The Number One Bat in the Big Leagues: Based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Marucci was founded by two former Major Leaguers and their athletic trainer - Kurt Ainsworth, Joe Lawrence and Jack Marucci – who began hand-crafting bats for some of the best players in the game from their garage. Fast forward 10 years and that dedication to quality and understanding of players' needs has turned into an All-American success story. Marucci is now the No. 1 bat in baseball with over 350 Big League players swinging their wood. In stark contrast to other companies who pay players, Marucci has star players like Albert Pujols, Chase Utley, David Ortiz, Jose Bautista and Andrew McCutchen invest their hard-earned money and time by advising us on designs and testing our products. Gucci's Wood Bats: More than 300 pro hitters pick up a Marucci bat before heading to the plate. That's why we start with maple and ash cut from our U.S. forests and hand-select only the highest-grade billets to be crafted into a Marucci bat. The wood is then hardened using the time-honored technique of hand bone rubbing, which closes the wood's pores, making Marucci the game's hardest bat.