2017 Louisville Slugger 617 Solo Review

On October 20th, the 2017 Louisville Slugger 617 Solo was released. We spent time on the phone with major vendors discussing expectations for the bat as well as testing the bat over the course of a season. Here is our review.

There was no last year's version of the 617 Solo. It is the first of the single piece hybrid bats Slugger has made.

The 2017 Louisville Slugger 617 Solo is a single piece hybrid bat. We are not sure if we made up that categorization of bats in general, but we think it fitting for the 617. The bat is a single piece aluminum through the entire barrel, but has a composite end cap. This composite end cap can influence two significant things:

• The strength of the barrel, especially toward the end cap, is significantly affected by the strength of the end cap. A composite end cap can be honed for maximum durability. Slugger's claim is the 617 optimized that feature. That optimization is directly correlated with how large the barrel can be---another key feature Slugger touts on the 617.
• A lighter end cap means lighter swing weight. This is also the claim with the 617 Solo. A lighter end cap delivers a balance point more toward the hands. In turn, greater bat speed and more bat control.