Need Your Thoughts On What makes a Game Used Bat Rare & Desireable?

[3arod13]

Need Your Thoughts On What makes a Game Used Bat Rare & Desireable?

I realize HR bats, etc. are desireable, however;

Many players use different model bats. Early in their careers, they try many bats until they find what they like.

If a player used a Rawlings bat early in their career (1st year), then never uses a Rawlings bat again and mainly used a LVS bat throughout their career, does it make the Rawlings bat much more desireable, because there are so few?

Thanks, Tony

[metsbats]

Re: Need Your Thoughts On What makes a Game Used Bat Rare & Desireable?

Tony,

Good question. If it's a player's first year, rookie year, then I think the bat would be more valuable only because it would be considered a rookie bat.

A good example of this would be Ryne Sandberg who used HB's during his early years but used Rawlings for majority of the rest of his career.

David

[TFig27]

Re: Need Your Thoughts On What makes a Game Used Bat Rare & Desireable?

I believe that people want a bat that a player is known to use. Meaning, what they see in pictures, tv, and in person -- that player with that particular brand/model of bat.

But, after a few of those, the player collectors will look for that unique bat that maybe was only tried once by a player. Or, different color combinations or handle variations between bats. That's what makes it fun. You can have three of the "same" bats, but they can all be different.

[MSpecht]

Re: Need Your Thoughts On What makes a Game Used Bat Rare & Desireable?

Hi Tony

I removed this thread from the other 'Auction Items' forum in order to consolidate it here.

If I have a choice between 2 bats (not counting 'special achievement' bats like specific HR, record-setting, etc.), here are my personal preferences:

1- Rookie era bat (first or second year) the earlier the better;
2- If the bat can be documented to a specific season, I prefer a season where the player had a strong year at the plate, an all star selection season, a World Championship season, etc:
3. A player's Bi-centennial bat from 1976 (documented in H & B records)--- they are just too cool.

Mike Jackitout7@aol.com

[3arod13]

Re: Need Your Thoughts On What makes a Game Used Bat Rare & Desireable?

Hi Tony

I removed this thread from the other 'Auction Items' forum in order to consolidate it here.

If I have a choice between 2 bats (not counting 'special achievement' bats like specific HR, record-setting, etc.), here are my personal preferences:

1- Rookie era bat (first or second year) the earlier the better;
2- If the bat can be documented to a specific season, I prefer a season where the player had a strong year at the plate, an all star selection season, a World Championship season, etc:
3. A player's Bi-centennial bat from 1976 (documented in H & B records)--- they are just too cool.

Mike Jackitout7@aol.com

Mike,

Thanks! It wasn't until I made the post, that I realized I was in the wrong category.

[3arod13]

Re: Need Your Thoughts On What makes a Game Used Bat Rare & Desireable?

Great comments, thanks!

As we all know, there are thousands of Alex Rodriguez Game Used Bats out there. We also know there are many that are signed Game Used, yet we all know his history and signing habits of Game Used stuff.

The 1996 Alex Rodriguez Rawlings Game Used HR #15 (20th HR of his career) Bat that I own I believe is a pretty rare bat to own. Considering I also have a letter from Rawlings stating only 12 bats were ordered by Arod in 1996, makes it even that much nicer.

Unfortuntely, 1995 is considered Arod's Rookie Season. He play 17 games in 1994, 48 in 1995, and his first full season was in 1996.

So although this isn't considered a rookie bat, it is a HR bat from his first full season.
1996: First full season and breakout year

The following year, Rodriguez took over as the Mariners' regular shortstop (SS) and emerged as a star player, hitting 36 HR, driving in 123 runs, and pacing the American League (AL) with a .358 batting average, the highest for an AL right-handed batter since Joe DiMaggio hit .381 in 1939 and the 3rd highest ever for an SS. At 21 years and one month, he was the 3rd youngest AL batting leader ever behind Al Kaline (20) in 1955 and Ty Cobb (20) in 1907, and the 3rd youngest player in history with 35+ homers. He was also the 1st major league SS to win a batting title since 1960, and the 1st in the AL since 1944, and at 20 years, 11 months, was the youngest SS in All-Star Game history. He also led the AL in runs (141), total bases (379), and doubles (54) and ranked among the league leaders in hits (2nd, 215), extra base hits (2nd, 91), multi-hit games (3rd, 65), slugging (4th, .631), RBI (8th, 123), and on-base percentage (8th, .414). Rodriguez posted the highest totals ever for a shortstop in runs, hits, doubles, extra base hits, and slugging, and tied most total bases, and established Seattle club records for average, runs, hits, doubles, and total bases, in a season that statistical analysts consider the best ever by an SS.[7]

He was selected by both The Sporting News and Associated Press as the Major League Player of the Year, and came close to becoming the youngest MVP (Most Valuable Player) in baseball history, finishing second to Juan González in one of the most controversial MVP elections in recent times.[8] He finished three points behind González (290-287), matching the 2nd closest A.L. MVP voting in history.

[yanks12025]

Re: Need Your Thoughts On What makes a Game Used Bat Rare & Desireable?

I have a quick question would the players game used bat be a pre-rookie if he didn't play the amount of games to be a rookie. Like you said A-rod only played 17 in 1994 and 48 in 1995 so bats from those years are pre-rookie bats. Just want to clear this up.

[3arod13]

Re: Need Your Thoughts On What makes a Game Used Bat Rare & Desireable?

I have a quick question would the players game used bat be a pre-rookie if he didn't play the amount of games to be a rookie. Like you said A-rod only played 17 in 1994 and 48 in 1995 so bats from those years are pre-rookie bats. Just want to clear this up.

I guess you could say that for 1994 (17 games). 1995 (48 games) was considered his rookie year. 1996 (146 games) was his first full season.

[CollectGU]

Re: Need Your Thoughts On What makes a Game Used Bat Rare & Desireable?

I think many collectors prefer the bat that they are familiar seeing the player use for much of his career and will pay a premium for it no matter how rare another bat is to that player.

Regards,
Dave

[eGameUsed]

Re: Need Your Thoughts On What makes a Game Used Bat Rare & Desireable?

Dave,

You make a good point! As many of you know, I consider myself THE Biggio bat guy. I currently have a waiting list of 18 people looking for Biggio bats and 15 of the 18 are looking for M9s, mostly because that is what they watched Biggio use his last 3 years.

Thanks,

[3arod13]

Re: Need Your Thoughts On What makes a Game Used Bat Rare & Desireable?

I think many collectors prefer the bat that they are familiar seeing the player use for much of his career and will pay a premium for it no matter how rare another bat is to that player.

Regards,
Dave

Understand. However, for myself, I want that item that is not so common.

Thanks for everyones input/comment.

Tony

[ndevlin]

Re: Need Your Thoughts On What makes a Game Used Bat Rare & Desireable?

I thought a first official rookie season had something to do with how many at bats and games that particular person played in. Here's a piece from MLB, IF you are using it to determine a players year.

A player shall be considered a rookie unless, during a previous season or seasons, he has (a) exceeded 130 at-bats or 50 innings pitched in the Major Leagues; or (b) accumulated more than 45 days on the active roster of a Major League club or clubs during the period of 25-player limit (excluding time in the military service and time on the disabled list).

[3arod13]

Re: Need Your Thoughts On What makes a Game Used Bat Rare & Desireable?

I thought a first official rookie season had something to do with how many at bats and games that particular person played in. Here's a piece from MLB, IF you are using it to determine a players year.

A player shall be considered a rookie unless, during a previous season or seasons, he has (a) exceeded 130 at-bats or 50 innings pitched in the Major Leagues; or (b) accumulated more than 45 days on the active roster of a Major League club or clubs during the period of 25-player limit (excluding time in the military service and time on the disabled list).

Alex Rodriguez played 48 games in 1995, and had 142 at bats. Rookie Season

[MSpecht]

Re: Need Your Thoughts On What makes a Game Used Bat Rare & Desireable?

The definition of "Rookie" vs. "Pre-rookie" wasn't covered in Vince's recent book, but my opinion (and what I base my personal collecting on) is that any Major League use up to, and including, the season where the player qualifies under Major League guidelines as a Rookie would be considered a "rookie-era" bat. The primary distinction for collectors, again in my opinion, would be whether the bat was used in the Minor Leagues or the Major Leagues. I am sure there are people out there that will stretch out the term 'rookie-era" as long as possible (say the first 5 years of a 23-year career) for marketing (financial) purposes.

mike jackitout7@aol.com

[metsbats]

Re: Need Your Thoughts On What makes a Game Used Bat Rare & Desireable?

Part of the problem when we try to apply the "Rookie year" mystique to game used bats the same way we apply it to baseball cards, is unless the player won the ROY award or were close runner ups, most players don't really have spectacular rookie seasons.

So the irony is that we desire the rookie bat of a player who is a superstar and perhaps a HOFer but the player might not have had much success that first year using that particular bat.

Same idea with the players last year or final season gamers.

David