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By Bat Digest | Last Updated March 1, 2023
The 2023 Louisville Slugger Atlas is a single-piece bat that uses unique variable wall thickness to lower swing weight and improve performance along the length of the barrel. Although Slugger does not, we consider this the new and ‘improved’ Solo series from Slugger. It is another in a long list of bats trying to capture the hype train created by the resurrection of the Voodoo One series in DeMarini. The Atlas performs great in BBCOR, despite some early reports on durability issues–the jury is still out here. In USSSA, it’s hard to love, and in the USA, it’s probably the best drop 12 on the market.
We like the Atlas in BBCOR for smaller players that want a light swing weight or the bigger hitter that wants a wood-like feel in a lightweight swinging alloy bat. In USSSA, few gravitate towards a single-piece alloy and like it as much as two-piece composites. USA bats in the drop 12 space are hard to come by, so if you are in that market and have $250 to spend, then the USA 2023 Atlast might be your ticket.
Generally, we like the BBCOR for its light swing and good-sized barrel for a single-piece alloy. It feels good, too. USSSA bat leaves a lot to be desired. In USA it’s excellent if you need a very light swinging bat with a long length.
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There are a lot of single-piece alloy bats on the market, as they are the easiest to create and get approved in each league. Bats like the Voodoo One, the Easton ALX, or even a bat like Warstic’s Bonesaber are all legitimate bats that come in a light-swinging single-piece alloy.
There is no 2022 Atlas. However, we consider the Atlas as the new and “improved” Solo series from Slugger. The Solo also used variable wall thickness and a unique end cap to help bring down swing weight in a single-piece alloy bat.
The 2023 Louisville Slugger Atlas is a single-piece bat that uses a variable wall thickness to produce a light swing and good-performing barrel. Slugger claims the new barrel is a ‘first in class’ software invention using some kinetic response to produce the right thickness in the barrel to maximize a light swing and optimal performance. This sounds interesting, but we aren’t sure what it means exactly. In effect, the bat uses different thicknesses in the barrel to produce a bat that performs well along its length. Variable wall thickness isn’t new to the game—The VELO and Rawlings have been doing it for years. But, Slugger claims they decided how to tune the walls is different. Fair enough.
The overall rating uses seven different weighted metrics to determine our overall score. Half of total rating comes from the player and our exit speed tests (Player Rating: 25%, Performance: 25%).The other categories are Relevance (20%), Demand (10%), Durability (10%), Resell Score (5%), and Tech Specs (5%).
*: When a bat is denoted by a star (*) it is a preliminary rating. Expect it to be updated as we learn more about the bat and gather more data.
(PlaRa) Player Rating: We measure player rating from user reviews. Those users include our own hitters that we test at the lab as well as reviews we find online.
(ExVe) Performance: Performance measures the exit speeds and distances we capture in our hitting lab with HitTrax using these bats.
(Relv) Relevance: We measure the number of sizes and the MOI of the bat. Bats with a wider range of options get a better score.
(Dmnd) Demand: Demand is measured by consumer sentiment and the buzz around the bat.
(Drb) Durability: A bat’s durability is measured by user reviews as well as feedback from manufacturers.
(ReSl) Resell Score: Based on the price the bats go for used. Higher prices mean greater user demand which means, generally, a better bat. A resell value closer to its original price means a higher score.
(Tech) Tech Specs: We rate the bat on its technological advancements from previous years and compared to the industry at large. This is our chance to reward companies who are trying to innovate.
MOI
MOI or Mass Moment of Inertia is a measurement of bat swing weight. This quantifies how difficult it is to swing a bat. The industry often refers to this as things like End Load or Balanced but those words have been overused to the point of meaninglessness. We measure the actual swing weights of each bat we test using the industry-standard pendulum period, balance point, and scale weight. You can read more about that here.
Price
The price is the original MSRP price of the bat.
Type
The types of bats are single-piece alloy (SPA), two-piece composite (TPC), single-piece composite (SPC), hybrid (Hyb.), and wood (Wood). Hybrid bats are made of composite handles and alloy barrles.
Date
The estimated date the bat began distribution.
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