| #21 |
| Paul O'Neill |
| Bio/Key Stats |
|
| Key Characteristics |
Right fielder Paul O'Neill of the Cincinnati Reds and later the New York Yankees was known as a fiery player during his career. He was called a
warrior by Yankees owner George Steinbrenner and was the heart and soul of the modern dynasty helping them win the World Series in 1996,
1998, 1999, and 2000. O'Neill retired after the 2001 season a career .288 hitter with 281 home runs and 1,269 RBIs.
Contact Pattern
Because Paul O'Neill is a left handed batter the majority of the use on the barrel will be confined to the right barrel hitting surface. The bats I
have handled from later in his career were quite particular with this trait. There were almost no ball marks or seam impressions on the left
barrel. The 1992 LS S318 does have use over the entire barrel, however this is most likely caused by batting practice use as opposed to game
use.
Handle Tape
In the eyes of most collectors the #1 use characteristic and a "must have" for a quality Paul O'Neill game used bat is his characteristic
criss-cross handle tape. This characteristic handle taping had already started in the late 1980s and continued throughout his career. The tape,
which runs 15"-17" up the handle of the bat, is usually covered in a couple of areas with pine tar and can become quite stiff over time. The area
near the knob usually is built up of quite a few layers of tape and will have a noticeable "twisted" look to it.
If you are going to be buying a Paul O'Neill bat make sure you get one with the handle tape!
Cleat Marks
On late-career bats of O'Neill's I've noticed that some of them have had a ton of cleat marks on the left barrel. Some of the bats are so marked
up they almost appear to have been chewed on by man's best friend.
The majority of the cleat marks should be located on the left barrel surface opposite the use, however there may also be a few scattered cleat
marks on the front barrel, back barrel, and right barrel surfaces. I don't consider the presence of cleat marks to be as important a
characteristic as the handle tape as some of the examples I've had from 1992-1999 did not have them, but did have the required handle tape.
warrior by Yankees owner George Steinbrenner and was the heart and soul of the modern dynasty helping them win the World Series in 1996,
1998, 1999, and 2000. O'Neill retired after the 2001 season a career .288 hitter with 281 home runs and 1,269 RBIs.
Contact Pattern
Because Paul O'Neill is a left handed batter the majority of the use on the barrel will be confined to the right barrel hitting surface. The bats I
have handled from later in his career were quite particular with this trait. There were almost no ball marks or seam impressions on the left
barrel. The 1992 LS S318 does have use over the entire barrel, however this is most likely caused by batting practice use as opposed to game
use.
Handle Tape
In the eyes of most collectors the #1 use characteristic and a "must have" for a quality Paul O'Neill game used bat is his characteristic
criss-cross handle tape. This characteristic handle taping had already started in the late 1980s and continued throughout his career. The tape,
which runs 15"-17" up the handle of the bat, is usually covered in a couple of areas with pine tar and can become quite stiff over time. The area
near the knob usually is built up of quite a few layers of tape and will have a noticeable "twisted" look to it.
If you are going to be buying a Paul O'Neill bat make sure you get one with the handle tape!
Cleat Marks
On late-career bats of O'Neill's I've noticed that some of them have had a ton of cleat marks on the left barrel. Some of the bats are so marked
up they almost appear to have been chewed on by man's best friend.
The majority of the cleat marks should be located on the left barrel surface opposite the use, however there may also be a few scattered cleat
marks on the front barrel, back barrel, and right barrel surfaces. I don't consider the presence of cleat marks to be as important a
characteristic as the handle tape as some of the examples I've had from 1992-1999 did not have them, but did have the required handle tape.
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| Knob Markings |
|
| Hall of Fame Bats |
| Specializing in All Eras of Professional Model Game Used Bats |
| Updated December 26th, 2007 |
| Established in 2006 |