple Bat Company, was relaxing at the Mayflower Pub in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. His friend Bill MacKenzie, then a scout for the Colorado Rockies, complained that major league hitters were breaking too many baseball bats made of the traditional wood—ash. Holman had previously worked for the Ottawa National Arts Centre building theater sets, and had learned to whittle and carve many years ago. He knew wood. His first thought was to use iron wood (used to make piano keys), but he found it was too dense and not harvested commercially. He started researching different types of wood, and found that maple would make a stronger and more durable bat than ash. According to Major League Baseball (MLB) rules, all bats must be made from solid wood. However, the MLB must sanction manufacturers of new equipment before players can use it in playoff games. Today, the Original Maple Bat Company makes more than 30,000 Sam Bats a year, an
