Critical injury to Marin County teen reignites debate over risk of aluminum baseball bats

Gunnar Sandberg's story is horrific and heartbreaking, but not unique.

Sandberg, a 16-year-old Marin Catholic High School pitcher, was hit in the head March 11 by a line drive off a metal bat during a scrimmage against De La Salle High School of Concord. Within 48 hours, doctors had removed a portion of Sandberg's skull to relieve the pressure on his brain and he was placed in a medically-induced coma, where he remains today in critical but stable condition at Marin General Hospital.

The Kentfield teen's story has reignited a long-running debate over the safety of metal bats, which are used with few exceptions on the youth, high school and college levels. Major League Baseball and the professional minor leagues use wooden bats. Critics contend that balls struck with lighter metal bats are hit with much more velocity and give players less reaction time, particularly pitchers such as Sandberg, who are about 55feet away from home plate when balls are hit.

"We need to make this game safer for the players," Gunnar Sandberg's father, Bjorn, told the Marin Independent Journal. "These new bats are too powerful. They're like weapons."

Debbie Patch of Montana, whose son, Brandon, was killed by a line drive off a metal bat in 2003, agrees. "I guess if you can catch a bullet, you're all right," she said.

But those connected with the aluminum bat industry and experts who study issues ranging from bat performance to sports injuries say there is no data to support the claim that aluminum bats pose a significantly greater safety risk.

Sonoma State University baseball coach John Goelz and many high school coaches in the region don't advocate a switch to wooden bats, believing batted-ball injuries are relatively uncommon and an inherent risk of playing the sport. At the youth level, officials with Little League, Pony League and Babe Ruth League don't support a ban on metal bats.

"Guys hit the ball hard, whether they are swinging wood or aluminum," Goelz said. "It's just part of the dangers of the game."

High school coaches in the North Coast also say the increased costs associated with wooden bats, which are cheaper but break at a much higher rate than metal bats, would pose a significant hurdle. In February, the Santa Rosa school board voted to eliminate spring sports at the city's cash-strapped middle and high schools in 2011, though district officials say the sports, including baseball, likely will be saved.

Elsie Allen High coach Manny DeLaO said he purchased about five wood bats to use in practice as teaching tools a few years ago. They were all broken within three weeks. A typical metal bat costs $300, roughly five times as much as wood bats.

"Where does the money come from?" DeLaO said. "I've got kids on my team that can't even afford a hat."

In 2007, North Dakota and New York City banned aluminum bats, switching to wood bats for safety reasons. Other states such as Montana, Pennsylvania and Illinois have considered state laws, but none have passed. This week, in the wake of Sandberg's injury, Assemblyman Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) announced plans to introduce legislation seeking a three-year ban on non-wooden bats in California, pending additional reviews of bat safety.

Marin Catholic will use wood bats for the remainder of the season. On Thursday, the nine other schools in the Marin County Athletic League voted unanimously to also ban metal bats for the rest of the season, even postseason games when they could face teams using metal bats. Drake and Redwood, two MCAL teams, are scheduled to play at the 13th annual Adam Westcott Tournament at Casa Grande in Petaluma from April 3-5. Casa Grande coach Paul Maytorena contacted the other coaches involved in the eight-team event Friday in an effort to turn it into a wood-bat tournament. Drake and Redwood won't play if the other teams use metal bats.

On Tuesday, Novato High pitcher Matt Mendelsohn pitched a four-hit shutout while wearing a batting helmet for protection. His father, Scott Mendelsohn, said he hopes it sparks a national trend. Novato's pitchers will wear helmets for the rest of the season.

Novato coach Bob Scheppler said he and many of his coaches were inspired to mandate batting helmets for their pitchers for personal reasons. They have young children, he said, and are shaken by Sandberg's injury.

"We were all trying to look at it from Mr. Sandberg's point of view," Scheppler said. "That could happen to any of us dads."

In Miles City, Mont., more than 1,000 miles from Marin County, Debbie Patch has reacted strongly to Sandberg's situation.

Brandon Patch, an 18-year-old American Legion pitcher, was killed in 2003 when a line drive caromed off his head with such force that, according to some estimates, it traveled 50 feet before landing behind first base. Patch went into convulsions on the mound and died about four hours later.