They are known in and around the hobby as “Anaconda-Kaye” bats and in looking through player order records they appear as such from 1988-1993 as reflected by the orders from their buyer. This was not the end of it as there are numerous other listings for Anaconda Sports starting in 1993, but I wanted to keep this effort manageable. I haven’t read SCD in years, but when I did, Anaconda Sports was a weekly advertiser and they were still selling player model bats as late as 2004 according to those ads. This list I have worked up is far from all inclusive as there are players I clearly don’t have information on or only partial information about their orders. I know I can recall seeing bats offered for Robin Yount, but I don’t have his late 1980’s ordering information.
What I found interesting in scrolling through these bat orders from the late 1980s was the commonality in timing between these offerings and when Rawlings became the first official supplier of uniforms to major league baseball. Of course not all teams wore Rawlings products in 1988, but this really can be seen as the very solid beginnings of the commercialization of the game used segment of the baseball portion of the hobby. These 16 players listed accounted for approximately 4,200 bats entering the hobby. My purpose was not to come up with any sort of exact number as I realized I couldn’t get there based on the known gaps in the information I had.
It was however, interesting to see that half of the individuals I found information on are now Hall of Famers. The others were all very well known and established players, but that should come as no surprise as the bats were marketed for that very same reason. One of things I did notice is that no weights were specified for the Anaconda-Kaye orders. Equally troubling was that in some instances, the same bats by model, length and finish were actually ordered by the clubs for the respective players during the same labeling periods. I truly did not realize how large and significant the numbers were until I looked at it myself. Over 4,000 bats spanning a six year period and across 16 players is a staggering number in my opinion, especially in light of who the players were. In many ways, all of this makes me even more relieved that I collect very little from the post 1970s. I hope you will find this information both informative and useful down the road. I can assure you it will take you far less time to read through it than it did to compile, but I enjoyed the project nonetheless and I hope you do too. Here we go:
George Brett
8/4/89, Model C271 (No Finish) 34 ½”, QTY 24
11/4/88, Model C271 (No Finish), 34”, QTY 24
Wade Boggs
4/27/92, Model B349C (Slight Flame Treated) 34”, QTY 60
11/21/91, Model B349C (Slight Flame Treated) 34 ½”, QTY 36
11/13/90, Model C235 (Slight Flame Treated) 34 ½”, QTY 48
4/27/90, Model C235 (Slight Flame Treated), 34 ½”, QTY 96
2/2/90, Model C235 (Slight Flame Treated), 34 ½”, QTY 24
8/4/98, Model C235 (Flame Treated), 34 ½”, QTY 72
11/4/88, Model C235C (Flame Treated), 34 ½”, QTY 48
Gary Carter
11/4/88, Model P89C (Flame Treated) 35”, QTY 24
Eric Davis
2/01/91, Model C271 (No Finish) 34”, QTY 96
8/3/90, Model C271 (No Finish) 34”, QTY 36
1/26/90, Model C271 (No Finish) 34”, QTY 36
11/4/88, Model C271 (No Finish) 34”, QTY 24
Lenny Dykstra
11/13/90, Model B267 (Slight Walker Finish) 34”, QTY 72
9/19/90, Model B267 (Slight Walker Finish) 34”, QTY 60
8/3/90, Model B267 (Slight Walker Finish) 34”, QTY 72
Dwight Evans
2/1/91, Model C271 (Slight Finish) 34”, QTY 36
2/15/90, Model C271 (Slight Hickory) 34”, QTY 24
10/20/89, Model C271 (Slight Hickory) 34”, QTY 48
8/4/89, Model C271C (Galen Finish), 34”, QTY 24
Tony Gwynn
6/3/92, Model C263 C (Slight Flame Treated) 33”, QTY 48
6/21/89, Model C263 (Flame Treated) 32 ½”, QTY 48
12/12/88, Model C263 (Gwynn Finish) 32 ½”, QTY 24
Ricky Henderson
10/2/90, Model T141 (Slight Black Finish), 34”, QTY 144
9/19/90, Model T141 (Slight Black Finish), 34”, QTY 240
8/23/90, Model T141 (Slight Black Finish), 34”, QTY 120
2/14/90, Model T141 (Slight Black Finish), 34”, QTY 120
11/22/89, Model T141 (Slight Black Finish), 34”, QTY 48
6/16/89, Model T141 (No Finish), 34”, QTY 72
12/12/88, Model T141 (Black), 34”, QTY: 24
Bo Jackson
8/3/90, Model B310 (Slight Finish), 35”, QTY 72
6/11/90, Model B310 (Slight Finish), 35”, QTY 120
4/27/90, Model B310 (Slight Finish), 35”, QTY 72
1/26/90, Model B310 (Slight Finish), 35”, QTY 144
2/14/90, Model J93 (Slight Finish) 34 ½”, QTY 120
11/22/89, Model B310 (Slight Finish), 35”, QTY 96
10/17/89, Model B310 (Slight Finish), 35”, QTY 96
8/4/89, Model B310 (Slight Finish), 35”, QTY 48
Fred McGriff
1/5/90, Model C271 (Slight Walker Finish, 34 ½”, QTY 36
10/17/89, Model C271 (Slight Walker Finish, 34 ½”, QTY 24
Dale Murphy
2/7/92, Model K55C (Slight Finish) 34”, QTY 24
10/2/90, Model B310 (Flame Treated), 35”, QTY 35
6/11/90, Model B310 (Slight Flame Treated), 35”, QTY 36
4/27/90, Model B310 (Slight Flame Treated), 34 ½”, QTY 36
8/4/89, Model B310 (Flame Treated), 35”, QTY 35
12/12/88, Model B310 (Flame Treated), 35”, QTY 24
Rafael Palmeiro
8/4/89, Model C271 (Flame Treated), 34”, QTY 24
Kirby Puckett
11/13/90, Model C243 (Slight Finish), 34”, QTY 72
10/2/90, Model C243 (Slight Finish), 34”, QTY 48
2/15/90, Model C243 (Slight Finish), 34”, QTY 48
1/26/90, Model C243 (Slight Finish), 34 ½”, QTY 48
1/5/90, Model C243 (Slight Finish), 34 ½”, QTY 24
6/21/89, Model C243 (No Finish), 34 ½”, QTY 24
12/12/88, Model C243 (No Finish), 34 ½”, QTY 24
Cal Ripken, Jr
7/13/93, Model P72 (Slight Walker Finish), 35”, QTY 48
2/5/93, Model P72 (Slight Black Finish), 35”, QTY 60
1/11/93, Model P72 (Slight Black Finish), 35”, QTY 60
8/27/92, Model P72 (Slight Black Finish), 35”, QTY 48
8/12/92, Model P72 (Slight Black Finish), 35”, QTY 48
6/3/92, Model P72 (Slight Black Finish), 35”, QTY 108
3/11/92, Model P72 (Slight Finish), 35”, QTY 60
11/21/91, Model P72 (Slight Finish), 35”, QTY 24
11/13/90, Model P72 (Slight Finish), 35”, QTY 72
10/2/90, Model P72C (Slight Finish), 35”, QTY 48
9/19/90, Model P72 (Slight Finish), 35”, QTY 48
1/15/90, Model P72 (Slight Finish), 35”, QTY 48
11/4/88, Model P72 (Flame Treated) 35”, QTY 24
Ozzie Smith
10/2/90, Model H238 (Slight Flame Treated) 35”, QTY 48
6/11/90, Model H238 (Slight Flame Treated) 34”, QTY 48
4/27/90, Model H239 (Slight Flame Treated) 34 ½ ”, QTY 36
10/17/89, Model H238 (Slight Flame Treated) 34 ½”, QTY 24
Dave Winfield
7/14/92, Model W273 (Slight Gwynn Finish) 35 ½”, QTY 24
6/11/90, Model W273 (Slight Gwynn Finish) 35 ½”, QTY 36
4/27/90, Model W273 (Slight Gwynn Finish) 35 ½”, QTY 48
1/5/90, Model W273 (Slight Gwynn Finish) 35 ½”, QTY 48
11/4/88, Model W273 (Black Finish), 35 ½”, QTY 48
In addition to these players listed, the book Bats (Malta, Fox, Riddell & Specht) identifies these players and models on page 51:
Andy Van Slyke, Model M110
Andres Galarraga, Model R161
Dave Magadan, Model C271
Cory Snyder, Model P72
A logical question from all this might be “what can I do if looking to pick up a bat from one of these players from this period that fits the profile of both an Anaconda-Kaye bat and one actually ordered for his use”? To that I would suggest:
1. Start by looking at the quality of the wood in terms of grain count per-inch which can be seen on the handle or barrel ends. Unlike use or wear, the quality of the wood is not something that can be faked after the fact.
2. Specifically ask for the weight of the bat and compare that with those known to have been ordered for the player.
3. Have a set of player characteristics already in mind as to what you should be looking for. Far too often I see collectors buying bats and then trying to figure out after the fact it fits a player’s usage profile.
4. Evaluate the actual use on the bat for things like transfer marks from official balls used by either league. Make note of the aging and condition of pine tar and tape or tape residue. Remember we are talking about bats that in the range of being 20 years old and if this was applied back in the day to either a gamer or Anaconda-Kaye offering, they both would have aged.
My intent has not been to discourage collectors from obtaining bats of these players from this period, but rather to encourage you to make informed purchase decisions and to be “Kaye-full” about what you buy.
As always, collect what you enjoy and enjoy what you collect.
MEARS Auth, LLC
For questions or comments on this article, please feel free to drop me a line at DaveGrob1@aol.com