[SnakeDoctor]

Rather than splintering, maple bats are a harder wood and tend to break like this ...

... which is supposedly more dangerous to players in the field.

SnakeDoc

[Vigilanteman]

You actually bring up a good point with that photo in that maple bats CAN BE LESS LIKELY to splinter, depending upon where the break is. I’ve heard the MORE LIKELY to spliter argument more commonly, but I beleive the capacity to injure is far less of a function of splintering and far more of a function of weight and the resulting ability to travel longer distances.