Originally Posted by JoeDfan
Not really a new pickup, as I was just able to prove what it is the other day. Probably a boring story to most everyone but me, but I will share it anyway. I love the little stories of the obscure guys; regular joes who didn't quite get there, or maybe got to have a minute in the sun.
I got this in trade last year very reasonably, I had to give up one of my favorite big side-written big bats of a minor league guy for it.
But when I got it in hand, I became a little suspicious of what it might be.
At just 30" long, and 40 ounces, it had the feel of Wee Willie Keeler. The labeling period was 1916-1922, so it would be post-career for sure if I could even prove it. Still, for a Yankee GU bat collector, a pro model Keeler sure fills a big hole.
Using both black lights and infrared, I was able to decipher the side writing on the barrel read "40 oz Virgil Hetzel 3-23-24". I spent months trying to track down this guy. I found someone in the Baseball Reference with a same last name playing for Kalamazoo in '21. Long story short, I emailed the public libraries of Kalamazoo, who directed me to Philadelphia, who got me to Cincinnati, and the trail sort of stopped.
I then sent the bat to Mr. Taube, who confirmed for me that it was indeed a Willie Keeler model. Where Hetzel got the bat was uncertain. Perhaps he ordered it direct, or possibly in his minor league travels he crossed paths with Keeler, who was a coach and scout after he retired.
While I was happy to have a Keeler model, I couldn't help but remain curious about who Virgil Hetzel was, and how he got the bat.
By total coincidence, I got the bat back last week, and on that very night, I received an email from a woman I had emailed as part of my search. It turns out that she is indeed related to him. She confirmed that he (or his son) was part of the Philadelphia minor league system, and sent me a newspaper article from Dayton, where Hetzel lived. The article specifically references Hetzel's "short, thick and especially-made bludgeon", leaving no doubt that this is the same guy. Although he never made the majors, at least on that night, Virg Hetzel was the local hero, quite possibly using the same bat.
With that, I finally feel like I can bring this story to a successful conclusion.
For me, this is one of my favorite parts to the hobby. While everyone naturally wants to find the next Gehrig or Shoeless Joe gamer, I love to find those tiny moments in history that were otherwise lost, and bring them back. The woman said she was the "family historian" and I believe she was quite happy to know that I had found his bat. She said she would round up all of the information she had on him. I can't wait to see it, and who knows, just maybe there will be a brief appearance by Wee Willie himself.
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