Baseball Bats

By Eric Geier

The earliest recordings for the game of baseball date back to the 1790s. The game was a simple ball and bat game that was played for fun by the youth of America. Baseball took years to develop into a legitimate sport, but by the 1860s, the first fully professional baseball club emerged, the Cincinnati Red Stockings. Around this time baseball players began experimenting with different styles of baseball bats in order to find the perfect mold that would be the most productive for hitting the ball. Players experimented with long bats, short bats, heavy bats, light bats and even flat bats like a cricket bat. Through trial and error, players discovered that a rounded, moderately sized bat allowed the ball to travel the furthest and the fastest compared to other styles. In 1869, a rule was implemented that said a baseball bat could be no longer than 42 inches in length—a rule that still stands today.

In 1884, the baseball bat changed forever. In Louisville, Ky, a woodworking apprentice by the name of John Hillerich, was watching a baseball game when he saw a player break his bat. After the game he offered to make the player a new baseball bat at his father’s shop. The player obliged and he went with Hillerich to the family shop to oversee the making of his new bat. The very next game, the player went three for three batting with the new bat and the Louisville Slugger was born. Baseball players began to take notice of the new bats, realizing that a good bat could dramatically affect their game. The invention of the Slugger also brought competition from other companies like Easton, Rawlings, Anderson and Sam Bats. But the pinnacle is still the Slugger.

In early 1905, Honus Wagner, the greatest player of his generation, became the first player to have his own original bat, complete with a brand of his name on the barrel. This marked the first time a player had a contract with any type of baseball manufacturing company to produce personal gear. To this day, the overall look of the wooden baseball bat has changed very little. The only real difference is that the bats of today are made from lighter wood and have thinner handles, but each player has a preference to how their bat should be made. For example, Barry Bonds was using a maple bat when he broke the home run record in 2001, hitting 73 homers. When other players found out he was using a maple bat, they thought the same wood and style could improve their game. Since his incredible feat, maple bats have become more prevalent in baseball, with more companies beginning to produce them.

Making a bat is quite simple, but it takes a skilled hand and a keen eye to make one that has the correct dimensions and will produce the way a player wants. First, a piece of wood must be selected. There are a variety of woods that can be used, like hickory or bamboo, but maple is one of the most popular because of its durability. A woodworker puts the bat in a lathe, a machine that spins the timber, allowing the woodworker to shape it into a rough form of a baseball bat. The rough outline of the bat then goes through a drying process in order to dry out the sap and gum or any other moisture that may be in the wood. The wood is placed back in the lathe where it is sanded down and inspected to make sure it has the correct dimensions. When the bat passes inspection, it is branded with the company’s logo, then it is stained to whatever color is specified. The final product is then shipped to retailers.

From a sports collector’s standpoint, autographed baseball bat is a nice way to get away from your typical signed pictures or autographed baseballs. If you’re going to get an autographed baseball bat, you usually want to get one from a player who is known for his hitting, like Ryan Howard or Sammy Sosa. Bats are also a nice piece to add to a den or game room because they can be displayed in a variety of different ways, like placed in cases or hung from walls.

Did you mean, Hillrich, Hillerrich, Waggner, Rian Howard or Samy Sosa?