Initially, bat makers sometimes used hickory, but they eventually gravitated toward white ash, which was lighter but still durable. The type of wood used in bats evolved over the years as well. That led some early would-be power hitters to heft bats resembling tree trunks.

Made entirely from hardwood, except for an 18-inch-long (45.7-centimeter) section at the handle, which could be wrapped with twine or coated with a granulated substance.

Not more than 42 inches (1 meter) in length.

Not over 2 3/4 inches (6.9 centimeters) in diameter.

But first, here's a brief history of the baseball bat. In this article, we'll get into how the nuances of bat design can give players an edge, and the physics behind what happens when bat meets ball. The bat is one piece of equipment that a player can customize to suit his playing style and physical attributes, and the right bat can give a slight but perhaps crucial edge in a sport where even the best hitters only succeed three out of every 10 trips to the plate.

What is it that makes the bat - or rather, a particular bat - so important to a baseball player? Players need a bat in their hands to get on base and to score runs, but that's only part of the fixation. New York Yankees' star Ichiro Suzuki, a two-time American League batting champ who, as of 2013, holds the Major League record for most hits in a season with 262, reportedly keeps his favorite bat in a silver case. Richie Ashburn, the slap-hitting 1950s Philadelphia Phillies outfielder, took to sleeping with his favorite bat in an effort to prolong a hitting streak. (The problem was not the different wood but the glue which apparently increased the speed of the ball off the bat). In the 1920s, Babe Ruth once got himself out of a slump by switching to a bat that was made of four pieces of wood glued together, which had a peculiar sideways grain-that is, until the baseball commissioner ruled that his new piece of equipment was illegal, which prompted a national controversy.

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