Mystery white substance on a bat.... what is it?

[dplettn]

Any guesses or knowledge as to what this substance is or might be?

[Birdbats]

Re: Mystery white substance on a bat.... what is it?

Cowhide transfer from a batted ball.

[Wrigley2010]

Re: Mystery white substance on a bat.... what is it?

Cowhide transfer from a batted ball.

I'm fairly certain Jeff is correct. It's the most probable and logical answer.

[cfern023]

Re: Mystery white substance on a bat.... what is it?

Could it be tape.

[yankees506]

Re: Mystery white substance on a bat.... what is it?

Cowhide transfer from a batted ball.

+100000000
Have quite a few bats with this, it's from a baseball

[Roady]

Re: Mystery white substance on a bat.... what is it?

+100000000
Have quite a few bats with this, it's from a baseball

Me too. That is 100% leather from a baseball.

[johnsontravis@ymail.com]

Re: Mystery white substance on a bat.... what is it?

Wow I had this on a black bat and figured it was a mark left from tape(though it made a lot of sense since there was tape on the barrel for a reason). Anyhow I guess I learn things every day on here.

[dplettn]

Re: Mystery white substance on a bat.... what is it?

I am always very impressed by the knowledge accessible in our forum when good folks, as here, are willing to contribute their insights.

On my same 2013 bat, here is a smaller speck elsewhere of what I now believe to be the same substance (having come from the other) which I believe to have fallen off or scraped off within the bat tube, stayed along the same vertical plane, and reattached to some damp pine tar on the bat's handle.

Have others experienced cowhide transfer chipping or scraping off a bat? My impression is that cowhide transfer seems very different in nature from ink transfer.

[Wrigley2010]

Re: Mystery white substance on a bat.... what is it?

Let me add another possibility as to what white markings on a bat can be. A transfer from a baseball is absolutely the most common reason/occurrence. With that being said I've owned both a Martin Prado and Vlad Guerrero bat that had field chalk stuck to the pine tar that looked a lot like that bat handle.

[Nnunnari]

Re: Mystery white substance on a bat.... what is it?

It's leather from a ball that has not been rubbed down with Miss mud. BP ball mark.

[emann]

Re: Mystery white substance on a bat.... what is it?

Let me add another possibility as to what white markings on a bat can be. A transfer from a baseball is absolutely the most common reason/occurrence. With that being said I've owned both a Martin Prado and Vlad Guerrero bat that had field chalk stuck to the pine tar that looked a lot like that bat handle.

+1

I have a couple bats and cleats with chalked dirt stuck to them. I've seen it stuck in pine tar and stuck to the barrel end of the bat (banged in the dirt around home plate I'd assume).

[dplettn]

Re: Mystery white substance on a bat.... what is it?

I just want to say thank you to all those who have contributed to this thread. The sharing of insights is just fantastic.

[danesei@yahoo.com]

Re: Mystery white substance on a bat.... what is it?

It's leather from a ball that has not been rubbed down with Miss mud. BP ball mark.

I'm not asking this facetiously...

How would the muddy water rub on the outside of the ball affect the exposed leather under the surface of the ball? How many microns thin would the piece of leather need to be in order for the mud on the outside to have penetrated the lower layers?

[Roady]

Re: Mystery white substance on a bat.... what is it?

It's leather from a ball that has not been rubbed down with Miss mud. BP ball mark.

NO, it is not necessarily a BP mark.
Unless the ball flips inside out when hit by the bat or the mud somehow gets rubbed on the inside of the leather of the ball, both which are impossible.

The leather you are seeing is not the outside leather of the ball. That leather is against the wood of the bat.
The leather you are seeing on the bat is under the outside leather of the ball.

[Roady]

Re: Mystery white substance on a bat.... what is it?

I'm not asking this facetiously...

How would the muddy water rub on the outside of the ball affect the exposed leather under the surface of the ball? How many microns thin would the piece of leather need to be in order for the mud on the outside to have penetrated the lower layers?

It wouldn't. You are correct in thinking his thinking is wrong.