Written by Jason Gilmer | Photos by Anthony Harden
The 2018 baseball season is finally here, and meanwhile, the folks behind Fletcher-based Young Bat Company have been knocking a few out of the park themselves.
The swing frozen in time on the wall of the Young Bat Company is pure Barry Bonds. Left shoulder high in the air. The stitched uniform lettering of the words “San Francisco” splayed across a ripped chest. Eyes focused on a ball that has flown high into the air. Back foot up on the toe after he exploded his hips into the pitch. And the perfect back swing, with both hands near the right shoulder, showing off the 35-inch bat in his hands. There, stamped on the bat just below the sweet spot, is the logo for Young Bat Company, a bat manufacturer based in Brevard from 1993 to 2005.
The poster with this image, which also includes a close-up of Bonds’ face with his well-known cross earring, now hangs on a wall in a cinder block building in Fletcher. It’s a DIY space where the employees of the newly resurrected Young Bat Company can see the company’s past collide, almost as hard as Bonds can swing, with its future.
The full article continues below. Click to open in fullscreen…
