In a barn outside their home in Newburg, Wisconsin, Aaron Lenz and his 14-year-old son, August, use a 1968 wood lathe to shape billets into exceptionally handsome baseball bats. Through their business A.J. Lenz & Son, founded in 2021, customers can have bats custom-made, using the wood of their choice, or even a tree from their own backyard.
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Ash, however, is the father-son duo’s specialty. Aaron crafted his first bat out of American ash, motivated to make something out of a tree that’s vanishing because of an invasive species. Now, the two have made over 350 bats. Their precision and consideration of moisture, density and shape results in a bat that is not only beautiful, but also feels great when giving it a swing. Lenz hopes to make a bat for an MLB player one day. “I’m still learning about the idiosyncrasies of the game, the players and culture,” he says. “It’s so different, man, when you get up to elite level of performance in anything.”
