Blog: June 22-June 28, 2008
June 22, 2008. Nick Stavinoha became the ninth Redbird to make his MLB debut in 2008. He used a natural Marucci bat -- a Braden Looper model -- and wore #61. He becomes the sixth player to wear a number in the 60s this year. Tyler Johnson and Troy Cate wore #61 last season... Rick Ankiel was swinging a two-toned Max Bat. When he used the same bat a few days ago, I thought it might be a Zinger. But in high-def, it's clearly a Max Bat.
June 23, 2008. Look for the Cardinals to be wearing this cap on July 4. According to a press release from MLB: "All home teams over the July 4 weekend will host ceremonies honoring veterans in their community, with veterans throwing out the first pitches. For games that day, "Welcome Back Veterans" will adorn the bases and home plates. There will be custom lineup cards, with a place for a local veteran to place his or her signature. Among many fundraising activities, each club will auction off a set of bases, game-worn caps and a specially designed team jersey to benefit Welcome Back Veterans.
June 24, 2008. Nick Stavinoha was using a natural LS ash bat tonight. It appeared to be his own personal model (non-contract), an R161 if I'm not mistaken... Cardinals broadcaster Dan McLaughlin mentioned tonight that he'd talked to Russ Springer about his ratty old glove, and Springer said he'd been using the same one since his second year in pro ball. By my calculations, that would be 1991, meaning Russ has been employing the same leather for 18 seasons.
June 25, 2008. Duncan was using a natual ash Rawlings again tonight, but this one clearly is his own personal model... Several pink bats from Mother's Day are up for auction at MLB.com. Interesting to see all the brands that participated in the promotion. Along with Louisville Slugger, there are bats from: X-Bat, Marucci, B45, Nokona, Phoenix, Nike, Max Bat, SSK, Carolina Clubs, Hoosier, Old Hickory, Controlling the Game and -- despite reports it didn't make pink bats -- Rawlings. Again this year, at least so far, no Cardinals bats.
June 26, 2008. Albert was back today using his same Gwynn-finished Marucci -- 4 for 4 with a walk... The debate on banning maple bats makes me wonder what Albert and others would do. According to my records, except for one AB on 9/12/07, Albert hasn't used an ash bat with any regularity since September 2005. I've never seen Skip Schumaker use anything but maple, and Yadi Molina seems to have become a strict maple user. On the other hand, some maple guys are beginning to swing ash -- including Ankiel and Duncan. This should be interesting to watch as maple is scrutinized by MLB.
June 27, 2008. Stavinoha pinch hit using what appeared to be a pro-stock bat. It was a brown ash Louisville Slugger with gold foil stamping. I couldn't see the barrel marking clearly, but it did look generic... Yadi's bats currently do not have handle tape.
June 28, 2008. Nothing new tonight, so I'll throw out this fun fact about maple bats. Apparently, one of the moves under consideration by MLB is to regulate the dryness of maple wood used in bats. Drier bats are harder -- which players like -- but more prone to shattering. Louisville Slugger M9 bats are kiln dried to an 11 percent moisture content; most other manufacturers uses billets that have a moisture content of 6 percent or less. According to a rep from H&B, the company makes 60 percent of maple bats used in the MLB; the other 40 percent are divided among 31 companies.
