What about this X bat

[brianborsch]

hello,

I know there has been some discussion about X bats but I wrote them and they said the player bats have had the flags since day 1 (which I thought was wierd as I have seen them w/o the flags). But I also saw that anyone can order a Pro Player model bat and it will be the exact same wood and type of bat the player uses. For autographing purposes. What I can see happening is a ton of fake GU bats.

So my question is, what do you think of this bat (pics attached)1269

1270

1271. The auction states it is a GU bat of Daric Barton from the AZ Fall league. It has a pic with Barton holding the bat. But I guess ya never know....

[astros*bats]

Brian-

You are correct, there have been many concerns about game used X-Bats. In particular, Albert Pujols X-Bats. While Pujols has used X-Bat's throughout his career, he has stated that he has never used an X-Bat with a flag on it.

X-Bat used to sell game model bats directly to the public that were exactly just like the player uses. These bats came with the flag on the handle. Recently I believe that they have changed the engraving on the barrel of the bats to help fix the problem of people faking game used X-Bats.

Game Issued and Game Used bats sent to the players have "Pro Maple" engraved under the players name as where the bat will now say "Pro Trophy" under the players name on bats that the public can order directly from X-Bat. I have attached a picture to show this. Please note that under each of the players names it reads "Pro Trophy". This was not always the case, but I think X-Bat became aware of what was going on, so they tried to fix it.

I am sure that there are tons of "fake" X-Bats floating around, but probably from the bigger name players. I don't really know the benefit of trying to pass of a Daric Barton gamer. The bat looks legit and the picture is very good proof.

http://www.xbats.com/prodimages/trophy_bats/trophy_bat.gif

[allstarsplus]

I generally run from XBats unless I get them direct from the player or team, but that bat you showed is peppered with great ball marks and has the player holding it. Hopefully it is priced reasonably too.

[brianborsch]

The auction ended at $150.00. Whether or not that is considered reasonable, I don't know. Barton is currently injured however he is in AAA and only 20. Supposedly the Oakland brass has stated that he has the best plate discipline in the minors and that he will one day be one of the highest paid players in the bigs. If all that comes true then maybe $150 for a fall league gu bat is a bargain.