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From a recommendations standpoint, the 2016 Easton S3, like previous years iterations, fits the mold of a light swinging bat made for players who need more help in simply finding the ball at the plate than anything else. The Easton S3 has never been known for power and its potential to ring a few hands due to its ultra-stiff feel has left more than a few leaving this bat behind in search of more barrel per swing weight, less hand sting, and more power. We'd hesitantly recommend it for the struggling hitter who doesn't see serious pitch speed (sub 40mph) but, other than that, would be hard-pressed to get excited about the bat for anyone in particular.
In the right hands, the stiff nature of the S3 could lead very likely due to some damage as, for an aluminum bat, at least, the swing weight allows for ultra-quick hands. But we'd guess a legit hitter would find at least as much success, and likely a lot more, with a different stick. The S3 doesn't pack enough punch to be considered seriously by good players. From a pure market reach standpoint, the limited offerings of sizes in the 2016 Easton S3 make it even more difficult to recommend across the board. It will only come in four sizes: a Youth Drop 13; 2 5/8 drop 10; a 2 3/4 drop 10. There is also a Junior Barrel Version of the bat, which may be its most recommendable version due to the type of player looking for JBB bats (young, inexperienced, and not seeing impressive impact speeds). Even then, the JBB version isn't meant for serious pitching, and you can get a little more bang for the buck they are asking for.
There are virtually no performance differences between the 2015 Easton S3 and the 2016 Easton S3. (Nor, for that matter, were there any differences in the 2014 S3 and the 2015 S3). The bat continues to be a single piece aluminum stick with a long barrel (for aluminum) and real stiff feel for the player looking for a light swinging bat. The 2016 S3 keeps the same "HyperLite" Alloy which the 2015 S3 added to spite the 2014 version.
As we stated above, the 2016 Easton S3 is a stiff one piece bat with an ultra light swing. In 2014 Easton has several complaints of the S3 denting way too early in its life. The change to a new "hyperlite" alloy in 2015, which is now found on their BBCOR aluminum barreled bats, appears to be solid move as the 2015 S3 was reviewed well for the select group of smaller hitters who find success simply making contact.
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