Birdman Bats

What Birdman Bats does

Birdman Bats is a privately held, founder-led (Gary Malec, Founder & CEO) sporting goods company founded in 2011 and headquartered in Redwood City, California. The company handcrafts premium wooden baseball and softball bats from maple and birch, with a portfolio spanning adult, youth, training, fungo, vintage, and souvenir/specialty SKUs, all sold direct-to-consumer through a Shopify-powered storefront at birdmanbats.com. It has expanded into a full equipment line that includes custom and stock baseball/softball gloves (Stu, Wingman, and Iconic series), batting gloves, grips, hard-shell glove cases, neoprene bat sleeves, and branded apparel, accessories, and merchandise. The company employs 11-50 people and ships to 35+ countries.

Birdman Bats differentiates on craftsmanship and customization rather than scale. Bats and gloves are positioned as artisan products (hand-shaped, sanded, and finished; extensive options for species, color dyes, handle and knob graphics, engraving, and rush orders), priced at the premium end of the market ($90-$195 for bats, $175-$300 for gloves). Brand identity is anchored by the 'Birdman Stu' mindset mascot and reinforced through named MLB player endorsements (e.g., Curtis Mead, Eric Byrnes) and customer testimonials. The glove line features premium American Kip and American Cowhide leather.

The business model is direct-to-consumer e-commerce with one-time purchase revenue across all product lines. There are no disclosed funding rounds, no parent company, no retail/wholesale distribution, and no subscription or recurring revenue streams. Marketing relies on organic social (Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, X), email, blog content, and pro-player/customer testimonial content. A minor partnership with former MLB player Eric Byrnes' Let Them Play Foundation produced the Mini Bat product. Free shipping kicks in at $175+, and add-on customization (engraving, rush, finishes) provides modest per-order upsell.

Name

Birdman Bats

Website

https://birdmanbats.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Birdman Bats is a Redwood City-based, founder-owned sporting goods company that handcrafts premium wooden baseball and softball bats and leather gloves, selling direct-to-consumer via Shopify to individual players, from youth amateurs to MLB professionals, across 35+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Baseball Equipment

NAICS

Sporting Goods Retailers (45911)

SIC

Sporting & Athletic Goods, Nec (3949)

akta.pro primary industry

Baseball & Softball Equipment Retail (CRAMAEAA)

Keywords

• Wood baseball bats
• Custom softball bats
• Baseball gloves
• Batting accessories
• Handcrafted sports equipment

Headquarters

HQ city

Redwood City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Wood Bat Sales: One-time purchase revenue from handcrafted wooden bats including adult, youth, and specialty bats. Products range from $90-$195 for standard bats with custom options available.
2. Glove Sales: Revenue from baseball and softball gloves across multiple series (Stu, Wingman, Iconic) in custom and stock configurations, ranging from $175-$300.
3. Accessories & Merchandise: Sales of batting gloves, grips, apparel, mini bats, and other merchandise. Accessories include grips, bat sleeves, bottle openers, and stickers.
4. Customization Services: Revenue from add-on customization options including engraving ($10), rush orders (+$25), and custom colors/finishes on bats, gloves, and accessories.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Birdman Bats designs, handcrafts, and sells premium wooden baseball and softball bats, leather baseball gloves, batting gloves, grips, and branded apparel/accessories. Products are manufactured in-house using premium maple and birch woods with extensive per-order customization (species, color dye, engraving, knob graphics, handle finishes, cup options) and sold exclusively direct-to-consumer through their Shopify e-commerce storefront.

Product overview

Birdman Bats is a handcrafted wood bat and baseball equipment company offering a diverse product portfolio centered on premium wooden bats. The core offering consists of adult, youth, and softball bats across multiple series (Juiced Custom, Juiced Private Stock, Professional, Raw Power, Training, Vintage), complemented by a growing glove line (Stu Series, Wingman Series, Iconic Series in both custom and stock variants). The company differentiates through extensive customization options for bats including species selection (Maple, Birch), dye colors, paint options, handle/knob graphics, cup options, rush orders, length options (28"-37"), and laser engraving. Souvenir/specialty products include Trophy Bats, Wedding Bats, Special Events Bats, and Mini Bats. Accessories include batting gloves, grips, glove cases, bat sleeves, apparel, and branded merchandise. All bats emphasize premium wood selection (Maple and Birch), handcrafted artisan construction, and pro-level performance trusted by MLB and elite players.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Birdman Stu: Original mascot/persona featured on the first Birdman Bat as a mindset reminder.

Products and services

• Juiced Custom Bats Custom wood bats with enhanced performance features for adult players, sold as part of the core Adult bat collection.
• Juiced Private Stock Bats Premium handcrafted wood bats in the Private Stock series (FT23, OZZ1 Signature, UD13, Ni13) with custom colors, engraving, and personalized knob graphics, priced at $190-$195.
• Professional Series Bats Pro-level wood bats designed for professional and elite players, positioned at premium price points.
• Raw Power Series Bats Wood bats featuring a raw finish with no added coatings, sold primarily through Black Friday promotional specials.
• Youth Training Bats Wood bats sized and weighted for youth players focused on training and developing proper swing mechanics.
• Youth Game Bats Wood bats sized and weighted for youth players in actual game situations.
• FP1 Fast Pitch Softball Bat Customizable wood bat designed specifically for fast pitch softball, available with full customization options.
• SP1 Slow Pitch Softball Bat Customizable wood slow pitch softball bat with a -6 weight drop, available in 30"-34" lengths, priced at $150.
• Fungo Bats Coach's fungo bats for batting practice, available in Custom Bomb Knob, Custom Traditional Knob, Hydro-dip, and Private Stock variants, priced $90-$150.
• Training Bats Precision-built specialty training bats (BAZOOKA, MGLDN, One-Hand Bat, BAMBAM, BIGBAM, Heavyweight Overload, Lightweight Underload, Lightning Rod, Stickball Bat) for swing training and player development, priced at $125.
• Vintage Bats (V1 & V2) Vintage-style handcrafted wood bats (V1, V2 models) for collectors and memorabilia enthusiasts.
• Trophy Bat Customizable wood trophy bat for holidays, birthdays, and gifts, priced at $95.
• Special Events Bat Customizable wood bat designed for special events, priced at $95.
• Wedding Bat Custom-colored wooden wedding bat designed as a gift for baseball-loving groomsmen, priced at $85.
• Mini Bat Compact souvenir bat created for Eric Byrnes' Let Them Play Foundation, available in multiple colors and finishes, priced at $50 (with customization +$10).
• Custom Stu Series Gloves Custom leather baseball gloves in the Stu Series, including a 12.5" First Base Mitt in American Cowhide priced at $175.
• Custom Wingman Series Gloves Custom premium leather gloves in the Wingman Series featuring American Kip leather, including the 12.75" Southwest Sunset model priced $240-$300.
• Custom Iconic Series Gloves Custom premium leather baseball gloves in the Iconic Series.
• Training Gloves Training-specific baseball gloves including the Birdman Kip 10" Infield Training Glove priced at $175.
• Birdman Batting Gloves Branded batting gloves sold as part of Birdman's core equipment line.
• Grips Bat grips available in multiple colors (Black, Pink, Orange, Yellow, Purple, White) for bat customization.
• Hard Shell Glove Case Hard shell glove case protecting baseball gloves during storage and transport, priced at $45-$50.
• Neoprene Bat Sleeve Protective neoprene sleeve for bats, priced at $15.
• Birdman Apparel & Merchandise Branded Birdman Bats apparel and merchandise including shirts, sweatshirts/hoodies, hats, bottle openers, and stickers.

Quantifiable outcome

• Trusted by MLB and elite players worldwide

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Let Them Play FoundationminorOthersEric Byrnes, former MLB player and founder of Let Them Play Foundation, partnered with Birdman Bats to create the Mini Bat product. The Mini Bat was originally created exclusively for the foundation and its activities before being made available to the general public due to popular demand.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Chandler Bats: Chandler Bats is a direct peer in the custom maple wood bat category, serving professional and elite amateur players with similar customization and pro-endorsement-driven positioning.
• Tucci Lumber Company: Tucci is a direct peer in custom wood bat manufacturing, producing maple bats for professional players with a similar premium, handcrafted, MLB-validated positioning.
• Victus Sports: Victus is a direct peer specializing in custom professional-grade wood bats with heavy MLB player endorsement marketing—closely matching Birdman's pro-validated, premium-positioned value proposition.
• Marucci Sports: Marucci is a direct competitor in custom and professional-grade wood bats, offering similar maple/birch customization, MLB player endorsements, and a premium positioning strategy targeting the same amateur-to-pro baseball segment.
• MaxBat: MaxBat is a direct peer in custom and stock wood baseball bats, competing in the same premium maple bat category with similar customization options and pro-player targeting.
• Old Hickory Bat Company: Old Hickory is a direct peer producing handcrafted maple and ash wood bats marketed to professional and serious amateur players—operating in the same handcrafted, premium-tier wood bat category as Birdman.

Broad incumbents

• Mizuno USA: Mizuno is a broad incumbent in baseball and softball gloves, bats, and apparel—competing with Birdman's glove line and overall premium baseball equipment positioning.
• Rawlings (Newell Brands): Rawlings is a broad incumbent sporting goods brand covering gloves, bats, and equipment across baseball and softball—competing with Birdman's glove and bat lines as part of a much wider product portfolio.
• Louisville Slugger (Hillerich & Bradsby / Wilson Sporting Goods): Louisville Slugger is the dominant incumbent in wood baseball bats with deep MLB relationships and a broad product portfolio across metal and wood. While not a direct custom bat specialist, it competes for the same professional and serious amateur customers.
• Easton (Easton Diamond Sports): Easton is a broad incumbent in baseball/softball equipment including bats, gloves, and accessories—overlapping with Birdman's glove and accessory categories though primarily focused on metal/composite bats.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/birdmanbats
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCzoVYPGSej8bFTxvYt6nzSg?view_as=subscriber
• Facebookfacebook.com/birdmanbats
• Instagraminstagram.com/birdmanbats
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/birdmanbats

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Birdman Bats