Manny has always been a prolific hitter. He has belted long balls with regularity throughout his career. In fact, his achievements were so unbelievable some questioned the tools of his trade. Early in the 1999 season he was accused by Yankee players and officials of using a doctored bat after hitting a long home run against Orlando Hernandez at Yankee Stadium.
Of course, it was all speculation then. On the other hand, the "Card of Week" showcased above appears to show otherwise.
Above is the 2000 Pacific Manny Ramirez game-used bat card that has a "Corked Bat" piece embedded within it.
Understandably, Manny was beside himself- so was the players union. Major League Baseball investigated and Pacific card company admitted that they neither received the bat from Manny himself, nor was it supplied directly to the dealer who sold it to Pacific. Per Evan Kaplan, category manager of trading cards and memorabilia for the MLBPA,
"There's no evidence it came directly from Manny. At this point we have no evidence that it was his bat."
Today, it is common hobby knowledge that this card was a gimmick made to bolster the fortunes of the fledgling card company. Unfortunately for Pacific, it eventually cost them their Baseball license and they would soon shutter their doors forever.