A buyer's guide to Albert Pujols game-used bats

Copyright 2010, Birdbats.com

by Jeff Scott

I receive many e-mails asking my opinion about Albert Pujols bats that people are considering buying. Unfortunately, it seems most of those bats have some characteristic that isn't consistent with use by Albert. So, to help Pujols collectors make more-informed buying decisions, I've put together a quick reference guide that offers tips and opinions that, I hope, will at least cause potential buyers to think twice before spending big bucks on a Pujols bat.

Source: Your safest bet is to buy a Pujols bat from one of three trusted sources: the St. Louis Cardinals, Tony La Russa's Animal Rescue Foundation (ARF) or the Pujols Family Foundation (PFF).

The Cardinals rarely sell Pujols' bats anymore. Early in his career, collectors could sometimes find Pujols bats at the stadium Team Store (often bats of other players that were used by Pujols) or offered at stadium and online auctions benefiting the Cardinals Care charity. Today, the team might sell one Pujols bat a year at its annual Winter Warm Up event. It's important to know that even if a Pujols bat has a team LOA, collectors still need to do their homework. When the team first started selling game-used memorabilia, its employees weren't always as diligent as you'd hope. I personally saw off-brand Pujols bats auctioned that I really questioned. The team eventually improved its quality control, but I'd bet some older LOAs have been attached to batting practice bats and Pujols bats used by other players.

La Russa's ARF conducts an annual fund-raising auction and, early in Albert's career, seemed to have one signed gamer each year. I don't know if Pujols continues to donate to ARF the way he did in the past, but some of the finest examples of Pujols bats in the hobby have ARF LOAs with them.

Albert's own foundation, the PFF, currently may be the ultimate source of game-used bats. The PFF doesn't auction many bats -- just a handful each year -- but the bats they do make available are as good as gold. Often, you'll see two or three holograms on a PFF bat -- one from PFF and one from Upper Deck Authenticated and/or MLB.

If you can't buy directly from one of these three sources, try to buy from someone who has. Ask the seller for an LOA; if they purchased a bat from the team, ARF or PFF, they should have no problem producing an accompanying letter (or pointing to the authentic holograms).

Albert does donate bats to a select few charity auctions sponsored by other players and teams. And he sometimes gives gamers to sick children, celebrities he meets or other acquaintances. Just because a bat didn't come from the Cardinals, ARF or PFF doesn't automatically mean it's not a legit gamer, especially early career bats that hit the hobby before Albert's fame exploded. So, if you come across a Pujols bat that doesn't have foolproof provenance, there are several more things to consider.

Manufacturer: On April 6, 2007, Pujols swung a Marucci bat in a game for the first time. By midseason, Marucci had become his bat of choice. In fact, since September 4, 2007 (through the 2010 season), I've noticed Albert swinging nothing but Marucci except for one plate appearance on April 7, 2008, when he used a Sam Bat for the last time. This consistency is in stark contrast to Albert's habits from his rookie season through the 2006 campaign.

During his first six seasons, Albert used many different brands of bats. While he was partial to Sam Bat and Louisville Slugger, he also is known to have used bats made by X-Bat, Old Hickory, Max Bat, Easton, Rawlings, BWP and Carolina Clubs. It should be noted that some of these bats were used for only a handful of plate appearances and I have no proof they were his personal models. When asked by collectors, Albert says he has never used a Mizuno during a regular-season game and there is no photo evidence to dispute that claim. For a complete list of bats used by Albert from 2005-10, click here.

My recommendation regarding Pujols bats is to purchase either a Marucci, Louisville Slugger or Sam Bat. That doesn't mean other brands automatically are bad, but the numbers don't lie. The odds of a Rawlings or Easton bat being an actual gamer are slim. Be especially wary of X-Bats made prior to 2006 because the general public could purchase bats identical to those used by players. These retail bats had the flag of the Dominican Republic on the handle (pro bats did not have the flag). When you see these for sale as "gamers," the flag usually remains. If there is no flag, look for a rectangular void in the bat finish indicating where a flag may have been removed.

Model: Albert's known Marucci models include the AP5-M Custom Cut, AP5 Custom Cut, Pujols Custom Cut, and the CB15B Pro Model (2007). When he used Louisville Slugger, he favored the I13L, but also received and used the I13, C243, M356 and R205. A list of Albert's LS bat orders and specs (through early 2005) is available here. Pujols' Sam Bats were either SG1, JB1 or JB1(S)SG1 models. X-Bats will be labeled "Model 24/Pro Maple 34" or "Model 13/Pro Maple 34" and should not have any kind of flag on the handle. Old Hickory bats are labeled "Custom Pro AP5" or "34.0 PRO JL18." His known Max Bat model is the 243. Any Max Bat model C4 with Pujols' name on it is a fake.

Most of Albert's bats are 34" or 34.5" long. Weights run from 31 ounces to 32.5 ounces, though he did receive a dozen bats in 2005 that were 36 ounces (perhaps he wanted a heavier bat for batting practice). Most legit Marucci bats I've seen seem to be in the 31.7 to 31.9 ounce range. Remember, a bat could look legit, but if it's too heavy, it probably was made for promotional purposes. Don't trust the numbers on the knob -- weigh the bat to be sure.

Pine tar: Along with the switch to Marucci in 2007, one of the most visible changes to Pujols' bats is the amount of pine tar he uses. Until the second half of the 2008 season, heavy pine tar was not a Pujols characteristic. Typically, his bats showed darkened wood from the label toward the knob about 12 inches; the area where he grips the bat was typically lighter, almost clean. This photo is a collage of bats from 2001 to 2007. As you can see, the pine tar is light and the pattern is very distinct. If you see a Pujols bat from this era caked in tar, it most likely was used by someone other than Albert.

By late 2008, Albert's tar application starting getting much heavier on the upper handle and by 2009, it was quite thick. This photo of the bat he used to hit his fifth grand slam in 2009 is typical of this period. Note, however, that the area where Albert grips the bat remains pretty clean.

Pujols' pine tar is always brown. If a Pujols bat has grey Mota stick, it probably wasn't used by Albert. Some early Pujols bat also have been spotted with a reddish tar; these likely were used by Mike Matheny.

Use: It seems Albert doesn't use bats very long. It's unusual to see one of his bats look really hammered (again, refer to this photo). For most of his career, Albert has batted with the label up, so ball marks should appear above the barrel labeling on the "right hand hitter's side." In 2009, though, manufacturers of maple bats were required to rotate the center brand 90 degrees in an effort to reduce bat breakage. Since the change, I've seen Pujols bats with contact marks on both the right hand hitter's side and the side opposite the label. Bats with ball marks on the label side or the left hand hitter's side should be considered suspect. Visible ink transfers should be blue on all Pujols bats (except World Series-used bats; those should show gold ink). Because Albert hits the ball so hard, you also should see seam impressions in the wood.

Knob: Because Marucci stamps Albert's number 5 into the bat's knob, along with the length, weight and manufacturing date, you shouldn't see any writing on the knobs of his more recent bats. The most I've seen is a black spot or two. Prior to using Marucci, though, it was common for Albert to label his knobs with his number, the length and weight. This labeling often lacked consistency (see photo). Sometimes the "5" will be large, sometimes it'll be small. Sometimes the length and weight will be noted, sometimes it won't. In the past, Albert would write "Game" on his favorite bats, but he wasn't even consistent in how he did that. Some batting practice bats will have "BP" on the knob. In 2005, Albert sometimes used numbering labels provided by Schutt Sports. In spite of all that, if you've seen enough Pujols bats, you usually can recognize legitimately marked bats and spot the suspicious ones.

Other considerations: Because the bat box in the Cardinals dugout at Busch II was painted red, a typical Pujols bat prior to 2006 (in fact, any Cardinals player's bat) will have red marks around the barrel end. Sure, some bats may never have been stored in the home dugout; they could have been used and broken on the road before ever seeing use at Busch. But, red paint around the end certainly is something to look for on a bat used from 2001-2005.

You might notice an indentation or ring around the bat about 10 inches up from the barrel end. That would be from the on-deck weight Pujols swings before each at-bat.

Also know that Albert swapped bats with other players early in his career. In the past, bats used by Albert with other players' names on the barrel were common at the Busch Stadium Team Store. The most recent example I can recall is an Aramis Ramirez model Max Bat used by Pujols in 2006. Accounts of other players using Pujols models also are common, especially current and former teammates. Just because Albert's name is on the barrel is no guarantee that he used it.

And remember that on Louisville Sluggers, if the 125 is underlined or there's no model number after "Genuine" on the barrel, it's a promotional bat, not a gamer. A fellow Pujols collector I know has owned three Pujols bats without the model number showing game use, and they all came from credible sources. It's possible these promo bats were used in games, but knowing how choosy Albert is about the wood he wields (he "thumps" the bat next to his ear to judge the quality of the wood and rejects those that don't pass the sound test), you have to wonder whether these inferior-wood bats were used by Albert in actual major league games.

Autographs: Although he did sign bats early in his career, Albert rarely signs bats anymore - not even for Cardinals Care. If you see a recent bat with Albert's signature, make sure it comes from an impeccable source, like La Russa's ARF (the source for this bat) or the PFF.

Final thoughts: An Albert Pujols game-used bat is a huge investment for most of us. His unsigned bats commonly sell for $2,000 to $4,000, depending on age, manufacturer and provenance. Signed bats sell for more, with some rookie bats having fetched around $6,000. Before you spend that amount of cash, make sure you've done your homework and know what you're buying. Educate yourself.

Just because a bat comes with a letter of authenticity, don't go into a purchase blindly. The authenticators who sign those letters might know their stuff, but they probably are not watching every Pujols at bat, talking with people inside the Cardinals organization or examining virtually every Pujols bat that is offered at auction by the Cardinals, ARF or PFF. Their letters will tell you a bat is a Pujols model consistent with factory records and that it is used, but they're often careful not to say that Pujols used the bat. That's because unless there's photo evidence, they can't be certain.

Frankly, unless he walked from home plate to the stands and handed me the bat personally, I couldn't tell you whether Pujols absolutely used a specific bat, either. But, there are a number of specific characteristics that provide clues to guide collectors. Because I do watch every at bat and have examined many actual Pujols bats offered by the Cardinals, ARF and PFF, I have a more informed idea of what to look for in a Pujols gamer. Now that you've read this, I hope you do, too.

Updated 9/10/10