New York Giants manager John McGraw picked the teenage Mel Ott from among hundreds of other Big League hopefuls and personally groomed him to become one of the greatest first basemen of all time. Refusing to send him to the minors for fear of another manager "ruining" him, McGraw tutored the young ballplayer on the finer points of the game, slowly letting him develop at the major league level. Ott's odd, raised lead foot batting stance became his trademark as he matured from a teenage phenom into the most feared batter in the National League.

At the age of 23 in 1932, Ott was the NL's home run champ and for the next decade averaged 30 a year and led the league six times. This exquisite Mel Ott game bat was used by the Giants great during the 1934-1935 seasons. During those two summers, Ott batted .326 and .322, led the league with 35 homers in 1934 and made the All-Star team both years. This was just a warm up for what was to come - the Giants would rule the National League in 1936 and 1937, capturing back-to-back pennants powered by Mel Ott's bat. The combination of the center brand and "Powerized" stamp enabled PSA/DNA to date this bat to the 1934-1935 seasons. Hillerich & Bradsby meticulously compiled records of every player's bat orders, and during the labeling period that this bat dates to, Mel Ott ordered three different types of bats. One was recorded as "his latest model" and does not match the measurements of this bat. The other two models ordered by the future Hall of Famer were made from the specifications used on Johnny Gooch and Bill Urbanski models.

PSA/DNA has opined that this bat is one of the latter two models ordered by Ott during 1934-1935. Traces of factory side writing are visible on this bat's barrel, though time has rendered the pencil inscription illegible. Side writing was done at the Louisville factory when a bat received from a player in order to duplicate for future bat orders. After measurements were taken and recorded, the bat was placed in the company's vault for reference. The bat itself displays outstanding use, with a slight handle crack that has been repaired. The barrel bears many ball marks and deep stitch impressions. Over the decades the wood's surface has taken on a deep brown, giving the bat a very attractive patina. An incredible game used bat, used during the prime years of Mel Ott's Hall of Fame career. It is well known that Mel Ott is the toughest game used bat of all 500 HR members, and this is the finest bat of the toughest member to obtain in the club. This bat comes with a LOA from PSA/DNA (1B14128) and has been given the highest possible grade of GU 10.

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