Anyone know where it can be purchased? Heard only MLB and milb get it but I'm wondering there's anywhere out there at all to buy MLB quality wood bat. Have the Baum bat but want son to have great bat for area code underclass . Thx .Ed
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Coach: we have the SSK maple bats used by Javier Baez of the Chicago Cubs.
Bob
I think every bat manufacturer sells pro quality wood bats.
Marucci has “Custom Pro” and Victus has “Pro Reserve” for example.
Not sure you can get the exact same wood the pro's get. I know for Louisville they pull out the best wood and its set aside for the pro's. They were pretty up front about this when we took the factory tour. Im not sure about the other manufactures. That said, you can get something close. Louisville Slugger now offers a MLB Prime bat line. These are bats that have passed the ink test and are very close to what a MLB player would be swinging.
My son's instructor had us get bats from Trinity Bats...he used them as a pro and said that they sell the same wood to retail
Add Chandler and Old Hickory to the list of manufacturers who offer bats made from the same lumber that they send to pros. Don't consider anything that doesn't have an ink-dot, but also make sure that the bat passed the ink-dot test. (Ask the maker before purchasing.)
For 35 years, we have used only wood bats in our Area Code games and Goodwill Series International. The ash bats for the MLB are aged longer before "cutting", minor league wood one year less. Ash can be checked by the grain and can be "boned".Low grade ash will "splinter".
Maple bats are graded by the quality of the wood for MLB players.
Bob
joes87 posted:Not sure you can get the exact same wood the pro's get. I know for Louisville they pull out the best wood and its set aside for the pro's. They were pretty up front about this when we took the factory tour. Im not sure about the other manufactures. That said, you can get something close. Louisville Slugger now offers a MLB Prime bat line. These are bats that have passed the ink test and are very close to what a MLB player would be swinging.
This is exactly correct... most of the bigger providers of wood to pro ball pull their best for majors, then minors. Similar quality, but not quite the best lots, is available to public. Stay away from bargain wood. That said, know that the very best breaks just as easily as the cheap stuff... just performs better.
cabbagedad posted:joes87 posted:Not sure you can get the exact same wood the pro's get. I know for Louisville they pull out the best wood and its set aside for the pro's. They were pretty up front about this when we took the factory tour. Im not sure about the other manufactures. That said, you can get something close. Louisville Slugger now offers a MLB Prime bat line. These are bats that have passed the ink test and are very close to what a MLB player would be swinging.
This is exactly correct... most of the bigger providers of wood to pro ball pull their best for majors, then minors. Similar quality, but not quite the best lots, is available to public. Stay away from bargain wood. That said, know that the very best breaks just as easily as the cheap stuff... just performs better.
Sorry CD, as a long-time woodworker (mostly a hobby) I'm going to have to disagree with you. The best wood bats don't break "just as easily as the cheap stuff." The handles that pass the ink-dot test have very straight grain. The grain on the cheap stuff runs out on the handle, and is more prone to breaking along that grain. The grain is also tighter on pro bats, which means less breakage. The cheap stuff is often rushed through the drying process, which makes it more brittle. Obviously, pro bats break, but they don't break as easily as lower quality bats.
Good discussion, Mid... I was in the biz for over 30 yrs... sporting goods mostly with a focus on athletic categories including buying all baseball equipment for a decent size chain that carried the full gamut of quality bats. I had the tour and discussions with product managers at every major manufacturer. I have had many "next level" bat companies pitch their goods and give me the full story on their wood/s and processes. Also, I was issued many bats to test and shared with friends and local teams. There is certainly accuracy to what you are saying. However, there are many other factors as well. Some basic keys here... many of the bats made with cheap wood are made only in models with medium to thick handles. These generally break less, regardless of wood quality. Another... a guy who gets sawed off or hits a high velo pitch just off the end in a certain way will break his bat regardless of the quality. This is the main point I wanted to make... just to prepare someone who was looking to spend extra money on a wood bat not to expect that means it won't break. Also, as you know, wood types factor in. Some of the more desirable woods from a performance standpoint aren't necessarily the best from a "less likely to break" standpoint. My statement was probably too general. Just trying to KISS. God, I miss those days.
BTW, more from a distance now, it appears that a few manufacturers are using the "ink dot test" as a marketing ploy to give the bat the appearance of better quality. I'm guessing to an extent on this but I think they are putting out bats with the ink dot regardless of what the results may be.
cabbagedad posted:Good discussion, Mid... I was in the biz for over 30 yrs... sporting goods mostly with a focus on athletic categories including buying all baseball equipment for a decent size chain that carried the full gamut of quality bats. I had the tour and discussions with product managers at every major manufacturer. I have had many "next level" bat companies pitch their goods and give me the full story on their wood/s and processes. Also, I was issued many bats to test and shared with friends and local teams. There is certainly accuracy to what you are saying. However, there are many other factors as well. Some basic keys here... many of the bats made with cheap wood are made only in models with medium to thick handles. These generally break less, regardless of wood quality. Another... a guy who gets sawed off or hits a high velo pitch just off the end in a certain way will break his bat regardless of the quality. This is the main point I wanted to make... just to prepare someone who was looking to spend extra money on a wood bat not to expect that means it won't break. Also, as you know, wood types factor in. Some of the more desirable woods from a performance standpoint aren't necessarily the best from a "less likely to break" standpoint. My statement was probably too general. Just trying to KISS. God, I miss those days.
BTW, more from a distance now, it appears that a few manufacturers are using the "ink dot test" as a marketing ploy to give the bat the appearance of better quality. I'm guessing to an extent on this but I think they are putting out bats with the ink dot regardless of what the results may be.
Good points regarding real-world breakage scenarios. I'll add that many pro bats are cupped (most cheap bats are not), which makes then more susceptible to those end-shots causing a break.
I've wondered about the ink-dot rejects myself. Do they go into the retail bin? Another reason I like the smaller producers like Chandler and Old Hickory where you can get a person on the phone to verify that the bat you're ordering will pass.
Zinger Bats...