Maple is a much harder wood then ash , and you can feel it if you have ever swung both. Many players switch to maple as it is suppose to be more durable then ash (since most of us dont get free bats maple has really become popular). The problem is in fact with not the durability of the hard wood maple just how it breaks off, it splinters as previously said launching sharp projectiles sometime past the infield. I use a maple sam bat , had max bats and tpx all maple . That being said i have swung ash in bp and its just not the same feel for me. As far a the mlb going to composite , that can never happen, look at some of the liners coming back at the pitchers as it is.... composite would make it far more dangerous as oppose to the rare occassion a splintering bat hits sommeone.