Major League Items Used in Minor League Games

[ahuff]

Perhaps this has been discussed previously. However, an alarming thing happened last night. I was at my local minor league park enjoying a game. We were lucky enough to have spectacular seats right by the dugout.

I happened to look at the bats, that each guy was using. They were the pretty normal stuff. However, I saw a guy by the name of Christian Lopez using a pretty cool one. When I looked at the barrel, it had "Yadier Molina" on the end. Now I don't have many bats in my collection, but isn't that bothersome to bat collectors? Here was a bat that could easily be sold as a Jadier Molina game used bat, hammered with use, but was not Jadier's. My mind immediately goes "Well if he has Jadier's, what other Major Leaguer's bats are in the hands of minor league players?"

[Carlevv]

Simple case of one mans trash another mans treasure. What happens is this, in spring training young guys who are invited to the big league camp but know they wont make the big league team will ask players for bats. Yadier Molina gets big league wood so for him to give some of his lesser bats to young guys its pretty normal. What the young players do is hold on to those so when thier seasons start they have the best wood for thier gamers. Normal to some extent. Remember, minor league bats are like fords and major league bats are like ferrari's.

[ahuff]

Remember, minor league bats are like fords and major league bats are like ferrari's.

No arguing there. As a matter of fact, I remember Edgar Martinez once say that he knew he had "Arrived" when all the grain in his bats were perfect.

I just wonder how that affects a bat collector's collecting? How can a collector tell the difference between one used by a Major Leaguer or one used by Christian Lopez? Obviously this stuff does happen. However, we we all be more alarmed had it been Albert Pujols and not Yadier's!?

[chakes89]

I was at a Dayton Dragons game last month and saw three different Dragons players using bats from Cincinnati Reds players Edwin Encarnacion and Javier Valentin and former Red Rey Olmedo.

And after the game I got a bat from the other team and it was a Rondell White X-Bat.

[ahuff]

I was at a Dayton Dragons game last month and saw three different Dragons players using bats from Cincinnati Reds players Edwin Encarnacion and Javier Valentin and former Red Rey Olmedo.

And after the game I got a bat from the other team and it was a Rondell White X-Bat.

That is pretty cool, that you got a bat. To be honest, I loved seeing the different bats at the game. It just made me glad that bats aren't the focus of my collection!

[chakes89]

Yeah that was actually the first time I got a bat at a game too. So that was an added plus that it was a major league players bat.

I too like seeing the different bats at minor league games.

I was sitting directly behind the Dragons on-deck circle and when I saw the different bats I was like "Hey, thats sweet"

[bubbrubb25]

Well the player who was using the bat would have his number on the knob and not Yadier Molina's number

[ahuff]

Well the player who was using the bat would have his number on the knob and not Yadier Molina's number


I don't recall there being any number written on the knob of the bat!

[coxfan]

Since major league teams sometimes send used equipment to their minor league affiliates for further use, one should be alert to the possibility that minor league items may have a hidden ML history. For example, in June 2006 I bought a ball marked " game-used" from the team store of the Charlotte Knights, the AAA affiliate of the White Sox. I then noticed the ball was a major league (Selig) ball, with " White Sox" hand-lettered on it and " practice" stamped on it. So clearly it wasn't a Knights' game-used ball, but I theorized that it was a White Sox BP ball sent down to Charlotte after a little use ( I've read that ML teams sometimes do that so their hitters will have fairly fresh BP balls).

I e-mailed the Knights' GM, who courteously replied, saying that the Sox did send them balls, probably used in BP, for the Knights to further use in BP. One of those balls was probably mixed in with the game-used balls ( probably also used for BP). As an apology for his store's error, he sent me a Knights' g-u ball free. But I was delighted to have a BP ball from the defending world champs for only $6!

Then I checked my old Columbia Mets' game-used bats, bought from the team store from the days when they were the A affiliate of the Mets. I noticed one had " New York Mets" on the bat though my other minor league bats had no team name. It had "92" on the knob though no Columbia player had ever had that number. So I've theorized ( though cannot prove) that it was a spring training bat brought with the player to the minors, then sold as a minor league g-u bat when it was cracked.

Has anyone else found a minor-league item with a hidden major-league history?

[TNTtoys]

I often find the opposite -- Major League jersys with "hidden" Minor League use. This is likely because of what I mainly collect -- 1980s Mets game used jerseys. Quite often I come across game used uniforms of my team that are tarnished with use... almost too much use to be true. This use is more than often a combination of major league use and minor league use (or in some cases, purely minor league use). Back then, it was common practice for them to recycle the current season's jerseys through the minors. This was a great way to cut costs, as there was not a huge game used trade, and the minor league teams would essentially get free uniforms -- all they had to do was detach the nameplate, and voila!. The team name was often the same, so no issue there (i.e. the Jackson Mets, Pittsfield Mets, St. Lucie Mets... you get the idea). Some of these jerseys were worn for many years in the minor leagues.
Years later, these jerseys and pants have returned to the mainstream, and they are sold as mjor league jerseys... which I am 100% ok with, as long as I know what I am looking at. For example, many of them have evidence of a nameplate having been professionally restored. Many jerseys have black marker inside them indicating some sort of inventory number. Many pants have the names of several minor league players written in black marker, with lots of cross-outs. What I tend to avoid are those that exhibit use, but I have evidence that the player at the major league level didn't wear the jersey before it was recycled. Three scenarios come to mind here:
1. The jersey or pants was an extra, and was sent down to the minors at the end of the season with the whole lot of uiforms.
2. The player was traded in the off-season. For example, I own a 1987 Rick Anderson jersey. Rick never played a game in a Mets uniform in 1987, but the uniforms before his trade to the KC Royals.
3. There is special tagging to indicate an event that never happened. For example, Mets jerseys that were tagged "85P" were made for the 85 playoffs. The Mets; however, did not make the 85 playoffs... hence, this set was issued for use but not worn. The minor league Mets teams filthied them up afterwards! Hence, if you find an overly expensive 85P Gary Carter or Keith Hernandez jersey out there, treat as a game issued jersey that has a lot of minor league use!!