Help me with my Manny, please!

[earlywynnfan]

I'm interested in your thoughts on this Manny Rawlings bat. It was purchased from a fellow collector who has sold me many nice bats. The barrel looks like any 90's Rawlings, with his name and Indians below. The middle label looks almost like your basic early 90's, although it has "made in USA" in the middle! Finally, the knob: it's a model 491B, and in case you can't read the small numbers, it's batch 253 and the year code is "9"! As in, 1989! I almost thought this was some sort of transition/minor league bat, but can't explain the barrel markings.

It has all the hallmarks of a real gamer, none of which I have seen in any store model: the knob markings, the pro model wood (it's unfinished, can you buy them that way?), the scored handle and ball and rack marks. It even has the typical rawlings blue pen on the knob w/ "ramirez 30 1/2"!

I'm not any expert on manny and his handwriting, but I did own a cooper rookie bat of his, and the way the "24" on the knob was written the same way, and I think this is a real auto. on the butt end is written "24 491B" just like manny likes to do.

Thoughts??

Thanks, Ken