RIVERTON, Utah — A Salt Lake County business is swinging for the fences.
American Batsmith started producing wooden baseball bats in 2018. Since then, the business has grown and now ships thousands of bats to its customers annually.
“The crack of the bat. It is very Americana,” said Jacob Huff, the founder of American Batsmith. “That just brings in that baseball feel, that American feel.”
Huff runs the business out of a garage with a small staff of employees including his brother and three others.
Every bat starts with a maple cylinder. A cad design loaded into a computer tells a lathe machine the size and specification of each custom-made bat.
After several minutes, the cylinder takes on the shape of a bat. It then goes through several rounds of sanding before receiving a lacquer coating.
Every bat is engraved with its specifications and can be personalized with the name of the person who will eventually be stepping up to the plate with the bat in hand.
It takes 27 steps to transform the maple cylinder into a game-ready bat.
Currently, American Batsmith sells its products to the general public and the independent Pioneer League.
Earning certification to produce bats for Major League Baseball and MLB-affiliated Minor League Baseball is a years-long process and one of Huff’s goals.
“We aren't there quite yet,” he said. “It takes time and costs. I’d figure we are 24-36 months out from being there.”
When that day comes, the bat factory will need to move to a much larger location.
Until then, Huff and his team will continue to produce bats for the public that proudly display the company’s name along with “Riverton, Utah” in bold letters.
“Seeing kids grow with our product and the success they have means a whole lot. It's very fulfilling,” he said. “You get the satisfaction and fulfillment that we are there, we are seeing it and we are part of the beautiful game of baseball."
