Wood bats

[robin_buckeye]

I grew up using wood bats (and still use them in senior baseball) and I remember being carefully taught to always hold the trademark "up" so that you would hit “against” the grain where the bat was stronger and less likely to break.

I’ve noticed this before, but watched closely last night and it seems that many players are holding their bats so that the ball hits the trademark side of the bat. Has anyone else noticed this or am I mistaken? If they are doing it, is it intentional or accidental? If it's intentional – anyone know why?

[Tweener510]

Its my understanding that by holding the bat with the trademark up, when you actually swing the ball the trademark is directly behind where the ball makes contact (also just flipped 180 degrees from the way you describe the pros hitting). While the bat is facing up if you just hold it, your swing should actually be more like chopping an axe sideways which changes the angle of contact.