As one of the greatest left-handed hitters of all-time, any existing Stan Musial game used bat is something to behold. Right from the start of his career in 1942, Stan Musial established himself as one of the best young stars of the game. Because of his quiet, kindly nature, it was his bat, not a flashy personality or brash boasting that did the talking for him. As a rookie in 1942, Musial proved to be the last component of a young Cardinals team that would win three consecutive pennants and a pair of World Championships. He was the Sporting News’ pick for Rookie of the Year, and 1943 saw him hitting .357 and leading the National League in hits, doubles, triples, on base percentage, slugging and runs scored. There wasn’t even a serious discussion about whether or not he would be voted that year’s NL Most Valuable Player. He received his famous nickname “Stan the Man” from exasperated Brooklyn fans who would point to the unknown youngster clobbering Dodgers pitching and moan “oh no, it’s that man again” when he came up to the plate. “That man” was soon converted into a more reverent “The Man” as fans across the league watched in awe as the kid with the odd corkscrew batting stance hit line drive after line drive off his Louisville Slugger.

Musial returned after a year in the Navy even more dangerous with the bat – he’d become a power hitter when he adjusted his batting stance to give the soldiers and sailors more home runs in service exhibition games. When “Stan The Man” retired after 22 years, he held the National League career record for hits, RBI, games played, at bats, and doubles. His 475 lifetime home runs were only second to Mel Ott in the NL and his .331 career batting average is still fourth on the all-time list – first if you’re just counting plays who spent their entire career with one team, as Stan did with the Cardinals.

Very few players in the history of the game established a reputation of excellence in their first two seasons that they maintained throughout their career as Stan Musial - and this Hillerich & Bradsby, fresh to the hobby - was used by The Man during his initial two seasons. The 1942-1943 Hillerich & Bradsby model bat displays heavy use. A crack on the handle has been professionally repaired. There are ball marks visible on the right, back and front of its barrel. The only thing that could make this rookie/MVP era Musial bat even more desirable is if it was signed – and Stan the Man has done just that, adding his signature in bold black ink right between the center brand and barrel stamping. A true Hall of Fame-quality bat from one of the most beloved ball players of all-time used during the first two seasons that set the standard for his two-decade long Hall of Fame career. The bat comes with a LOA from PSA/DNA (1B13567) for the game use and has been graded a near-perfect GU 9. There is also a LOA from Steve Grad of Beckett Authentication for the signature.

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