Question About Team Index Bats

[earlywynnfan]

I, for one, was glad to see that they listed the bats as "index" right in the title, instead of me having to search the fine print. It should have always been that way, but it hasn't.

Ken

[SSB15]

Several years ago, I was burned by a major auction house that did not even disclose that the bat did not even match factory records. Instead, I received COA's from two different authenticators that it was a game used bat from the player. The bat's lenght, weight and pine tar matched bats the player normally used. The model number did not match the model number the player normally used for that year.

Needless to say, I was not happy about the nondisclosure. Whould I have bought the bat had I been told the truth, yes. But not for the price I paid. From now on, I insist on reviewing all COA's before I bid on a bat.

One question that comes to mind is how do we know for sure that a team did not order a bat for the player? We all assume that the bat records are accurate and that if the records show a player did not order a bat and the team ordered the bat, then there is no way the player used the bat....Why do we make this assumption that team index bats were not used by players?

[JimCaravello]

Hi SSB15 - great question about Team Index Bats. I would refer you to the two blogs I have written in the Experts Corner on Team Index bats. I would also perform a search on the Forum for Team Index Bats and there are many good threads with relevant information that I think will help you.

Once you read the blogs on the Mathews bat I looked at, I think you will see in that particular case, the index bat in question was unlike other bats Eddie personally ordered during that time period. That bat purpotedly had specific language in the Team Index records that it was ordered for Eddie Mathews. My problem with the bat was that it wasn't anything like the bats he ordered himself and I felt that there was a remote possibility that he actually used the bat. That would not be a bat I would be comfortable with in my collection.

You have to make a determination on what you are comfortable with and the examination of attributes of individual players are very important in determining if a team index ordered bat was actually used by the player. An example - I feel that if a player is regularly ordering 35" - 32 ounce bats and there is a team index bat that is 34" and 30 ounces in weight - I find it hard to belive that the player used the bat - especially if he never perosnally ordered 34" bats.

At the end of the day, you have to examine everything that is factual and is available and make a determination if the bat is for you.

Let me know how else I can help and please e-mail me at jcaravello@nc.rr.com with any further questions. Jim

[BMH]

Hello everyone,

I'm pretty new to the collecting side of baseball. Could someone give me an accurate description of the term "team index bat" please?

I'm not to familiar with the older records, that's a little beyond me and I'll leave that to people who have been deciphering them for a long time. I am however very well versed in the modern ordering records. In them I have never seen a team order bats with a players name on them unless it was specifically for that player. Unless the order doesn't have a weight and then it's just a souvie.

Now I don't know if players use to do this but a common practice now is a player will order bats for another teammate. The reason for this is even though they are Pros and get the best there is a priority list of players that get the best of the best including wood. So a guy who feels he isn't getting great wood will have another player on the list order bats for him.

[BMH]

Well, I stand corrected. I talked to our museum and it seems that was common for the team to order bats, we call them BPAS's . Sorry to add confusion to the thread, just trying to sort out the terminology.