“,”providerName”:”Instagram”,”providerUrl”:”https://www.instagram.com/”,”type”:”oembed”,”width”:658,”contentType”:”rich”},”__typename”:”Markdown”,”content”:”Adam Jones gave the corporate a shoutout for his or her customized camo bats on MLB Network.”,”type”:”text”,”__typename”:”Video”,”contentDate”:”2012-05-07T17:39:00Z”,”preferredPlaybackScenarioURL(“preferredPlaybacks”:”mp4AvcPlayback”)”:”https://mlb-cuts-diamond.mlb.com/FORGE/2012/2012-05/07/4fb49c8c-76aed5a7-91436e75-csvm-diamondx64-asset_1280x720_59_4000K.mp4″,”type”:”video”,”description”:”Adam Jones reveals off his Victus camouflage bat on Intentional Talk”,”displayAsVideoGif”:false,”duration”:”00:00:47″,”slug”:”jones-shows-off-camo-bat”,”tags”:[“__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”mlb-network”,”title”:”MLB Network”,”type”:”taxonomy”,”__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”mlbn-intentional-talk”,”title”:”Intentional Talk”,”type”:”taxonomy”,”__typename”:”PersonTag”,”slug”:”playerid-430945″,”title”:”Adam Jones”,”person”:”__ref”:”Person:430945″,”type”:”player”,”__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”cut-4″,”title”:”Cut4″,”type”:”taxonomy”],”thumbnail”:”__typename”:”Thumbnail”,”templateUrl”:”https://img.mlbstatic.com/mlb-images/image/upload/formatInstructions/mlb/pv47a8krf77yy7rjja1t”,”title”:”Adam Jones reveals off camo bat”,”relativeSiteUrl”:”/video/jones-shows-off-camo-bat”,”__typename”:”Markdown”,”content”:”Jonny Gomes used a Victus that now sits in the Hall of Fame.nnOnce they developed a sort of foothold among big leaguers, they could experiment a bit more. The team could work toward the vision Smith and his company had dreamed of from the beginning.nn”[Starting Victus] was very much a passion play for us,” Smith said. “We were young at the time and so it made sense for us to take that leap and try to make something unique out there. We saw an opportunity where a lot of baseball bats were pretty plain.”nnThe company began to expand and, with the help of an investor, moved to a larger facility in Blackwood, N.J. A couple years later, they moved to their current, much-larger home (retail store included) in King of Prussia, Pa.nnThey still create game-used bats, but also produce lumber with a little more flair: sticks for BP and other MLB jewel events.nnRemember Gary Sánchez’s intricately designed El Kraken bat for the 2017 Home Run Derby? Or, maybe extra memorable, Bryce Harper’s “We The People” bat from the 2019 slugfest?nn”For us, that was the really first viral moment. That was incredible,” Smith recalled.”,”type”:”text”,”__typename”:”Image”,”caption”:null,”contextualCaption”:null,”contextualAspectRatio”:null,”credit”:null,”contentType”:null,”format”:”gif”,”templateUrl”:”https://img.mlbstatic.com/mlb-images/image/upload/formatInstructions/mlb/ahyzdw6o7m3m9wdelryi”,”type”:”image”,”__typename”:”Markdown”,”content”:”The artist behind the themed bats over the previous 4 or 5 years? Bruce Tatem, AKA, The Bat King.nnTatem has always been an expert in airbrushing — working on motorcycle, T-shirt and shoe designs. Those skills have translated well over to bats. Some are mass produced, but some of these unique jewel-event bats can take up to six hours to make. That involves paper sketches, computer graphics and unbelievably detailed paint jobs.”,”type”:”text”,”__typename”:”OEmbed”,”html”:”
n”,”providerName”:”Instagram”,”providerUrl”:”https://www.instagram.com/”,”type”:”oembed”,”width”:658,”contentType”:”rich”,”__typename”:”Markdown”,”content”:””In some situations, I’ll get path from gamers on the place they’re trying to go,” Tatem informed me. “Other times, I’ll design for them and they’ll just take it. I’ve been very fortunate that they’ve liked what I’ve done for them.”nnJulio Rodríguez is a frequent collaborator with Tatem, as well as nearly every player in this yr’s Home Run Derby. The 2023 Little League Classic was additionally an ideal alternative for Tatem to point out off his abilities and the Bat King knew precisely what to create for frequent buyer Harper.nn”I knew anything that I did that involved the Phanatic, his family or Philadelphia — it was gonna hit him right in the heart,” Tatem mentioned.”,”type”:”text”,”__typename”:”Image”,”caption”:null,”contextualCaption”:”Bryce Harper swings a Victus Phillie Phanatic bat through the Little League Classic.”,”contextualAspectRatio”:”1:1″,”credit”:null,”contentType”:null,”format”:”jpg”,”templateUrl”:”https://img.mlbstatic.com/mlb-images/image/upload/formatInstructions/mlb/ysbj69grpm56hk9ujr0a”,”type”:”image”,”__typename”:”Markdown”,”content”:”And, in fact, there was the pencil bat. Tatem gave the backstory on the piece of lumber that broke the Internet.nn”The pencil bat is a bat that I designed 3 1/2 years ago,” he said. “In the beginning of this year, we thought it was the right time to finally release that bat. We had performed lots of buzz round that bat. We had movies of individuals swinging with it. It had been in MLB The Show for various years [Victus has about 13 bats in MLB The Show]. But yeah, we launched it firstly of the yr and it did rather well.nn”Recently, we had a lot of people reach out to us that they missed it. They said they couldn’t get it. The bat kind of never died. So, we decided, let’s try and get one into the Classic into a pro’s hand. But even if a pro didn’t use it, we were already gonna re-release that bat as a back-to-school version. And yeah, it just caught fire again.””,”type”:”text”,”__typename”:”Video”,”contentDate”:”2023-08-21T02:11:29.325Z”,”preferredPlaybackScenarioURL(“preferredPlaybacks”:”mp4AvcPlayback”)”:”https://mlb-cuts-diamond.mlb.com/FORGE/2023/2023-08/20/ccf551d5-dbaf4747-6322c65e-csvm-diamondx64-asset_1280x720_59_4000K.mp4″,”type”:”video”,”description”:”Bryson Stott makes use of a bat that appears like a No. 2 pencil on the Little League Classic in Williamsport, Pa.”,”displayAsVideoGif”:false,”duration”:”00:00:14″,”slug”:”bryson-stott-s-pencil-bat”,”tags”:[“__typename”:”GameTag”,”__typename”:”TeamTag”,”slug”:”teamid-143″,”title”:”Philadelphia Phillies”,”team”:”__ref”:”Team:143″,”type”:”team”,”__typename”:”PersonTag”,”slug”:”playerid-681082″,”title”:”Bryson Stott”,”person”:”__ref”:”Person:681082″,”type”:”player”,”__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”send-to-news-mlb-feed”,”title”:”Send To News MLB feed”,”type”:”taxonomy”,”__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”2-yahoo-mlb-ads-feed”,”title”:”2-Yahoo MLB Ads Feed”,”type”:”taxonomy”,”__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”yahoo-in-game”,”title”:”Yahoo In-Game”,”type”:”taxonomy”,”__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”hitting”,”title”:”hitting”,”type”:”taxonomy”,”__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”highlight”,”title”:”highlight”,”type”:”taxonomy”,”__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”in-game-highlight”,”title”:”in-game highlight”,”type”:”taxonomy”,”__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”game-action-tracking”,”title”:”game action tracking”,”type”:”taxonomy”,”__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”little-league-classic”,”title”:”Little League Classic”,”type”:”taxonomy”,”__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”eclat-feed”,”title”:”Eclat feed”,”type”:”taxonomy”,”__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”international-feed”,”title”:”International Partner feed”,”type”:”taxonomy”,”__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”fan-duel”,”title”:”Fan Duel”,”type”:”taxonomy”],”thumbnail”:”__typename”:”Thumbnail”,”templateUrl”:”https://img.mlbstatic.com/mlb-images/image/upload/formatInstructions/mlb/brkdookru7afkzwsnlhl”,”title”:”Bryson Stott’s pencil bat”,”relativeSiteUrl”:”/video/bryson-stott-s-pencil-bat”,”__typename”:”Markdown”,”content”:”Bats will be shipped to players or, on an off-day, they can stop by King of Prussia and take some swings at the company batting cage.”,”type”:”text”,”__typename”:”Image”,”caption”:null,”contextualCaption”:null,”contextualAspectRatio”:”1:1″,”credit”:null,”contentType”:null,”format”:”jpg”,”templateUrl”:”https://img.mlbstatic.com/mlb-images/image/upload/formatInstructions/mlb/ukfbpzw5oqpgchlktcxm”,”type”:”image”,”__typename”:”Markdown”,”content”:”Sometimes, the bats are so crisp and fun-looking that gamers will ask Tatem, “Are you sure you want me to swing this?”nn”I always say, ‘It’s swingable art,'” Tatem laughed. “That’s what we’re really going for here.””,”type”:”text”,”__typename”:”Image”,”caption”:null,”contextualCaption”:null,”contextualAspectRatio”:”1:1″,”credit”:null,”contentType”:null,”format”:”jpg”,”templateUrl”:”https://img.mlbstatic.com/mlb-images/image/upload/formatInstructions/mlb/y509amjmlpkhmfdn4hd1″,”type”:”image”,”__typename”:”Markdown”,”content”:”Victus Sports now sits at 50 workers in a 30,000-square-foot facility. It produces a top bat used by Major Leaguers in today’s game. Stars clamor for their custom bats for special events.nnIt’s all a giant leap forward from a three-person operation working out of a garage in Pennsylvania. Smith credits his talented team and the fact that they’re all doing something they love for a living.nn”It’s enjoyable,” Smith mentioned. “We’re fans of the game, No. 1, and we want to keep growing the game. For us, we’re gonna do what we can to bend the rules and always be pushing the envelope as much as possible. MLB, from 10, 12 years ago to today, has come a really long way. I think it’s all trending in the right direction. 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Victus is altering the lumber sport
11 minutes in the past
Back in 2012, in a small storage in central Pennsylvania, Victus Sports CEO Jared Smith did not begin out making Crayola or Santa Claus or Uncle Sam bats.
His lumber did stand out color- and design-wise, however for probably the most half, on the outset of his lumber-making enterprise, the 26-year-old and two of his buddies have been specializing in high quality. They have been hustling. They needed their work to be immediate and sound and trust-worthy.
“We were the guys making and selling the bats,” Smith informed me on a name. “It was all we did. We weren’t making them like they are now out of the gates. It was obsessing over quality of the product and the service. We wanted to show players that we cared about taking care of them and getting them their bats on time.”
But what about that final half? How would they get their product in entrance of Major League Baseball gamers?
Smith and his buddies performed baseball rising up and knew a number of guys who made it the Minors. First, they equipped them, and, finally, whether or not in Spring Training or throughout a callup — an MLBer would see a Victus bat, decide it up and really feel like attempting it. Maybe they have been in a droop. Maybe they only thought it appeared cool.
Kyle Seager, who shared a locker with one in all their Minor League buddies, used one and requested for his personal. He was the primary massive MLB consumer.
Adam Jones gave the corporate a shoutout for his or her customized camo bats on MLB Network.
Once they developed a kind of foothold amongst massive leaguers, they may experiment a bit extra. The group might work towards the imaginative and prescient Smith and his firm had dreamed of from the start.
“[Starting Victus] was very much a passion play for us,” Smith mentioned. “We were young at the time and so it made sense for us to take that leap and try to make something unique out there. We saw an opportunity where a lot of baseball bats were pretty plain.”
The firm started to develop and, with the assistance of an investor, moved to a bigger facility in Blackwood, N.J. A pair years later, they moved to their present, much-larger house (retail retailer included) in King of Prussia, Pa.
They nonetheless create game-used bats, but in addition produce lumber with somewhat extra aptitude: sticks for BP and different MLB jewel occasions.
Remember Gary Sánchez’s intricately designed El Kraken bat for the 2017 Home Run Derby? Or, maybe extra memorable, Bryce Harper’s “We The People” bat from the 2019 slugfest?
“For us, that was the really first viral moment. That was incredible,” Smith recalled.
The artist behind the themed bats over the previous 4 or 5 years? Bruce Tatem, AKA, The Bat King.
Tatem has at all times been an knowledgeable in airbrushing — engaged on bike, T-shirt and shoe designs. Those expertise have translated nicely over to bats. Some are mass produced, however a few of these distinctive jewel-event bats can take as much as six hours to make. That includes paper sketches, pc graphics and unbelievably detailed paint jobs.
“In some instances, I will get direction from players on where they’re looking to go,” Tatem informed me. “Other times, I’ll design for them and they’ll just take it. I’ve been very fortunate that they’ve liked what I’ve done for them.”
Julio Rodríguez is a frequent collaborator with Tatem, in addition to almost each participant on this yr’s Home Run Derby. The 2023 Little League Classic was additionally an ideal alternative for Tatem to point out off his abilities and the Bat King knew precisely what to create for frequent buyer Harper.
“I knew anything that I did that involved the Phanatic, his family or Philadelphia — it was gonna hit him right in the heart,” Tatem mentioned.
And, in fact, there was the pencil bat. Tatem gave the backstory on the piece of lumber that broke the Internet.
“The pencil bat is a bat that I designed 3 1/2 years ago,” he mentioned. “In the beginning of this year, we thought it was the right time to finally release that bat. We had performed lots of buzz round that bat. We had movies of individuals swinging with it. It had been in MLB The Show for various years [Victus has about 13 bats in MLB The Show]. But yeah, we launched it firstly of the yr and it did rather well.
“Recently, we had a lot of people reach out to us that they missed it. They said they couldn’t get it. The bat kind of never died. So, we decided, let’s try and get one into the Classic into a pro’s hand. But even if a pro didn’t use it, we were already gonna re-release that bat as a back-to-school version. And yeah, it just caught fire again.”
Bats will likely be shipped to gamers or, on an off-day, they’ll cease by King of Prussia and take some swings on the firm batting cage.
Sometimes, the bats are so crisp and fun-looking that gamers will ask Tatem, “Are you sure you want me to swing this?”
“I always say, ‘It’s swingable art,'” Tatem laughed. “That’s what we’re really going for here.”
Victus Sports now sits at 50 workers in a 30,000-square-foot facility. It produces a high bat used by Major Leaguers in immediately’s sport. Stars clamor for his or her customized bats for particular occasions.
It’s all an enormous leap ahead from a three-person operation figuring out of a storage in Pennsylvania. Smith credit his gifted group and the truth that they’re all doing one thing they love for a residing.
“It’s fun,” Smith mentioned. “We’re fans of the game, No. 1, and we want to keep growing the game. For us, we’re gonna do what we can to bend the rules and always be pushing the envelope as much as possible. MLB, from 10, 12 years ago to today, has come a really long way. I think it’s all trending in the right direction. We’re happy to be a part of that process.”
Content Source: www.mlb.com