'The bats talk for themselves': Tillsonburg, Ont. baseball bat maker lands MLB clients

As a child, Trevor Oakes had dreams of making to baseball’s major leagues.

Now the Tillsonburg native has made it to ‘The Show,’ but just in a different way than he envisioned.

The baseball bat maker has just returned from MLB spring training in Arizona and Florida where he got his lumber in the hands of major and minor league players, as well as hall of fame legend Reggie Jackson.

“We get them in the cage, and I just let the bats talk for themselves,” said Oakes, owner of HRD Bat Company. “We’ve now got Chicago Cubs players Patrick Wisdom, Seiya Suzuki, Matt Mervis, and Owen Caissie, as well as Blue Jays prospect Sam Shaw.”

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On the trip to the Cactus and Grapefruit Leagues, he got to meet his childhood hero Devon White, and also met with club house managers for many MLB teams. He convinced as few organizations to use his bats in their minor league system.

Although his blossoming company has quickly reached the pinnacle of the sport, he hasn’t forgotten his roots.

HRD has just landed a deal to be the official bat supplier of the Inter County Baseball League (IBL).

“We plan on providing them with MLB quality bats,” said Nick Shailes, a partner in HRD. “Our bats are second to none. You are going to see a lot more balls flying out of the ballpark this season.”

Custom made HRD baseball bats for professional players made in Caledonia, Ont. are seen on March 25, 2024. (Brent Lale/CTV News London)

HRD uses maple and yellow birch to make their bats. The pre-cut lumber is stored in their humidor where it is climate controlled. This allows everything to be precise when it comes to weight and moisture content.

“Everything is serial numbered when it comes in the door,” said Oakes. “What date it comes in, where it goes, and what the model is."

CTV News London first introduced you to Oakes in January of 2020. He had just been approved to have his bats used professionally and was about to head to Wisconsin for mandatory MLB wood training.

At that time he was a one-man show doing everything by hand at a shop in his hometown.

Now his new company produces bats in a factory in Caldeonia, Ont.

His growth is evident by the fact he has two partners, and three other employees helping him on a daily basis to meet demand.

They have multiple automated lathes, which can produce bats in three minutes, as opposed to the 12 to 15 minutes it takes by hand.

“We used to produce maybe 10 a day start to finish,” said Oakes. “Now we’re getting an order of about 150 and we’ll have that cut and done by the end of today.”

An automated lathe at HRD Bat Company, located in Caledonia, Ont., can carve a bat in three minutes. (Brent Lale/CTV News London)

The owners of HRD believe their now worldwide distribution is based off a few key factors.

They claim exit velocity off their bats is three-to-four miles per hour greater off their wood, have a lower price point than other established brands, and they can make unique custom designs.

“We only started this three years ago, so for us to be where we are right now is huge,” said Shailes.

Oakes feels they have now established themselves enough to belong with the other high end bat making companies. Word of mouth is spreading, and he feels his company is going to explode once more players get the bats in their hands.

“It just takes one guy to go lights out for a bit,” said Oakes. “Then people start to wonder, ‘What's he swinging?’”

Their deal with the IBL gives them early access to all the teams and players. They’ve already started working with clubs well ahead of the season opener on May 12, 2024.

Shailes said fans will not only see the difference on the field, but they’ll hear it too.

“The sound off our bats is different, so you’ll be able to tell the difference between our bats,” said Shailes. “See if you can pick it out when you are there this summer.” 

Trevor Oakes, owner of HRD Bat Company in Caledonia, Ont., shows off his supply of maple wood which will be carved into baseball bats on March 25, 2024. (Brent Lale/CTV News London)