In a dimly light garage, Oscar Porcellato works away.
Patiently, he guides his gouge across the 32-inch stalk of maple that spins in the old lathe he found online. The machine churns noisily and the shavings, fine pieces that seem to float briefly, carpet the concrete floor.
It’s nearly a finished product, but there are still a few hours of fine-tuning before Porcellato has another maple tool to add to his arsenal.
“I’ve always been pretty hands on,” said Porcellato. “We’ve always had a garage where I’m making stuff, breaking stuff. I’ve always done woodworking in school so I was always around it. It was approachable. It’s not like ‘I want to make a bat, but I don’t know if I can.’ I’m pretty sure I could do it.”
The first one was a challenge, as he began with a four-sided stalk of maple and not the cylinder billets that are quick to start. Porcellato had to grind down the corners and smooth the wood before seeing the makings of a bat. The measuring, tapering and sanding took longer, too, but after nearly two days of labour he had his first at hand.
Now he can whittle a billet into a custom bat in about five hours.
“The second one I’ve gotten a bunch of hits with. I’ve sold two to teammates, and they really like them. It’s awesome. Whenever I get a good hit with a bat I’ve made I hear about it, ‘What’s that, that’s the bat you made?’”
The final touches include putting his signature mark on it, a stylized OP, before staining it.
This bat he’s working on is being made for an acquaintance – New Westminster’s own Justin Morneau – who Porcellato had a chance to meet when Morneau’s team paid a visit to Seattle a few years ago.
The one-time American League MVP and two-time Silver Slugger winner, who retired after 14 seasons in 2016, is working with the Minnesota Twins as a special advisor.
One of Porcellato’s prized possessions is one of Morneau’s MLB bats, given to him by Justin’s dad.
He’s got nearly a half-dozen wooden weapons on hand, tools that the 16-year-old swings to full effect when he’s on the diamond. The New West Secondary student spent this past year as the designated hitter with the North Shore Twins junior premier team, a squad that went on to capture the provincial title to cap an overwhelming 45-3 season.
In 34 games for the Twins, Porcellato hit .277, driving in 20 runs. In his one playoff appearance, the six-foot-one lefthanded hitter was 2-for-3 with three runs driven in. But it was a stacked powerhouse lineup and while he filled the role of designated hitter admirably, the teen has taken the opportunity as a graduating junior to sign with the Whalley Chiefs of the B.C. Premier League.
He’s been told he’ll get to play first base and likely hit in the heart of the order.
His connection to Morneau began a handful of years ago while playing with New West Little League, when Justin’s dad George took an interest in the young slugger. He was patient and helped the youth become a better player.
“I wasn’t super good at first, but I liked it,” recalled Porcellato. “After a while, when I was 10, I started working with George, and he kind of taught me how to be good. I worked privately with him, because my dad knew him from lacrosse.”
His dad, who also operated his own business until recently, said the athletic side and now a business side are good fits for Oscar.
“He’s got the entrepreneurial bug. He did his research, learned how to do this himself. When he sells one he charges GST, creates an invoice and all those things,” said Ray.
The evolution of the baseball bat has distinctive Canadian lineage in the modern era. Barry Bonds began swinging the Canadian-made rock maple Sam Bat, which along with other reputed elements, helped launch an MLB-record 73 home runs in 2001.
There’s the love of the game extending into a business hobby. The result is the joy of holding a bat that when used right can leave opposing pitchers hanging their heads.
“My job was to drive the ball. Other guys maybe their jobs were to get on, but my job was to get guys in or get on second so the next guy could drive me in,” he said.
His favourite moment? “Anything that you really barrel up – you don’t even feel it. You just cruise through and know it, you’re standing on second base and it’s awesome.”
It feels even greater with a bat of his own making.
“Each bat is different. When you have a big company and they’re all done by machines, it’s all the same. Right now when I’m hand-making them, the knob might be a bit different, the weight might be different. I can customize it. When I make one and I might swing it around it’s like ‘Oh, this is nice, I want to take some cuts with this.’”
