MLB Chatter Thread

Rev said:
Reload the page works for me. Not sure why it does that
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I can see it now. Yeah, Nolan was very special. I may now watch the doc about him for the 3rd time tonight. I'm sure the wife will be more than pleased to get to watch it again. :unsure
 
Pretty sure he used a super heavy bat, too.
 
Chocolate Lab said:
Pretty sure he used a super heavy bat, too.
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Yes. Julio Franco (assuming the typo for the longtime MLB infielder/DH) was well-known for using one of the heaviest bats in the majors.⁠Wikipedia

Wikipedia notes he batted with a long, whip-like swing “with the heaviest bat allowed.”⁠

Contemporary and retrospective accounts (including an ESPN feature and teammate Chipper Jones) describe him preferring roughly a 36-inch, 35–36-ounce bat—explicitly called out as among the heaviest of his era (and heavier than the 31–33 oz models most players had shifted toward by the 1990s/2000s).⁠

Game-used bats attributed to him commonly measure in the mid-30s ounces (examples around 33–35+ oz depending on the model and year).

This was above average relative to the typical MLB bat weights of his playing time (roughly the early 1980s through 2007), when many hitters moved toward lighter lumber for bat speed. Franco’s unusually strong hands/wrists and distinctive stance (barrel often tipped forward/high) helped him control the extra weight
 
Yeah, that stance and long swing didn't help. He was just that strong.
 
and the lead hand with only 1 or 2 fingers on the bat.
 
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