Rawlings Knob Markings???

[shoremen44]

I just picked up a Rawlings bat from a rock solid MLB team source...

check out the stamp on the knob... 155LS... anyone know what this is?

I would normally say the bat is not an MLB bat... missing the normal rawlings stampings, but the guy I got it from, I know got it from the player.

any help???

[5kRunner]

I thinks its the players initials. I've got a picture of Mark Grace holding a Rawlings with a "MG" on the knob.

I thought that was how Rawlings marked their post season bats. I'll try and find where I read that.

Not knowing the player, does any of this fit? (Initials and Postseason)

[Rboitano]

What era is the bat from? In 1980 Rawlings started marking the year and batch code on the knob. That looks like the model number 155LS, is it a 71-79 era bat?

[hblakewolf]

I thinks its the players initials. I've got a picture of Mark Grace holding a Rawlings with a "MG" on the knob.

I thought that was how Rawlings marked their post season bats. I'll try and find where I read that.

Not knowing the player, does any of this fit? (Initials and Postseason)

Correct-

Here's an example of two, 1993 Rawlings World Sereis gamers from Kruk and Pete Incaviglia:







Howard Wolf
hblakewolf@comcast.net

[shoremen44]

It is not the players initials... his initials are NR... and not a postseason bat... it is a 2009 bat

[Birdbats]

Rawlings has several models that include player initials. I think one of the first was the MS 20 for Mike Schmidt. I know among recent Cardinals, Larry Walker used a MLW 33 (M for maple). Ozzie Smith had a 384 OZ -- not his initials, but his nickname. And, of course, there's the MAC 25 for Mark McGwire.

Preston Wilson also used the MLW 33 in St. Louis, so the initials on the model stamp won't necessarily match the player's name on the barrel. I also have a Rick Ankiel that's a JD 7 model (J. D. Drew).

So, don't assume player initials in the model number means the bat is a post-season bat. True, there are Rawlings bats with player initials stamped below the model number indicating post-season bats (like the ones Howard shows). But, there also are many Rawlings bats with initials as part of the model number. The old A and B format isn't an absolute guide anymore.

[chakes89]

Email Sent

[shoremen44]

Thanks for the email.... apparently the bat is the model of a teammate...

but does anyone know what kind of consistancy or lack there of Rawlings has with models, batch codes, and dates?

I now have 2009 Rawlings bats with a number and initials (no other markings), and some with the traditional batch codes, and year markings