Giving batters a better whack at success
RENTON, WASH.» Players have been altering bats for decades in a bid to improve their grip — adding pine tar or some specialized grip tape, maybe shaving the handle slightly to make it thinner.
Gradually, some players have started gravitating to a more revolutionary option offered by a company that set up shop deep in a warehouse in Renton, Wash. As the company’s name suggests, Axe Bat has developed a bat that fundamentally changes the shape of the bat’s handle so you hold it like an axe.
Some major leaguers like the feel. Others have turned to the axe handle as an option after hand or forearm injuries.
Red Sox right fielder Mookie Betts and Astros outfielder George Springer are the big- gest proponents and the only two paid endorsers by the company. But there are many others — Jake Lamb, Dustin Pedroia, Carlos Correa, even Kris Bryant this season — who have used the handle at one time or another.
Each has a different reason for turning to this style of bat, whether it’s a desire to be better on inside pitches, to reduce hand and wrist pain, or simply wanting to try something new.
“I had issues with my hand with hamate surgery and I just noticed it never hurt,” Lamb said. “If you’re talking about hand health and my hand not hurting anymore, then yeah, I’m going to try out your product. That was the main thing for me.”
Axe Bat licenses its handle design to four MLB-approved bat makers: Victus Sports, Tucci Lumber, Chandler Bats, and Dove Tail Bats.