Popular Woodworking magazine weighs in: why are major league bats breaking at an increasing rate?
So is the broken bat mystery merely a question of maple vs. ash? As a woodworker, I doubt it. I will concede that the safety question is best answered with the choice of ash over maple because I'd bet the ash will be far less likely to break in two and send a hurtling projectile. More likely, ash will just crack or splinter.
(thx, brent)
Update: Cal Ripken and Harold Reynolds agree with the woodworkers: bats break because they're lighter with thinner handles. (thx, gerard)