Rod Carew/Cleveland Indians bat

[Rob D.]

I bought this bat around 1997. The story from the seller was that after Carew retired, he agreed to become a coach for the Indians. Although that never happened, supposedly the team had some bats made for him. As you can see, it's a signature model with "Cleveland Indians" below his name. It's also autographed.

I didn't totally buy the story, because why would Carew want a coaches bat that essentially is a players model (C243)? It seems to me he'd want a few fungo bats. Plus, being an Indians fan and collector, I never heard that he and the club were in talks for him to become a coach. That being said, I could see that happening without it being made public.

Despite my doubts, I bought it because of the Indians marking. I thought it was interesting because Carew never had an official role with the team, and I'm a Cleveland collector.

Any thoughts as to what it might be? The photo shows all the markings. There's nothing on the knob or anywhere else on the barrel.

Thanks, Rob