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By Bat Digest | Last Updated November 17, 2022
Marucci CAT X is live. The bat is a single-piece alloy that comes in BBCOR and USSSA in all types of sizes and drops. It is a ridiculously popular bat and, for 2023 has a lighter swing weight than previous CAT versions. We are big fans and think this should be on your list if you’re in the mood for a premium single-piece bat.
While watching the college world series, we noticed that more than a few Marucci teams quickly switched to the bat. A team like Texas State, a Marucci school, had 8 of their 9 starters move to the CAT X series. So, if that isn’t recommendation enough, we’re not sure what might be.
Also, the bat is legal for NCAA play even though it has white on the barrel. That rules has not gone away, but there is enough contrast, per NCAA guidelines, to be allowed.
The CAT series from Marucci is, to put it mildly, popular. The CAT X will replace the CAT 9 which has a history since the CAT 5-squared of top end performance, a great sized barrel and some of the best player feedback around for a single piece alloy bat.
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Single-piece alloy bats that are hot, big barrelled, and get good reviews are similar to the Voodoo One, Rawlings 5150, and Slugger Omaha. The CAT X has a few more tech advancements (like the knob that dampens sting). But, fundamentally, if you are looking for a single-piece alloy bat then the CAT X has competition.
Here are the changes, as reported by Marucci on our Podcast, of the 2023 CAT X Connect vs the 2021 CAT 9.
Cat X BBCOR
The 2023 Marucci CAT X is a single-piece alloy bat with some tech in the knob that dampens stings on mishits. It also has a unique alloy to give it a huge barrel and hot out-of-the-wrapper performance.
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.