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By Bat Digest
Updated November 17, 2022
The 2016 Adidas RBZ is a high-end two-piece composite bat with two general claims. The first claim is the swing weight is at the absolute bottom of the permissible spectrum. (In fact, the rumor is, they had to actually add weight to the bat for it to pass the minimum standard). This remarkably low swing weight (which we confirmed with our trust swing weight calculator) should be helpful for the host of younger players looking for a light swinging BBCOR bat.
The second general claim from Adidas, which we can also confirm as far as possible, is the RBZ's performance is at the absolute peak of .50 BBCOR standards. When the barrel of a bat is composite, manufacturers expect it to increase in performance pop over time. Subsequently, bats with composite barrels are usually designed to have an out of the wrapper performance below the .50 standard (like, say .47). Then, after the break in period, the .50 standard is reached. We have no reason to doubt that Adidas didn't reach this maximum.
As players get stronger they tend to prefer aluminum barrels due to their generally higher swing weight and hot out of the wrapper performance. Hence the reason we saw a few collegiate players in 2015 swinging the Adidas EQT X2 or EQT X1 due to its bigger beef, heavier swing weight, and an alloy barrel. But, in the beginning of their BBCOR career, a light swinging two-piece composite is a smart way to go. The rumor is Adidas will also release a couple of youth and big barrel bats in the EQT X1 and EQT X2 for the 2016 season. As well, the EQT X1 and EQT X2 will continue to be produced for the 2016 season. This gives Adidas a full complement of bats in a single piece aluminum, hybrid, and two-piece composite bat all built for peak performance to serve a particular part of the market.