Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/658783
29 BAY AREA NEWS GROUP PLAY BALL THE GAME MattDuffy GIANTS THIRD BASEMAN Model:MaxBatI13L Dimensions:33.5 inches, 31 ounces, maple, "Duffman" cartoon logo on knob Whyitfeelsright: "I feel I have better bat control and I still have a good-sized barrel. It's not always easy to control a big barrel. I put some liquid pine tar just below the label and put rosin on top of that. I'll use that on my top hand so it's tacky, not sticky. I used to put it on my helmet. A lot of guys do, like Pablo (Sandoval). I did it in high school and thought it looked really cool. But then you're putting it in your bag, and it makes a real big mess." Uppercuts: "Some guys like a really end-weighted bat or one that feels really light. I try to keep balanced in baseball. And in life, too." Joe Panik GIANTS SECOND BASEMAN Model:Louisville Slugger T141 Dimensions: 33.5 inches, 31 ounces, maple, cupped end Whyitfeelsright:"I've tried different models. My brother, Paul, gave me this one in college to use in the Cape. It was one of his le over bats. I had a good summer, and I still use it. It's funny how things circle around. In 2013, in the low minors, I experimented with some other models. But once I started to understand my game, I went back to that bat and stuck with it." Uppercuts: "I start the season with 24 bats, and I'll retire one when the pine tar starts to cake or it's a rainy day and the rain soaks into the wood … or if it doesn't have any hits le in it." Brandon Crawford GIANTS SHORTSTOP Model:MaxBat B21 Dimensions: 33.5 inches, 31 ounces, maple, Lizard Skin grip Whyitfeelsright: "I like the Lizard Skin. It makes it feel like an aluminum bat used to feel. It's a little squishy. I only have to use a little pine tar. You probably won't see me throwing the bat." Uppercuts: "This model is a little more end-weighted. I used C243s from Louisville Slugger, and they had less top-heaviness, and I think that's a new word I just made up. Yes, the label is silver. It was silver last year, too." Buster Posey GIANTS CATCHER Model: Marucci BP28-LDM Dimensions: 34 inches, 31.5 to 32 ounces, maple, customized for Posey Whyitfeelsright: "I had a bat I used previously andsent it to them.They made it for me and tweaked it for me. We hit so much that you can pick up a bat and know if the specs are right.But I don't really have to worry about that. With as detailed as they are and the qualityofthewoodtheyuse,they'rejust the best out there....It's kind of funny because it's been eight years since I used an aluminum bat.But I still want to re-create that same kind of feel." Uppercuts: "I picked up (Andrew) McCutchen's bat at the All-Star Game, and it's similar to mine. Bats are cool, aren't they?" Hunter Pence GIANTS RIGHT FIELDER Model:MaxBat HP9 Dimensions: 34.5 inches, 32 to 32.5 ounces, maple, high-gloss finish Whyitfeelsright:"Every year I try to stay open to what's going to be the best bat for me this year. Because every year you change. I've been on the same MaxBat for three years now. It's stood the test of time. There might be a week or two that I try a different bat, but I always come back to it. This has been the longest- standing bat I've used." Uppercuts: "No, no, I don't name them anymore. Once they started zooming in with the cameras on the names I was putting on them, I stopped because I didn't want all that attention. It was for me, and then it became a thing." Denard Span GIANTS CENTER FIELDER Model: Chandler CB491 Dimensions: 33.5 inches, 31 ounces, maple. Chandler bats have a 50-hit guarantee. Whyitfeelsright: "In batting practice, I swing a 34-32. So when I use the lighter bat in a game, I feel like I can whip it around." Uppercuts: "I think it was 2012, they told me I was top five in the league for most broken bats. I'm not proud of that. You can't take those numbers to arbitration." Madison Bumgarner GIANTS PITCHER Model:Marucci BN44-LDM Dimensions:34.5 inches, 33.5 ounces,maple, matte black finish Whyitfeelsright:"Michael Morse used it. It was originally Adam Dunn's model. I tried it and just really liked it. It's a bigger bat, but it's really balanced. It doesn't feel like a big bat. ... Big handle, big knob. Everything about it is big. It all fits together." Uppercuts: "I only wear one batting glove. That's so I don't get tar on my pitching hand." Ron Wotus GIANTS BENCH COACH Model: Old Hickory PRO F3 Dimensions: 36 inches, 29 ounces, maple. It's a fungo! Whyitfeelsright: "I prefer a longer one for fly balls and a shorter one for infield. You don't want it too short. It needs a little leverage. But mostly it needs to be light because you're swinging it over and over." Uppercuts: "Can't go without the fungo! You know, I'm not sure how they got their name. I think it was in the Italian league. ... Typically they don't really break. But I'll lean it against the screen in center field, and a (batted) ball will hit it off the handle and break it. Oh, yeah, it's happened. I want to say at least twice. ... No, we're not allowed to sign fungo bat contracts." NOW BATTING FOR THE GIANTS . . .