Question to all bat and/or game used bat experts

[3arod13]

Question to all bat and/or game used bat experts

Minor leaguer plays his first minor league season is 1992. However, he used a team issued bat that the team still had in their inventory from the late 80's (labeling period of the bat 1978-1989).

Is it possible that a minor league team can have bats left over in their inventory from previous labeling periods and upcoming players use them?

Tony

[3arod13]

Question to all bat and/or game used bat experts

Minor leaguer plays his first minor league season is 1992. However, he used a team issued bat that the team still had in their inventory from the late 80's (labeling period of the bat 1978-1989).

Is it possible that a minor league team can have bats left over in their inventory from previous labeling periods and upcoming players use them?

Tony

Not just minor league teams, but major league teams also.

[Birdbats]

It's certainly possible minor league teams would use bats carried over from past years, but I doubt they'd go back too far... more than a year or two. I could be wrong, but given the cost of bats, their limited team budgets and the frequency with which bats break, I doubt the inventory gets too stale.

As for the markings, most Louisville Slugger minor league bats through 1997 would look like major league bats made in 1986-1989. H&B started adding the team name to the barrel in 1991, but only on MLB bats. Bats made for minor leaguers still had "Louisville Slugger" under the players' names and the same centerbrand (which changed in 1998). So, a minor leaguer's bat in 1992 would look just like a bat made for a major leaguer in 1987.

[GameBats]

Last season (2007), I observed on quite a few occasions Derek Jeter utilizing L.S. bats from the 1999 - 2001 label period.

[3arod13]

BirdBats/GameBats - great info.

Minor Leaguer plays his first season in 1992. The labeling period for a bat he used in 1994 was 1986-1992.

This scenario is possible, correct?

Tony

[BMH]

99% of your minor league players will hang on to bats long after a Pro will get rid of them because that guy has to pay for his own bats unless the Pro team is picking up the tab which doesn't happen too often. Plus, like any other "business" the team has to make every dollar count and the way todays bats are breaking holding onto older stock isn't uncommon.

In ST I saw several storage areas with bats that I haven't seen in a long time. Nomar gave me a bat to get the specs off he liked that was from his days with Boston.

[3arod13]

99% of your minor league players will hang on to bats long after a Pro will get rid of them because that guy has to pay for his own bats unless the Pro team is picking up the tab which doesn't happen too often. Plus, like any other "business" the team has to make every dollar count and the way todays bats are breaking holding onto older stock isn't uncommon.

In ST I saw several storage areas with bats that I haven't seen in a long time. Nomar gave me a bat to get the specs off he liked that was from his days with Boston.

Brian, great info! Thanks!

With that said, then it's possible a minor league player who played his first season in 1992, could have used a bat with a labeling period of 1986-1992, any time between 1992-1994?

This specific bat was signed by the player in 1994.

Tony

[3arod13]

For those of you interested in Cooper Bat labeling periods, here is some info I obtained:

Paper Stripe: 1986-1992
Foil Stripe: 1993-1998

Regards, Tony