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By Bat Digest | Last Updated March 3, 2021
Not much has changed between the 2014 Youth XL1 and the 2015 MAKO XL other than the type of composite used (oh yeah, and the name). We are not quite sure why the name and category change occurred but leave it to the bat industry to change names on bats for no apparent reason other than to confuse us. The upgrade of the material to the composite made famous by the MAKO seems like a good enough reason, we guess.
Easton adds a subcategory to the MAKO line this year in the MAKO XL. This bat is the youth version of the 2014 Easton XL1. In the MAKO XL line, there is only this single bat.
This bat comes in a drop 10 2 1/4 barrel version only. This bat is end-loaded. If you want or need a lighter swing then you should look at the Youth MAKO which comes in a drop 11 and has a bit smaller barrel.
Overall this bat is an absolute beast. The upgrade of the XL1, which we thought was the best youth baseball bat in 2014, to an improved MAKO type composite seems like a step in the right direction.
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%).
(UR) Un Rated: An overall rating of UR means the bat has yet to be fully rated. When it is, this score will update.
(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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