Quick Take
Rolling accelerates break-in (gray area), shaving thins walls for more pop (100% illegal). Both void warranties, risk safety, and get you banned. Don't be that guy.
Is Bat Shaving and Bat Rolling Illegal?
Our short answer is probably for rolling and flat-out YES for shaving.
There are some arguable exceptions, and we discuss the reasoning behind our answer below. While a few sites brazenly offer these services, most deals are found on eBay with searches like this.
What Is Bat Rolling?
Bat rolling is an accelerated break-in process for composite bats that brings a bat to peak performance. More specifically, mechanical rollers built within a type of vice compress the barrel along its length. This compression loosens the composite fibers in the barrel. The barrel becomes more easily compressed, creating a better trampoline effect at impact. Rolling’s effectiveness is a proven theory.
Rolling will also shorten the total lifespan of your bat and void warranties. It isn’t easy to recognize a rolled bat.
What Is Bat Shaving?
Bat shaving is the thinning of a barrel’s width from the inside. This process artificially increases the bat’s trampoline effect. It also lowers the bat’s swing weight. Shaving a bat requires the removal of an end cap, where a lathe removes shavings on the bat’s inner diameter. This thinner bat is lighter and likely contains more trampoline effects than is allowed.
Like rolling, shaving a bat will shorten its lifespan and seriously compromise durability.
The Actual Rules About Altering Bats
Most leagues, including High School and Collegiate play, have strict requirements concerning the altering of your bat. Without surprise, companies that offer bat rolling or shaving make no mention of these. But, if you are here to learn the entire story, take, for example, the language in the National Federation of High Schools concerning bat altering:
- Article 2a/3: “…Materials inside the bat or treatments/devices used to alter the bat specifications and/or enhance performance are prohibited and render the bat illegal.” (Emphasis added).
As well, Little League’s written statement is worth a review too:
- “No bat, in any level of Little League Baseball or Softball play, can be altered. This is of particular concern, especially when it is clearly done to enhance performance and violate bat standards.” (Emphasis added).
Bat Rolling Resources
- Daniel Russell has the definitive argument of advanced break-in results here.
- RIP-IT’s blog, where they claim it is NOT illegal, is here.
- Easton’s claim that it voids the warranty is here.
- High School bat altering rules are here.
- Bat modification consequences and rules for Little League are here.
Is Bat Rolling Legal?
The case for legally rolling your bat for leagues like High School and Little League is difficult to make, but there are plenty that do. Those who justify the process claim rolling a bat does not alter the bat for performance’s sake. Instead, they claim, bat rolling speeds up the process by which a bat is broken in. They claim that rolled bats do not “violate bat standards.” Instead, they work in composite bats faster. They also correctly cite that bat rolling is the exact process by which those who test the bat for approval work in a bat. Fair enough.
We have read the rules outlined by the High School and Little League associations, which most leagues default to, several times now. Although it doesn’t mention rolling specifically, our gut feeling is that the rule intends to disallow bat rolling. Bat rolling falls under a “device used to…enhance performance.”
Bat-rolling proponents argue performance is not enhanced, just sped up. That is fair. But rolling is a mechanical operation applied to the bat for an unfair advantage. No doubt, we are parsing words here and are comfortable accepting that others read it differently.
Most in the bat testing industry consider bat rolling to be illegal. It’s ironic because they roll bats to test them for the legal standard of play. On the other hand, there are enough bat-rolling services and devices on the market to suggest many either don’t care or don’t think bat-rolling is illegal. BatDigest.com does not roll our bats.
Some bat manufacturers even claim it is NOT illegal to roll your bat. Others, however, claim your warranty is void if you do so.
For the sake of full disclosure, we are not your attorneys.
Is Bat Shaving Legal?
In terms of shaving, on the other hand, we can make no reasonable case that it is legal for play. Physically altering the bat for performance’s sake is exactly what shaving is. The rules appear to disallow that process specifically.
If your odds of getting caught are a factor in your decision to have your bat shaved, beware. The chances are high, as end caps are adjusted and a significant amount of bat weight is removed in shaving— features that are easy enough to spot and feel.
As well, players using shaved bats potentially face serious legal ramifications. Imagine hitting a third baseman in the head or injuring a pitcher on a come-backer with a shaved bat meant to exceed performance. You can expect your liability to increase dramatically. The NFHS has a recommendation on that front:
- Article 2d: “Note: The NFHS has been advised that certain manufacturers consider alteration, modification and “doctoring” of their bats to be unlawful and subject to civil and, under certain circumstances, criminal action.”
Our stance at JustBatReviews is that altering your bat through shaving is a terrible and illegal idea. It is also simply unfair and, maybe more importantly, legitimately dangerous.
Is Rolling or Shaving Ever A Good Idea?
Some could argue that many leagues don’t care about modified bats. Specific home run derbies and exhibition matches might also encourage the idea. In those instances, we think rolling is not a completely terrible idea. Indeed, the bat does not exceed performance limits; it just reaches them sooner. This will, no doubt, shorten the usable life of your composite bat.
Yet, we can make no legitimate case that shaving is recommendable. Your personal liability for creating a hot bat is independent of the league’s rules and their enforcement.
You can expect serious legal liabilities—many of them potentially criminal—if a player is hurt from a hit off your shaved bat.
