Although the debate over banning metal baseball bats in youth baseball is unresolved, high school and college players find themselves playing in wood-bat summer leagues more and more these days. “It’s clearly a trend,” a coach told me last summer on the opening day of the John Marzano Wood Bat Scout League in Philadelphia. “The kids know they need to do this, their coaches know this, and the scouts love it. Hitting with wood is much less forgiving than hitting with metal.”

All of this makes for a more diverse baseball bat collection at summer haunts from Cape Cod to Surprise, Arizona. And as the trend for wood bats spreads to younger players, parents and coaches will want to know what elite amateur players are wearing at tournaments like the World Wood Bat Championships held in Marietta, Georgia, at the East Cobb Baseball Complex.

Somehow, you just have to look at the bats the pros are swinging. The two classics offered by Louisville Slugger, Derek Jeter’s C71 and Alex Rodriguez’s P273, are guaranteed by the best bat company in the world to be made from premium wood. But if you look at Ryan Howard or Albert Pujols, they may be hitting Marucci; and Barry Bonds usually hits with a Sam Bat. Chase Utley and Jimmy Rollins have been supporters of MaxBats in recent years. And for much of 2008 Manny Ramirez was doing his dirty work with an X-Bat. Unsurprisingly, then, Marucci, Sam Bats, X-Bats, and Max Bats can all be found in fan shelters.

But don’t let the professionals be your only guide. There are only about 35 bat companies with approved and registered bats in Major League Baseball. More than 100 companies make wooden bats for amateur players. These companies tend to be small and primarily serve the regional baseball communities. Companies like NYStix, Carolina Clubs, Bayou Bat Company, Hoosier Bats, and Barnstable Bat Company serve players from independent leagues, adult leagues, and local wood bat teams. NYStix got a big boost last year making bats for New York City high school teams in their first year of play under the city’s new non-wooden bat ban. The owner of the company told me last winter that he was having a hard time meeting demand.

Amateur players also like Old Hickory (Maple made!), D-bats, and M-Powered bats. Also, the more standard stock that can be found with Rawlings, Easton, and DeMarini is common, especially the DeMarini Composite Wood Bat wrapped in a fiberglass sleeve designed to help kids make the transition from metal to wood. .

Who knows what beats will be popular next season. Zinger Bats of Montreal is accelerating its marketing plans. Miguel Cabrera, Bobby Abreu and Dan Uggla wore custom Zingers for at least part of last season. The influx of players from Asia has also been a great help to Mizuno. And when players heat up like Josh Hamilton did in the 2008 All-Star Home Run Derby, there’s no question that the bat he used will be high on every young hitter’s wish list (he rocked a Louisville Ash Slugger, Model C353; 34.5-inch, 33-ounce weight; flame-tempered with the special Smith finish).

In the end, the switch to wood should keep players young and old in line all winter long looking for the right bat to start the new season, maybe not as much fun as playing, but certainly a useful hobby while we wait. .