Sam Bat Blog — wood baseball bats

The Year of the MMO

The MMO has been around since the very early days of SAM BAT and has always been one of our most popular models. It has hovered consistently in the 4th or 5th bat position overall. Staff always wondered why it was not chosen more. Many thought that this model did not get the attention that it deserved.    After 25 years the MMO has really taken off! It was a slow build, everyone here on staff thought it was cool, first one order, then another and another. Now it is our most popular model across the board! The MMO is based off the M110 profile,...


Why Sam Chose Maple!

Continued from our previous blog post! WHY DID SAM CHOOSE MAPLE? When Sam was first tasked to find a better wood than ash for baseball bats by then Rockies scout Bill McKenzie, he wasn’t quite sure what wood could be better. He was great at working with wood and knew the different characteristics of a lot of wood, but had never tried to make a baseball bat. Sam spent countless hours in the library researching different types of wood from oak, to hickory, to beech, to walnut, and finally to maple.  You cannot just use any type of wood to...


How the first approved maple baseball bat was born…..The SAM BAT!

SAM BAT – The setting and the Bar Challenge, Mayflower Pub How the first approved maple baseball bat was born….. Sam Holman was strolling down Elgin Street on the way to his favorite spot the Mayflower Pub for a pint of Creemore Springs Ale. It was a cold spring day in 1996 and he pulled the collar of his windbreaker up which covered his well-worn signature overalls and a T shirt. He was tired, the day hadn’t quite gone as planned.  Heading around to the back to where the regulars entered, he pulled open the heavy carved wood door. The...


Why Are Some Maple Baseball Bats More Expensive?

This is a question at SAM BAT we get every day and frankly it is a great question! Many people think these  maple bats must be ‘better’ or give you some advantage. When Sam created the first pro approved maple bat back in 1997, changing the bat industry, he did a lot of research on the properties of maple. Wood is a natural biomaterial. Mother Nature does not make two maple trees exactly the same. Even within each maple tree there is variation, they may be similar but not exactly the same. Every piece of wood is not the same weight....


Great message from a terrific customer.....

Lee on our staff received this great message this morning. As he said "what a great start to the day". I passed it on to Barry Bonds..... Message:Back in 2002 I was 14 years old and my mom bought two bats from you. I remember it vividly, I searched the early internet for the exact bat Mr. Barry Bonds used. After much research I discovered your remarkable baseball bat. This was also back in the day when you had to hand fill out the order and call in.I just wanted to say thank you for providing such an awesome baseball...