“Wood bats cost a fortune now”
$29.95 from amazon.com including free shipping:
In constant-dollar terms, ash baseball bats are cheaper than when I was a kid.
“The MLB180 bat, for instance, is made of professional-grade ash, pound for pound the strongest timber available. Ash offers a flexibility that isn’t found in other timbers, including maple, resulting in a barrel that tends to flex rather than break. This gives you a larger, more forgiving sweet spot in terms of breakage. In addition, ash is lighter than maple, so players can choose from among several large-barrel sizes. It all adds up to a terrific choice for casual players who love the look and feel of a genuine wood bat, or professionals who value a high-quality bat performance.”
Last 34” bat I bought was $3, and it was a Louisville Slugger.
You can check out the cost of blanks at Woodcraft.
The story about “high quality” ash, the tight grained stuff from the Adirondacks was written at least two decades ago. First one I saw anyway, the good wood was running out.
Wooden bats break easier now because they are harvesting newer growth timber that grew faster and has larger annual rings.