These bats have been through a lot

Ken Caminiti was not very delicate with his lumber.

Ken Caminiti was not very delicate with his lumber.

On the field, he wasn't very delicate with anything. If a pitcher caught him off-balance or Ken was in a sullen mood, he was liable to snap a bat over his leg.

Like in 1989, after third baseman Jeff Hamilton got Ken out swinging in the 22nd inning of an Astros-Dodgers game. Ken wasn’t happy to whiff. Especially against a position player. Especially after playing for seven hours.

Or in the 1999 NLDS against Atlanta, when he took out his frustrations on the closest thing he could find.

Even the bats that Ken didn't smash reflect his gritty style of play. I've collected three game-used bats of Ken's (I bought them online over the past few years) and I'm struck at the characteristics. The caked on pine tar on the handles, the medley of bat rack and ball marks on the barrels, the snaps and cracks and wear and tear.

It's hard to find a Ken Caminiti game-used bat that doesn't look like it's been used to smash furniture or fight off a wild animal.

Which is exactly what you want out of a game-used bat.