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By Bat Digest | Last Updated November 17, 2022
Easton’s flagship baseball bat line for 2018 is the Easton Ghost X. The Mako is no longer. We have watched players swing the new Ghost X at length. The USSSA drop 5 is highly recommendable. The drop 10 and BBCOR versions are solid. The USA version of the bat is, to put it mildly, difficult to recommend due to some strange vibration issues it creates in the hands. Easton never quite admitted as much, but when we and a number of others hit the bat it just didn’t feel right.
Our hitters generally liked the USSSA version of the bat. In fact, the drop 5 2 3/4 USSSA version is a monster and one of our favorite drop 5’s out there. The drop 10 is a solid bat recommendable for serious players who like a two piece composite but don’t want the CF Zen. The USA version of the bat has something wrong with it (as many of our hitters and others online have pointed out). It rings the hands in an unconventional way and doesn’t feel right off the bat for many hitters. There are some that have had positive experiences with the bat but we were not one of them.
The Ghost X recommendation for 2018 depends on what class of bat you are looking for. Generally, the BBCOR and USSSA versions of the bats are highly recommendable. The USA version in the drop 10 struggles to impress. But, the drop 8 and 5 USA Ghost X are decent bats.
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| 2 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 |
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In terms of a two piece composite bat with a light swing, robust model offering and prestigious pedigree, you’ll struggle to find a bat similar to the Ghost X. The arguable competitor is DeMarini’s CF Zen. Others may very well add in the 917 Prime from Louisville Slugger, but we think that a stretch.
In terms of a two piece composite bat with a light swing, the world is your oyster. Virtually every serious bat company makes a two piece composite bat, including Marucci (Hex Connect), Axe (Avenge), Rawlings (Quatro) and the likes.
In terms of overall set up, the 2018 Ghost X and 2017 Mako Beast are similar. That is, they are both two piece composite bats with a big barrel and a light swing.
However, there are considerable upgrades to the composite structure Easton uses in the Ghost, insomuch that calling it a Mako wasn’t fair. The new composite structure used to design the Ghost intends to extend the length of the sweet spot. Note, this isn’t a claim the barrel is larger. Instead, the claim is the new composite structure allows for a longer sweet spot on the same sized barrel.
For the record, the MAKO Beast had one of the largest barrels on the market in 2017. So, the 2018 Ghost X having a barrel just as big, if not ever so slightly bigger, means it is still huge.
As well, Easton claims to have updated the connective piece. It is no longer the CXN which has been on the MAKO since its inception. Instead, it is referred to as connection+. The idea is a more durable connective piece via some redesigned innards.
The Ghost X is a two piece composite bat built with a big barrel and a light swing. Depending on the drop, the barrel size tends to be larger than average. It comes in a number of sizes and drop options. It is, for all intents and purposes, Easton’s flagship bat for 2018.
It uses a connection piece called the CXN and delivers generally good feel on contact in the BBCOR and USSSA spaces.
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.
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