In the world of composite wood baseball bats, Baum Bats are in a league of their own. The reviews received at JustBats.com have been nothing short of spectacular, to say the least. As the highest rated composite wood bat, the AAA Pro model from Baum is light-years ahead of the competition.

Since the middle of the 2015 MLB season, a collaboration between Victus Sports and AXE Bat has been making headlines in the relatively unchanging world of wood baseball bat technology. The combination of the injury-reducing potential of the patented AXE Handle with Victus’ pro-grade wood and expert craftsmanship has drawn the attention of some of the game’s best players including Giancarlo Stanton, Hanley Ramirez, and Mookie Betts.

But in this post, we’ll be taking a look at the signature model of the man that first put this innovative handle design on the map: Red Sox superstar Dustin Pedroia.

What exactly is a blem bat? Blem bats, short for blemished bats, are a particular kind of baseball bat or softball bat that will have minor cosmetic imperfections or very small flaws. This can mean any number of things, such as: a small nick, a paint run, knot marks, an unfinished paint job, a smudge, or even something as simple as a logo being in the wrong spot. Typically, it is something so minor that it is not noticeable at first glance. The best part?

The first real baseball bat was created in 1884 and it took 90 years before the next major change to baseball bats: aluminum.

That's because in 1974, after a few years in which bats made from tubes of aluminum started to appear, the NCAA approved the use of aluminum bats. Homerun totals increased and batting averages sky rocketed. The change was subtle, at first. Aluminum bats were simply a metal version of a wood bat. But, the metal made the bat more durable and, in turn, cheaper.

Picture this -- You’re at the batting cages with a wood baseball bat, and you’re taking some serious hacks. Then suddenly, out of nowhere, your bat breaks. The barrel ends up 60 feet in front of you while you’re stuck staring at the handle.

How do you prevent your wood bat from breaking? JustBats reviews how to make your wood baseball bat last and minimize the chances of it breaking on you.

(The following article is a guest blog post from Brett Rudy of the Boston Amateur Baseball Network.)

The Boston Amateur Baseball Network may just use more wood bats than any other amateur hardball organization in the country. After all, Boston is home to about 50 collegiate baseball programs, and when these students graduate, they continue to look for leagues to play in. This doesn’t even include all the high school athletes who never continued on to play baseball collegiately. Because of this demand, there is no shortage of adult leagues within the Boston-Metro area – and almost all of these leagues are wood bat.

There's something to be said for being popular. Everyone loves you, you get the most votes, pats on the back, medals, and adoring fans. Popularity is okay. Marucci's Chase Utley maple wood youth baseball bat (CU26YB) knows everything about being popular.

Marucci baseball bats are 100% handmade or turned in small batches from an original design, then finished and detailed by hand. This craftsmanship has been noted by professional players, such as Andrew McCutchen and Albert Pujols, who have allowed Marucci to use their game-day wood baseball bat designs. Of course, so has Chase Utley.

What is that little black ink dot on wood baseball bats?

If you have watched a Major League Baseball game recently, you might have noticed that some of the wood bats that the players are using feature a black dot around the handle. The name for this dot is called the “Ink Dot.” In fact, JustBats carries some wood baseball bats that feature the Ink Dot.

At JustBats, we offer a wide variety of wood baseball bats. And, as wood baseball bat users know, there are a number of wood types: maple, ash, bamboo, birch, and even composite wood.

But, another difference between wood bats other than wood type is with and without a cupped end. What does a cupped end mean? What does a cupped end do for a wood baseball bat? Does it really do anything? As a matter of fact, it does! JustBats is here to explain exactly what they do and the advantages of having a cupped end.