FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Jeremy Barfield, a 6-foot-5, 245-pound slugger who bashed 28 home runs in 95 games in the Red Sox minor league system last year, swings 34 1/2-inch, 34-ounce bats (and heavier ones).
"Yeah, I'm a big man," Barfield said. "If you want me to prove it, I've got a scale."
Barfield walked to his locker and grabbed the scale inside. He picked up one of his birch bats.
"This one is 34.2," Barfield said.
He then placed another one on the scale. "34 1/2."
The 29-year-old son of former major leaguer Jesse Barfield grabbed another bat.
"I weigh all of them," Barfield said. "They're all going to be different. Like this one is 34.3."
Not many players keep scales inside their locker, he said. But Barfield's teammates know he does.
"Usually what happens is during the season guys will come weigh their bats when they get them in because they're never the weight it says," Barfield said. "This one's going to be lighter. I can tell. So 33.9."
Barfield, a non-roster invitee, swings the heaviest bat of anyone in Red Sox 2018 major league spring training camp.
His dad Jesse, who stood at approximately 6-foot-1, 200-pounds during his playing days, swung 34 1/5-inch, 33-ounce bats.
"But he also swung ash. Nobody swung maple or birch back then," Barfield said.
"I use birch," he added. "Very few guys swing ash anymore. ... You'll see. It's got all these ball marks on it and the wood just compacts and gets harder and harder the longer you use it. I like birch. I've been swinging it for like four years."
4 players on the 40-man rosterswing 32-ounce bats
Mitch Moreland and J.D. Martinezuse34-inch, 32-ounce bats.
"I've switched it up," Moreland said. "I've been up to 35-33 and down to like a 34-31 1/2. That's about as small I've swung."
Moreland began 2017 using a 34 1/2-inch, 32-ounce stick, but he made the switch to 34-32 simply because it felt better.
"When I was with Texas, (Josh) Hamilton and Nelson Cruz had some pretty big bats. Sometimes Josh would be like 35-35, 35-34. That's a big bat."
Hanley Ramirez joked, "I don't know. I just grab a bat and go up and hit."
Ramirez finally admitted he also uses 34-32 like Martinez and Moreland.
Christian Vazquez, meanwhile, swings 33 1/2-inch, 32-ounce bats.
Swihart swings35-35 during the offseason
Blake Swihart, Eduardo Nunez and Sam Travis use 31 1/2-ounce bats.
Swiharthas used a 34-inch, 31 1/2-ounce bat since high school.
"I know Alfonso Soriano used like a 35-34," Swihart said.
"In the offseason and stuff I use like a 35-35 sometimes," he added. "It's good for training."
Travis swings the same size bat as Swihart andNunez uses 33.5-31.5.
"I like to feel I can dominate my hands," Nunez said. "When the bat is big for me, I do not control my hands."
Betts has changed size (back) this year
Sandy Leon and Jackie Bradley Jr. both use 34-31.
"I was 33 1/2 like three years ago, and then I switched to 34," Leon said. "I feel better."
Leonsaid David Ortiz swung the biggest bat he has seen.
"Ortiz used 34 1/2-32 1/2. That's a big bat. That's for a big man."
Brock Holt added about Ortiz's bat, "Thing was heavy. He swung it pretty well though."
Holt joked, "Mine is 40 inches, 35 ounces."
Holt, Mookie Betts, Dustin Pedroia, Rafael Devers and Andrew Benintendi all use 33 1/2-inch, 31-ounce bats.
"Last year I was 33 1/2-30 1/2," Betts said. "So I just went up a half ounce.
"Last year was the first year I went down," he added. "Just going back to normal (this year)."
Devers used 33-31 in the minors but switched to 33.5-31 in the majors.
Benintendi switched to a larger bat sophom*ore year at Arkansas. He switched from 33 inches-30 ounces to 34 inches-31 ounces (of course, he has changed again since then).
Benintendi hit only one home run and bat .276 with a .333 slugging percentage in 61 games (60 starts) as a freshman.
He thenenjoyed the best season in Arkansas baseball history as a sophom*ore. He batted .376 with a .488 on-base percentage, .717 slugging percentage, 20 homers, 13 doubles, two triples and 57 RBIs in 65 games (64 starts). He won the Golden Spikes Award and the Dick Howser Trophy.
"I don't know if that had anything to do with it my sophom*ore year," Benintendi said. "Changing some little things just made a big difference."
Xander Bogaerts said he's sure his bats are 33 1/2 inches. He's not certain how much they weigh but believes they are 30 1/5 ounces.
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