Disclaimer: This site uses affiliate links. Learn More.
Disclaimer: This site uses affiliate links. Learn More.
By Bat Digest | Last Updated November 17, 2022
Ever since Bryce Harper, at the age of 16, used the DeMarini VooDoo to smash a 502-foot home run at Tropicana, the two piece hybrid Voodoo bat has been, to say the least, a popular choice.
With the release of the 2015 version of the bat just a few weeks away, the buzz has officially begun.
And why make many changes to a good thing? Last year’s version of the bat got a lot of play with a Vanderbilt team who won the NCAA World Series with it. DeMarini also helped put more teams in the NCAA tournament than any other bat.
When compared to the 2014 Voodoo Overlord version they have “flame tempered” the connective piece in the handle. Hence the addition of FT to the name. They have also updated the alloy in the barrel with some additives for wall strength and pop with a new X12 alloy (not the X10).
It also feels slightly more endloaded than the previous year’s version. I’ve used my trusty swing weight calculator to get a number on the swing weight and that is marginally true, but both the 2014 and 2015 VooDoo Overlord should be considered end-loaded or swing heavy bats. Compared to the 2015 Baseball CF7 the Voodoo Overlord FT swings about 13% higher when comparing similar lengths. If you were looking for a CF7 that has a similar swing weight to your VooDoo FT you’ll need 2 to 3 inches more.
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.
Just Bat Reviews, LLC DBA Bat Digest participate in affiliate marketing programs including but not limited to Amazon and eBay. We most likely earn a comission from companies we link to on this site.
© 2023. Just Bat Reviews, LLC DBA Bat Digest Company.