The secret behind elite wooden bats is not just craftsmanship—it’s patience, obsession, and a willingness to learn the hard way. John Vullo of Vullo Bat Company shares how a backyard hobby became an MLB-certified bat business trusted by pros, including the Chicago Cubs, and why the torpedo bat conversation has put his shop right in the middle of baseball’s latest evolution. Inside the Foul hosts Chris and Ethan dig into John’s full journey—from watching his dad build a local softball community in Newport, Washington, to coaching his son, to realizing he needed a new way to stay connected to the game. That search led to a lathe, a dust collector, and a first bat he still keeps as a reminder of where it all began. You’ll discover how John taught himself the craft through pure trial and error, why tracking every billet, model, and ounce by hand has become part of his process, and how he built custom models like the VC 815 by turning performance into a numbering system that actually means something. He also breaks down the subtle differences that separate a 271 from a 116, what makes a torpedo bat work, and why the billet you choose at the very beginning can determine everything that follows. John also opens up about what changed when the company moved from hobby to full-time operation, how his wife Lori joined the business and helped scale production, and what it really takes to keep a two-person company personal while meeting pro-level demand. Despite MLB licensing, audits, and growing attention, he stays committed to one thing above all: making a bat that feels right in a hitter’s hands. This episode goes beyond bat specs and shop talk. It’s about family, legacy, and the emotional weight of building something with your name on it. If you love baseball, craftsmanship, or the kind of story where passion slowly becomes a life’s work, this one is essential listening. John Vullo is the founder of Vullo Bat Company, an MLB-certified wooden bat maker based in Newport, Washington. What began as a hobby grew into a family-run operation producing game bats, training bats, and custom models for professional players and organizations. Perfect for baseball fans, coaches, players, and anyone who loves stories about turning a lifelong obsession into a craft that matters. Turn this into a graphic with this logo make look professional and clean

October baseball is all about the teams that survive, not the teams that merely looked best in April. Chris and Ethan break down the 2026 playoff picture, the clubs nobody wants to face, and the stars most likely to decide a World Series run when 162 games suddenly stop mattering.From the Rays’ small-ball identity to the Brewers’ October upside, from the Yankees’ pressure cooker to the Dodgers’ relentless championship expectations, this episode lays out exactly why postseason baseball feels like a different sport. Chris and Ethan dig into byes, bullpen management, short-series strategy, and why getting hot at the right time can matter more than having the best record in baseball.You’ll hear bold takes on the AL and NL races, including why Tampa Bay, Boston, Cleveland, the White Sox, the Cubs, the Phillies, the Padres, Arizona, and Houston all have very different paths to making noise. They also break down which arms and bats are built for October, why some rosters collapse under pressure, and which managers and lineups can actually survive a five-game or seven-game series.

The World Baseball Classic might be creating a hidden cost no one wants to talk about—and the numbers around some of baseball’s biggest names are impossible to ignore. From Cal Raleigh’s offensive drop, Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s lost power, and Aaron Nola’s brutal season to the velocity concerns around Paul Skenes and the injury questions surrounding Tarik Skubal, this episode asks a simple but uncomfortable question: is March baseball leaving players carrying a hangover into the 162-game grind?Chris and Ethan break down the stats, the injuries, and the patterns player by player, separating coincidence from something more serious. They dig into whether playoff-intensity games in spring training are disrupting routines, overloading pitchers too early, and throwing hitters out of rhythm before Opening Day even arrives. Along the way, they look at standout WBC performances too—including Logan Webb, Fernando Tatis Jr., and Seiya Suzuki—to test whether the tournament is actually helping some players while hurting others.