The Hidden Team Behind Every Hall of Famer
by Drew Holmes
“Whose bat would you like to hold?” asked the attendant as we entered the cordoned off area.
We were at the Louisville Slugger Museum, which included not only a factory tour but also the opportunity to hold a game used bat and pose for pictures with it. Timothy was decked out in his purple Rockies jersey, so I had a pretty good idea which one he would pick. Too bashful to respond himself, I answered for him.
“Todd Helton, please.”
Todd Helton is the most iconic Rockies player since the founding of the franchise in 1993. Calling Coors Field home for his entire 17-year career, Helton holds team records in nearly every offensive category. His retired number 17 hangs next to only two others — Jackie Robinson and Larry Walker — both Hall of Famers. In just a few short weeks Helton will join their ranks as he is enshrined in Cooperstown, cementing his status as the greatest player to don purple pinstripes.
I attended Todd Helton’s final game at Coors Field years before Timothy was born. As he hoists the historic piece of lumber, all of this is lost on my son. But the accomplishments of the man who plied his trade with this iconic bat were not far from my mind.
No one reaches the Hall of Fame alone. Countless teammates, trainers, and coaches share the success of everyone who reaches this apex of a professional baseball career. But standing mere feet away from the Louisville Slugger factory floor, another layer was revealed.
The trees used to make the iconic Louisville Slugger baseball bat are sixty years old. The process to select the right wood is both art and science, with only 15% of the harvested lumber making the cut for Major League Baseball bats. Each is painstakingly crafted, taking up to a week each to complete. Personal attention is given to every detail, and nothing is left to chance. What is the payoff for this precision?
The average major leaguer uses 100–120 bats in a 162-game season. This means that, on average, a single bat will be used for about two games. Despite this short life span, nothing is overlooked when these bats are made. A professional hitter relies on a professional craftsperson who is as committed to making the bat as they are to using it.
But this is just the bat! Imagine the countless hours spent making baseballs, gloves, or the bases themselves. Grounds crew members spend decades learning every nuance of grass and turf, assuring that the playing surface is worthy of world class athletes. In the case of Todd Helton, hundreds of people and thousands of details assured his place in history.
Being a musician, this made me consider the similarities to top level performers. An ensemble is comprised of individuals working as one for a common goal, just like a baseball team. This level of collaboration is obvious, but how did the performer get there? The immediate image of a musicians’ journey is a parent driving their budding virtuoso to lessons, but that is only part of the story.
Also consider the hidden contributors like the craftsperson who built the instrument, the technician who repaired it, and even the (sometimes) humble music store worker who took the time to make sure they were matching that player with the right instrument. Whatever success that performer realizes will be possible through the contributions of these countless people. No one can achieve greatness alone.
After snapping some photos, we returned the bat to the attendant so another fan may also stand in the shadow of a baseball legend. Someday I hope Timothy will appreciate his brief brush with a baseball legend. And as we exited the museum I hoped that he would also know that, though they may never be individually enshrined in Cooperstown, every person we saw working in the factory that day is also a Hall of Famer.