Composite baseball bats are here to stay so know them, live them and love them. 

Stronger and lighter than high-grade aluminum, composite baseball bats are either made of a graphite-fiber composite material or have an aluminum core with graphite lining.

The main advantage of composite is it's lighter than aluminum and hence provides for a larger barrel and sweet spot within the designated drop ratio. Composite bats give a whole lot more forgiveness for the imperfect swing, and have the potential to make the average hitter a clean-up hitter.

Composite bats have been used and accepted in softball for the last ten years. They were introduced in baseball about the same time but were rejected in the baseball community for two reasons. First the early bats were much more susceptible to break and were considered flimsy. Second, and amazingly more important, was that they do not produce the trademark "ping" of an aluminum bat. We've all become accustomed to hearing the ping that we believe a bat has no pop when we don't hear it. I remember a high school player telling me they're terrible because they sound like a wood bat. Because of this the manufacturers gave up on composite baseball bats.  

Fast forward to 2008 and things have dramatically changed. Composite bats were reintroduced into baseball a few years ago and have finally been embraced by the community. They're becoming very popular in baseball and will undoubtedly dominate the bat industry moving forward.

There are some differences you'll need to understand about composite bats. To start off with, composite bats have a much longer break-in period than aluminum bats. You'll need to hit 100 to 150 baseballs to correctly break in the bat (baseballs not batting cage balls).  At first, the ball will sound like it came off a wooden bat but with proper effort and care you can break them in to the point where it sounds more like a rifle shot.

Then you'll need to realize you're not swinging a hunk of metal anymore. Composite bats need some tender loving care and are slightly more susceptible to cold weather. Banging them on the concrete and fence posts is not a good idea.

Finally, you need to understand the most expensive bats on the market are composite. So if you want one you'll need to pay top dollar in most cases. Manufacturers have started to offer some lower priced options such as the Louisville Omaha Comp and I'm sure more are on the way.

Composite bats are a great option for today's baseball player from the youth to college level. As mentioned, they're here to stay so know them, live them and love them.

For unbiased reviews of all 2009 baseball bats and an in-depth analysis of composite versus aluminum bats visit Baseball Bat Reviews