BP Bats VS Actual Game Bats

[FanofGriffey3]

Hi, I am new to the world of game used memorabilia and was curious about this. I have seen a few bats sold as being used during batting practice, but not during games. Do all players have one bat for BP and one for game use ? Anyway to tell by looking at the bats (other than photomatching) ? Any kind of marking or that kind of thing ? Sorry for all the questions, but in my short time here I have been really impressed with the knowledge of this board.

Chris

[Swoboda4]

Re: BP Bats VS Actual Game Bats

It's a great question that I've never thought of before. I'm going to guess and say that a player tries out any new bats he gets in BP,to see how they feel. That he seldom would use a bat without trying it in BP first. In a past thread we were surprised to realize that a player gets about 100 bats throughout the season so again I'm guessing that he uses new bats in BP.

[godwulf]

Re: BP Bats VS Actual Game Bats

One player I know marks his game bats with a big asterick in black sharpie on the knob - that's Luis Gonzalez. If it's an expecially favorite bat, he'll put two astericks on it. It would be nice if every player did that, of course.

[harpt]

Re: BP Bats VS Actual Game Bats

I have seen several bats where the player has actually written "BP" on the bat...designating that bat, of course, as his batting practice bat.

What we don't know by this designation is if that bat had been used in a game previously.

[tigerdale]

Re: BP Bats VS Actual Game Bats

that part is very tough to tell when buying....I know sometimes players tape the barrell of their bat in BP, then when they're sold....you can see where that tape was removed. also like what was stated earlier, a BP designation is written sometimes.....the bottom bat has a BP....the Shelton bat was even authenticated as a BP bat!!!

[kingjammy24]

Re: BP Bats VS Actual Game Bats

re: the taped barrels.

yeah. what he said. they'd tape the barrels and when the tape was later removed, there'd be "tan lines" from where the tape was. i don't really know if players tape their barrels much anymore or nearly as much as they used to. i remember seeing lots of taped barrels during BP in the 80s and 90s but not so much anymore.



rudy.

[whatupyos]

Re: BP Bats VS Actual Game Bats

For my 2 cents the best I can say is I think it depends on the player. I once saw a Nick Swisher bat auctioned off at the A's game that had BP writeen on the nob. I believe he wrote "BLS" his grandmothers initials on his game bats.

Aaron

[ryant7]

Re: BP Bats VS Actual Game Bats

as far as the taping goes i know it was a practice that was done to keep from having the grain separation on the barrel that we commonly see thus allowing the bat to be used more than a bat that is untaped the grain separation would cause the ball not to jump off the bat as much the barrel would actually absorb the energy of the ball since it is softer when it is separated i know when i was a batboy for the bats almost every guy there taped there bats sometimes untaping and retaping before each bp so it would be good and tight. a majority of the players most of which hadnt seen any big league time yet swung pro stocks during bp that where taped up but the guys that had seen the show swung there regular bats because they could "afford" too. hope i helped a little

[Nnunnari]

Re: BP Bats VS Actual Game Bats

I forget which year it started, but I believe all bp balls have green ink now. I once owned an Eddie Murray bat that had tape lines and green ink on the barrel, definitely a bp bat.

[FanofGriffey3]

Re: BP Bats VS Actual Game Bats

Hey Guys, thanks for all the great responses ! Really interesting stuff.

[metsbats]

Re: BP Bats VS Actual Game Bats

Some players use different model bats or different brand of bats for BP and games. Mike Piazza used Rawlings bats for BP and Mizuno bats during games. Arod may use blond bats model G174s for BP and typically uses the black model C271 or P72s during games. (though we have found photos of him using blond LV bats during games)

[xpress34]

Re: BP Bats VS Actual Game Bats

Agreed on the tape for BP bats...

I have a fairly scarce Helton Rawlings GU BP Bat - and it has the 'tan' lines from where it was taped.

In his first call up in '97 and his 1st season in '98 (before he signed w/ Mizuno) Helton used a collage of bats - Rawlings, LVS (H270), etc...





Also, as far as players using different bats at BP... I can tell you definitively that players also use BP to 'TEST' bats from other companies and bats that are not yet MLB 'approved' because MLB does not monitor what types of bats are used in BP.

I hand turned two identical bats - 1 for Clint Barmes of the Rockies and 1 for me - while working for Rawlings. (I am trying to get MLB certified so I can do this for a living!) Clint was the 1st to sign my custom engraved hand turned maple Rockies 'All-Time' bat and 'Gen R' bat and he asked me where I got them. When I told him I made them, we got into a discussion and Clint told me 33", Maple and as light as possible. I made two bats (#1/2 an #2/2) and Clint picked one and signed the other for me. He has used it in BP and loves it, but cannot use it in games because I am not an MLB 'Certified' bat maker.

All of the following bats were hand turned by me:

Barmes Bats:










My MASTERPIECE - the bat I could not engrave... HAND POLISHED:


My Nolan Ryan Custom - Nolan Auto'd last year at ST for me:




Rockies ALL TIME Bat - over 100 autos so far:




Rockies GEN R Bat - only players from the 2005 team:




I hope you guys enjoy!!!

- Chris

[matt]

Re: BP Bats VS Actual Game Bats

I asked Jason Varitek last year how I could tell his BP bats from his game bats. He told me that his BP bats were heavier and that he often used all black big stiks in BO an 2-tone in games. He said some players used the same bat in BP and other had different specs for practice. Ortiz used 34 inch to practice and 34.5 in games at one point.

I must also say that since I try to collect heavily trashed bats, many of these are more likely BP than game bats. Often a BP bat will have all surfaces destroyed because the player does not bother to put the label up or out as he does with a normal pre-swing routine. They just hack away!

By the way, forget BP, think of how many bats are used in cages. They take far more balls in cages than in the 40 minute pregame bp a few times a week. I bet of all bats shipped to the pros, something like 70% plus are used only in practice -cages and BP. Just my guess after collecting for a few years and talking to players and noting how many sticks they get from the manufacturers (hundreds each for the stars). Most seem to keep a bat till they crack it and only crack one every few games at most. I have a Reyes bat he used for 7-10 games and just got a Jed Lowrie that l think may have lasted 2 weeks.

M

Matt

[coxfan]

Re: BP Bats VS Actual Game Bats

Regarding BP balls: as I mentioned in another thread recently, I got a White Sox BP-only ball ( stamped "practice") in 2006 that was incorrectly labelled as a Charlotte Knights' game-used ball in the Knights' store; it had been sent down by the Sox for further BP ( as the GM confirmed to me). The ball is a paler blue than regular balls but not green, so this practice may vary. Plus teams sometimes use recycled g-u balls for BP.

I saw the Braves only once last year, but I noticed that several of them were sharing the same bat for BP, passing it from one player to the next. The visiting Marlins seemed to be using their own bats. This probably varies a lot even within teams. I suspect a bat that's really beat up has been used mainly for BP though it may've started as g-u.