ON DECK

The Original Gamer™ Makes Its First Plate Appearance at a PBR Tournament

Delano Bat Company took a trip to LakePoint Sports in Emerson, Georgia to see how The Original Gamer would perform in its first ever PBR Tournament. We had 5 bats in circulation across 2 15U teams, and The OG showed up to play. Several players on each team had not swung the FZN Series before, and we saw their Victus & Baums left in the dugout after the initial swing of The OG in the cage. In each game, more and more players elected to swing The Original Gamer. The feedback was amazing - comments like "I swing this better than my Atlas" or "I'll buy this bat off you right now" were great to hear, but the best sound was the crisp, clean crack of the barrel driving in runs, tallying up extra bases and clocking exit velocities in the mid-90's. We're not sure who had more fun, the players or us. Those who had heard of Delano Bat Company wanted to hold the bat and give it a swing. Those who hadn't were stopped in their tracks by the "colossal barrel" and quickly wanted to learn more. We met players and parents from across the country who are excited by the opportunity that our patented FZN Technology is bringing to the game of amateur baseball. We are thankful for the warm reception at LakePoint, and we are continually humbled and motivated by the enthusiasm hitters are showing for The OG. We'll have bats in upcoming 16u and 17u tournaments including Perfect Game, and we may see The OG in the High School Baseball National Championship Series in Omaha this July 4th weekend. Keep the DMs and emails coming - we want to hear from you, and as always thanks for the support of Delano Bat Company.

The Day FZN Technology™ Went Viral

There are moments in life when you will always remember where you were at the time of a meaningful event. Where did you watch your hometown favorite win the World Series? When did you know that you had met the one? Those moments stick with you. May 3 at 6:19 pm CDT is one of those moments for the Co-founders of Delano Bat Company. That is when our scrappy start-up got a call-up to the Majors, thanks to a video drop and grassroots influence of a couple of YouTubers who go by The Baseball Bat Bros. Their videos are unfiltered and unscripted. And they move the market. Their following is many, and its loud and as unfiltered as Will, JT and The Baseball Bat Bros staff. When they pinged us to give our bat a try in February, we were psyched but a bit unnerved are we ready?? Ummm, no but when the biggest influencer in your space wants to try your product, you take a deep breath and ship the product. As a technology start up, we know trial and error are all part of the game, so here was a chance for product feedback from an objective and trusted stakeholder giddyap, lets go. We waited and wondered. In the weeks that passed we continued to learn and iterate. We launched a very limited presale of our certified 33/30 oz BBCOR bat, and the customer feedback has been amazing. Our early supporters will always have a spot in our hearts, and their willingness to believe in the vision and try the product is a springboard to our success. Then May 3 happened. This video is exactly what we hoped to see next level enthusiasm for our technology and vision to create a whole new baseball bat category. True to Baseball Bat Bros form, their reaction and feedback is unfiltered, raw and genuine. So genuine, they included the part where The OG broke after a ton of sick hits. So, what V1 of any tech product doesnt have bugs?! Despite that, they still recognize the potential and think the pure innovation of this idea is insane. That coupled with our presale customers feedback is validation that were really on to something. We are truly humbled by the positive response and enthusiasm. Were already working on improvements The Baseball Bat Bros feedback and experience will only speed up that process and help drive our full release sooner. Thats what tech is all about, and this bat is full of it. We hope youll watch the video, too, and enjoy the reactions and comments as much as we do. Please continue to follow our journey on social media and online.

The Road to BBCOR is filled with pitstops

As you know, Delano Bat Company has submitted the latest prototypes of our flagship FZN Technology bat, The Original Gamer, to Washington State University (WSU) for testing and BBCOR Certification. Most of you also know that that OG submission failed to meet the Batted Bat Coefficient of Restitution (BBCOR) threshold of .50 by .002. Soooo close! Since that submission, we have additional testing data, and we want to share an update on our summer road trip to WSU. BBCOR is more than a stamp on a bat. The sports lab at WSU has an exclusive and elaborate standardized testing process to ensure that bats used in games meet certain standards to keep players safe. While there are many opinions about BBCOR and its effect on the game, the standard was implemented to reduce the performance of increasingly hot metal bats and bring them closer to the performance of wood. If a hitter is playing in high school or college, they are swinging BBCOR. So, all roads to the plate go through WSU and the BBCOR Certification process. When FZN Technology was first developed, a proof of concept bat was submitted to WSU late in 2020, and the bat failed the test out of the gate for too much pop. This was great news for the founders we knew we could generate the performance that elite hitters are looking for with the look and sound of wood we just needed to adjust some things. That has been our journey ever since. As a boot-strapped start-up, we have taken many scenic overlooks on the road to BBCOR to take in the learnings and gain inspiration from players whove swung our prototypes. The trip has also had its share of rest stops to re-fuel the bank account and re-jigger the plan. Delano Bat Company has been to WSU and back a few times with our newest prototypes, and we want to share our latest data and plans to get The Original Gamer certified and into the hands of anxiously awaiting hitters. Trip #1 SOOOO close: Our first re-submission since proof of concept was heart-breakingly and excitingly close to max BBCOR spec of .50. Two-one-thousands (.002) separated The OG from passing. It was just a smidge too hot to be approved, but we were pumped to get so close, and we hypothesized what was needed to dial down the heat just a tad. Trip #2 - Wrong turns happen: The tech team was so excited by the near-miss that they dropped everything (ie, their day-jobs) and re-submitted quickly making the hypothesized adjustments. It turns out that hasty hypotheses are no match for measured steps. The results of that 2nd submission came back, and the FZN got even hotter. We took a wrong turn on the scale: from .502 up to .506 - still close, but a .004 swing in the wrong direction. Trip #3 The Scenic Route: While the shortest distance between 2 points is a straight line, sometimes we end up on the scenic route. The team realized how they overswung with the 2nd submission and re-engineered the tech using a more measured approach, however the surprise of increasing the pop too much on try #2 may have affected the extent of the next round of tweaks. The result for the 3rd submission was a .502 - maybe not quite driving in circles, but certainly not a straight line to certification. First Attempt In Learning (F.A.I.L.): Failure is not a dirty word, especially when you learn from it. Anyone whos steered the entrepreneur-ship and headed towards start-up land knows that nothing goes according to plan, and that failure is to be expected and cherished in those early stages. You dont learn much if you get it right the first time. After all the tech team has learned from these recent submissions, there are new hypotheses and new plans to reach BBCOR Certification, with an even better bat than originally designed. That is the magic of test & learn. The good news is that there are plans A, B and C. Each with its own timeline and work stream to reach certification. The bad news is that these are not fast fixes like the first 2 tweaks. These new product adjustments require tooling and equipment, which take time. They need additional raw materials which cost money. Both of which are precious resources for a pre-revenue start-up. We planned to be in market this month when we first submitted The OG at the beginning of May, but we have to shift that timing expectation back a few months to be conservative. We hope to be producing 3rd generation prototypes in a month, then internal testing, then submission, and then hopefully launch-ready product... If we launch around the Fall ball season, we can still have hitters swinging FZN Technology this year. Thanks for the fuel! We receive weekly notes and emails from our followers asking about timing for launch and expressing excitement for FZN and The OG. We are motivated not only by our passion for this evolution in baseball bat technology, but also by your enthusiasm for the work we are doing. Thank you for reminding us why we are on this crazy journey. While it may be a long and winding road, we are energized by the sites and experiences along the way. Weve truly enjoyed getting to know our fellow travelers this past year (so please keep those emails and notes coming), and we look forward to spending some quality time at our first destination of BBCOR certification before the next journey begins.

Game On - Coming Out of Stealth Mode

Delano Bat Company sparks my passion, has a noble mission and an elegant concept, all of which is enabled by impressive proprietary and disruptive technology. Our mission is to drive innovation to make the great game of baseball better. We do this by fusing cutting-edge technology with the traditions of the game. As Baseballism says - The sound of a wood bat hitting a baseball is the heartbeat of America. We completely agree and believe that the unmistakable sound, feel and look of a classic wood bat gives hitters a bond with their MLB heroes and ties them to the heritage of the game. Unfortunately, ~50 years ago, amateur baseball players lost a lot of that bond with the emergence of the metal bat. Logically, metal bats make a ton of sense. They are designed to be much more durable and provide better performance compared to solid wood. As a result, metal bats quickly became the de-facto standard at all amateur levels, and wood bats were relegated, beyond MLB, to novelty items, training tools or the occasional wood bat league or occasional tournament. We think what was gained in durability and performance was lost in disconnection or bifurcation from the traditions of the game. The crack of the bat is now replaced with the cold, loud (and IMHO annoying) ping of aluminum alloy or the dead thud of carbon composite. Here at Delano Bat Co, we believe that the great game of baseball, at the amateur level, has lost a little bit of its soul. Our elegant idea - WHAT IF? What if hitters could have the best of both worlds - a true wood bat with the look, feel, sound of the classic lumber AND all of the performance and durability of (the less soulful IMHO) metal? A simple, elegant, and disruptive concept tying the game closer to its roots. While simple in concept, there is serious science inside, thanks to the proprietary and patented FZN Technology. Our R&D team has spent thousands of hours combining their experience with classic wood-bat making, advanced engineering and material science degrees, and lengthy resumes in state-of-the-art manufacturing to bring FZN Technology to market.One of my co-founders, Pete Kruse, wrote this great blog earlier this year on why FZN Technology was developed, how it works, and why its different. Were In The On Deck Circle! After much hard work, and a lot of lessons learned, we are getting close to submitting for certification and entering the market. The first bat in the FZN Technology Series will be a BBCOR model - this is the bat certification thats required for all baseball after Little League, ie: 13U through college. Weve branded our BBCOR model The Original Gamer - or The OG. We want to speak to those players that are elite competitors and appreciate the traditions and history of the game. They are happy to own monikers such as throwback, old school and of course gamer. If you watch baseball (or any sport really) you know who Im talking about. Overcoming Good Problems: Our first attempt at certification failed, we exceeded the performance limit, we were TOO hot. We had to do some design revisions to make the bat less powerful. Our recent prototype testing (we built a baseball cannon, and were not afraid to use it) is hinting that we are just within certification thresholds AND performing at or slightly above the highest ranked metal bats in the market today. GAME ON!!! The Founder Journey: Any journey is largely about with whom you take it, and it is in this regard that I feel particularly lucky. I am inspired by my founding partners everyday, most notably, my wife, Kathy, who brings 25 years of extensive marketing expertise to Delano Bat Company as our Chief Marketing Officer. Better still is having our 2 sons, who are in the target audience, serving as (unpaid) strategic advisors. The dinner table often serves as a conference table for marketing staff meetings and creative brainstorming. Going on this journey with them is truly special for me, and going on an entrepreneurial journey at the ages of 16 and 14 will hopefully give them experiences for a lifetime. The bonus is having the hottest bat on the market in their bagat cost. Most founders say you gotta chase the passion, not the money. Dont get me wrong, I think we can create a very lucrative business and premium brand that will disrupt a $500M market. However, regardless of whether it is a strike out, home run or a bleeder up the middle, I will know that I took my AB and swung for the fences. Hit me up anytime at michael@delanobats.com if you want to talk baseball, bats or FZN technology. Otherwise, watch this space for updates - Get On Deck, too - sign up for our email updates and be sure to follow us on social. Link to IG, FB, X and TT.

Summer Wood Bat Season: Nostalgia of Small Town Ball with Big League Promise

Maybe your MLB team isnt postseason-worthy this year. Maybe you are looking for good, clean family entertainment that wont break the bank. Maybe the quality of baseball played during the NCAA Mens College World Series blew you away, and youre ready for more. No matter your circumstances, collegiate summer wood-bat baseball season offers everyone a slice of cherished nostalgic American Pie. Nows the time to check one out before the season wraps in mid-August. In an era dominated by high-tech equipment and multimillion-dollar contracts, there's something undeniably captivating about the simplicity and authenticity of amateur baseball in the small towns & venues of the collegiate wood bat circuits. At Delano Bat Company, we celebrate the enduring love for the game, the crack of wood bats, and the remarkable stories that unfold on these hallowed fields. Collegiate wood bat leagues can be found literally coast-to-coast - from the famed Cape Cod League, to the Prospect League in the midwest, and even the Alaska Baseball League. As a player there are many reasons to be excited by collegiate summer ball, but as a fan, there are just as many reasons to check out a local league game this summer. Here are just a few: The Rustic Charm of Wood Bats: We may be a bit biased here, but in an age where composite and aluminum bats reign supreme outside of the MLB, the use of solid wood bats evokes a sense of tradition and reverence. Almost 100% of collegiate summer leagues use wood bats. Wood bats have a connection to baseball's roots, and the challenges they pose to hitters, especially college-aged players honing their skills, makes for exciting baseball. From the distinctive sound of a solid connection to the feel of the wood in hand, there's an undeniable allure that takes us back to a bygone era. Legends of the Past and Rising Stars: Summer leagues in small towns have been the breeding ground for remarkable talents who have gone on to make their mark in the big leagues. Summer baseball is the key to success for college players who want to get drafted and move on to the professional ranks, especially those who play in small market schools, but even for newly minted MCWS champions like Josh Pearson & Ty Floyd, whove played in the Cape Cod League and Appalachian League, respectfully. The stories of legendary players who emerged from humble beginnings, leaving an indelible imprint on the game make each league a study in player development. While the stats vary by league, each wood bat league boasts of numerous (sometimes hundreds) alumni whove gone on to play professionally. The roster ranges from HOF-ers like Mike Schmidt & Kirby Pucket who both played in the Prospect League as well as current stars like Jacob deGrom (Florida Collegiate Summer League) or Aaron Judge (Cape Cod League), and even members of the Philadelphia Phillies Daycare like Alec Bohm and Nick Maton, who both played in the Coastal Plain League). A nearby wood bat league game may just showcase the next rising stars who embody the dream of playing baseball at its purest form. Americana at its Finest: Small towns are the heart and soul of baseball, where close-knit communities gather to support their local teams. The passion and dedication of players, coaches, and fans who come together to create a vibrant atmosphere are the fabric of the tradition and sentiment of baseball. Imagine those hot summer nights illuminated by stadium lights of intimate ballparks. Meet fellow fans at post-game gatherings at the local diner or bar. Enjoy the creativity of homemade banners and the vibrant cheers, all without the exorbitant ticket prices and secondary market mark-ups. Almost feels like a scene from a Rockwell illustration. The Enduring Bonds: Collegiate summer leagues foster connections that transcend the game itself. The boys of summer forge lifelong friendships on these fields, and these baseball bonds have profound impact on the lives of players and fans alike. This sentiment has even been captured in books and movies such as The Last Best League: One Summer, One Season, One Dream, or rom-com Summer Catch. It's not just a game; it's a shared journey that connects generations and instills a sense of belonging in these close-knit communities. So if you love the game, if you were wowd by the level of play during the NCAA Mens College World Series, or if you are just looking for a fun family-friendly night out, be sure to check out a collegiate wood bat league game this summer. Enjoy the nostalgia and purity of a game simply played for the love it - these are amateurs looking for wood bat experience, continued development, some MLB visibility and some good ole fun. So, grab a glove, a box of Cracker Jack and head out to a local game or even hit one up while traveling this summer. Here are a few links to help find a collegiate league and team near you. https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Summer_Collegiate_Baseball https://baseballnearyou.com/blog/best-collegiate-summer-baseball-leagues/

Going To Bat For Our Planet On Earth Day

April 22 is Earth Day, and its a day to remember that this Earth is the only planet we have, at least until Elon Musk figures out that whole travel-to-Mars thing. In the meantime, as we celebrate our mother-ship on this special day, lets recognize that we can all take some action to help solve climate change and other environmental issues. Small baby steps can add up to big benefits for the planet as a whole. Delano Bat Company ensures our supply of wood billets is responsibly sourced, and we continue to explore & utilize the most environmentally-friendly manufacturing processes we can. We pledge to be mindful of the impact that our choices and actions have on the planet, and we hope to encourage others to do the same. For example, what can you do to up-cycle or recycle those old baseball bats you have laying around? We did a little research, and pulled together a few ideas. Some ideas are simple, some are elaborate, but all of them are opportunities to give old bats new life (and perhaps create a great conversation piece while youre at it): DONATE! There are wonderful organizations that outfit under-resourced communities with sports equipment to ensure an equitable youth-sports experience regardless of player means. Delano is looking to partner with one of these organizations when we launch our FZN Series of products to help customers with the donation process, but until then, here are few links: Leveling the Playing Field Pitch-in for Baseball & Softball Turn Two for Youth Sell it Amazing how some bats retain value. Look to eBay or local marketplaces to sell your bat to a new generation of baller. The 2020 Meta still fetches a pretty penny, and one of Babe Ruths bats just sold at auction for $1.85MM - hows that for value retention. WWOD? (What would Ohtani Do?) The Japanese effort to conserve aodamo ash, traditionally used in Japan for baseball bats, led the CEO (and former baseball player) of a chopsticks manufacturer to create kattobashi, chopsticks made from old and broken bats. The name is a mashup of the Japanese words for chopstick and a baseball chant that means get a big hit. You may not be interested in whittling your own spork, but it is a cool way to impact the planet and save some trees. Make it Bedder Who knew there were so many ways to up-cycle bats into furniture - wood, alloy, composite - all can be used to make things like chairs, tables, lamps and even beds - whatever the imagination can dream up. Here is one of our favorites Say I DO How many marriage proposals happen at the ballpark on the jumbo-tron? Why not seal the deal with wedding bands made from recycled baseball bats? "Introducing, for the first time in public, Mr. and Mrs. October" Mugshot Some ballparks sell beer in mugs made from baseball bat barrels, so why not try it yourself? Or use parts of the bat to make a bottle opener for the pre-game tailgate, or slice up your wood bat into coasters. Get Crafty Etsy and Pinterest are a homerun when looking for unique crafts & creative ideas. We love this coat rack idea. Every gamer needs a good place to hang their hat(s). Stay Scrappy Got some old aluminum bats? Look for a local scrap yard - you can get some cash and the bats will be melted down and reused, keeping them out of the landfill. Thats a walk-off win for team Earth. Hopefully there is an idea here that sparks some others in you. Feel free to share. Any small step is a positive action you can take to help maintain our home field advantage in this fight against climate change.

Why We Developed FZN Technology™

Motivated by History The first alternative to the traditional wood bat gained popularity in the 1970s, about 50 years ago. It started with basic aluminum as a more durable option to wood. The market incrementally progressed in that direction through today, with aluminum or more recently, polymer composite, being primary options. In that time, wood was slowly disregarded and never seriously considered as a material for high performing bats. Beyond MLB, wood bats were relegated to wood bat leagues and for those that craved the classic feel, look, sound and tradition of wood. Over the last 50 years, the large sporting goods companies and bat manufacturers dominated sales and continued the same fundamental approach from the 1970s. While making incremental improvements, they are still using legacy processes and materials when compared to todays technology. With inertia in effect, and with no disruptive competition forcing a fresh perspective on the baseball bat, why change? Delano Bat Companys Heritage and Mission Delano Bats has been in the bat business for many years. We were in the solid wood market and heard many of our loyal customers telling us they didnt particularly like the feel or sound of their alloy or composite bats but had no other options without sacrificing performance. We were motivated by our customers and the realization that the history and aesthetic design components of the traditional baseball bat were being completely neglected in the chase for performance, and bats were still stuck in circa 1970s era thinking. There was no product in the market attempting to bridge between the old and the new, which became our mission, to fuse together the history of baseball (wood) with the most modern construction materials (composites) to give hitters the benefits of both. Without being tied to legacy techniques or technologies and with a fresh perspective and a commitment to baseballs heritage, we patented FZN Technology - a fusion of tradition and technology. How is FZN Different? FZN is different in the intent of the product and its material construction: FZN uses wood as the hard hitting surface and composite materials for strength, durability, balance, barrel size and performance. This gives it a wood look and sound, but produces the barrel size, performance and durability expected from maximum allowable BBCOR specs. Traditional BBCOR uses composites and metal alloys interchangeably for the hard hitting surface, strength, durability, balance, barrel size, and performance but lacks the feel, look and sound of classic wood. Hybrid wood bats have emerged more recently, using wood as the hard hitting surface and composite materials for strength and durability. There are no additional effects to aid performance, only to reinforce the bat to make it next to unbreakable. The bat will look, feel, and perform just like wood, but there are no consequences for getting jammed. Here is a summary level view of how FZN is different:

New to the game: Why we joined Delano Bat Company

My wife, Kathy and I have just joined the Delano Bat Company, and I wanted to share a bit about our decision to do so, as I suspect my sentiments will resonate with many of our Delano supporters. So much of this company, product and vision parallels our values and aspirations. Baseball is a lifetime passion. It was a bond in my family growing up, and it holds a position of tradition and nostalgia. And thankfully it has reached a similar stature with our 2 boys. Given all of this, did my wife, Kathy stand a chance of NOT getting sucked into baseball? Of course not. Professionally, Ive been on the opposite side of the tradition-nostalgia spectrum. I have worked in the internet industry for 30 years creating new products, driving growth and disruption through technology - change is constant. That dichotomy echoes my recent past with baseball. The (former) shift, DH in both leagues, and my boys playing the same game I played, except for the crack of my wood bat replaced by the ping of their metal. As the bats got more flashy and expensive, the pings got louder. Truth be told, I have always despised the sound, but I chalked it up to technology - change is constant. I also started believing the hype from the kids around the batting cages, and I would never deprive my kids from the best weapon available. This all leads up to a day in September 2022 when my wife and I crossed paths with the original Founders at Delano Bat Company. Delano Bats is a family-oriented, small company rooted in the mission to hand-craft the best possible wood bats for competitive baseball players. A quintessential American small business, one you cant not admire, in the quintessential business of America's pastime. But heres where the dichotomy kicks in again - they are also engineers, who, as engineers do, think differently. We learned that they want to build a bat that fuses the best of tradition and the modernity: a bat that has the unmistakable, nostalgic and unique sound and feel of a classic wood bat, and also a bat that delivers industry-leading BBCOR performance: great pop, swing weight and a massive sweet spot across the barrel. Is that even possible? Well, theyve been busy in their labs, and the result is a true wood bat with some impressive, patented magic of material-science and manufacturing prowess inside. The initial prototype submitted for BBCOR certification failed because it was too powerful - the founding engineers had to make their next design worse. I was pumped after that first conversation. We talked about the technology, design and specs and much about the mission to stay grounded in nostalgia, tradition and classic baseball sound and feel. They are traditional baseball people, engineers and entrepreneurs - my PEEPS! I was hooked! But I am well outside the target user. Would my kids think its a good idea? At this point, the large manufacturers have their grips on the youth baseball market - sway away from the latest alloy or composite at your own peril. Well, not only did our boys love the idea, but after a survey of ~ 20 local players, teammates and parents, we learned we were not alone in our excitement. Delano Bat Company, here we come. Please, please, please let us join you on this journey. Thank you for indulging me by reading this note. We hope that you also join us on the journey and sign up to stay connected with us as we move from prototype, to BBCOR certification, to market. We didnt think we would be owners of a baseball bat company four months ago, but hey, change is constant.